Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-06
BUSINESS.

NEW FORK, ApT1l O.--BThu5lTecI.S bO- morrow will say: The appearance of more settled weather, together with the con- tinued strength of cotton, stimulasss man. ufacturers 10 demand higher prices for fall delivery. With rain in regions where 1t was greatly needed, further increases in wages of industrial employees, heavier ship ments of wheat abroad and the rush of the volume of the weeks bank clearings above the $1S, 000 ,000 mark, there are evidences Of the continuation of u better feeling in trade circles and returning confidence in many lines of business.
 Rather less improvement in the feeling of business and volume of distribution of merchandise has been felt at the south pro- porttonately during the past few weeks than elsewhere, the central western and some eastern industrial and commercial centers contin uiug to report relatively the greatest increases in demand and pros poets.
 Trade has been fair at Charleston, where the demand is relatively best for phos- pilates, and there is Improvement at Memphis and Nashville under the weather stimulus. No change is reported from Augusta. At Savannah business is quiet, except for, naval stores, while at Jacksonville the volume of trade has decreased. There is a better request for dry goods, shoes and groceries at At Ianta, where one cotton mtil is doubling it's capacity. Reports from Birmingham and Chattanooga are In contrast, Ihe former failing to record special improve ment, while Chattanooga refers to gains in several lines. Wholesale business at New Orleans and at Galveston shows mod crate improvement, dry goods and gro- ceries receiving perhaps most attention.
 .DUN'o REPORT.
 NEW YORK, April 5.-R. c. Dun Co.'s weekly review of trade tomorrow will say: Returns of the highest importance this week show the gain of retail trade in March throughout the country and the distribu- tiOn of goods to final consumers in com parison with the same months in 1894 and 1893. While the returns cannot be con- densed into single comparison, aud ln view of the widely differing conditions in different rsectious and branches might in that form be less useful, there is gratifying evidence that in most trades and districts marked improvement over 1894 is realized, though on the wholei tra1e is smaller than in 1883.
 The best news from the industries is that labor troubles have been settled or avoided, Mahoning iron and eastern woolen mills being again in active operation. Next In importance is the demand for many manu- factured product which gives greater reason to hope that the recent advances , from the bottom may prove successful. Following the rise in coke there have been this week sales of 2,000, ,0C0 tons of lake ore at about 15 per cent advance, and finished
  iron rising to S10.65, gray forge to 9.25, common bar to 95 cents, structural angles to- S1 .05 and plates $1 per ton. Chicago shares in the rise, and the Illinois Steel company has achieved notable success in taking the contract for steel plates for ship yards at Newport News. Eastern works gain more slowly, notwithstanding the low price of anthra- cite coal. The production of Connellsville coke for the week, 168, ,101 tons, was the largest on record, but there is soma fear that higher coke and ore may close sone | works. Copper is frmer, as sales of stock | taken from the French syndicate removed a load on the market for the past six years, | and tin has been stronger with tin plates, because of purchases for Pacific canners. The cotton man ufactare, once stimulated by the rise in raw cotton, goes on gaining, though cotton has halted. Better demand appears for many qualities and in some slight advance in price.
 Commercial failures in the first quarter of 1895 mum bered 3802, with liabilities of | $47, SIS 6S3, averaging ZIP, 500 each. There were also thirty-five bank failures, with liabilities of $l2 1882. .537, or S360, 1000 each. If both were Jumped together, as in other reports they are, the aggregate of liabilities. here reached would be s60, 496, ,l20.
 The demand for money is somewhat bet ter, but since April less increase is noted in commercial loans.