The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-11-30
THE CONDITION OF TRADE
BRADSEREETs SENDS OUT 4 MOST
 FAVORABBE REPoRT.

The Volume of aeperai Trade Shows a
 Falling or Compared With That of Last
 Week--Trade Remains Unchanged in the
 south-Dry Goods Are Quieter,
 New York, Nov. 2S.-Bradstreets says; The volume of general trade shows & falling off compared with ths preceding week, largely through the intervention of Thanksgiving day, but in part to the continued effect of mild weather east and south, storms in tha tion of buyers to add to stocks during the closing months of the year. Navi- gation has practically closed on the great lakes, the canals and at Seattle. Western jobbers report activity noticeI able in clothing, wooden goods, rubbers. shoes and holiday specialties with some increased demand for coal and light hardware
 General trade remains unchanged at the south with mercantile collection in some instances improving, the ten- dency of cotton to move slowly and the movement of merchandise smaller than in October. Texas merchants re. port fair movement of notions and fancy goods, but a check to distribu- tion of groceries and dry goods. On the Pacific coast a. smaller volume of business is repOtred from San Fran cisco with shipments east of wheat. which strengthen the local grain mar ket. Considerable merchandise contin- ues to go to Alaska from Seattle and at Portland complaints are made that the passenger rate war between thar city and San Francisco threatens to hunt local trade. The most striking in- dustrial feature is the continued re- action in iron and steel, bessemer pig being off 25 cents and steel billets frac- tionally lower. with reactions in prices for wire, sheets and other forms. Thera is little likelihood of an increased de- nanNd or a reversal of the price move | ment prior to January 15. There is an improved demand for boots and shoes at Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis and at some New England centers. while at Philadelphia the demand is not so conspicuous as previously. The restriction of production by several taal1 neries tends to weaken the prices of hides.
 Dry goods are quieter with the con- tinued lnseasonably mild weather and l the revival of the holiday trade The strength of cotton maintains the price l of cotton goods Higher prices for wool at London tend to revive interest here and agents for dress woolens re- port new orders for spring delivery. Practically unchanged quotations are announced for lumber, coal, leather, naval stores, leaf tobacco, sugar and l wool. The more conspicuous advances appear to be confined to wheat 1s d bushel, cotton A cent "a pound and some of the cheaper grades of paper stock, fractionally.
 Samples of wheat, flour included as wheat, from both coasts and from Mon. treal amount to 2,460,0O0 bushels, com- pared with 2,667, 900 bushels in the week l a year ago.
 l Bank clearing throughout the United States amount to S70,000,000 this week. and reflect rather more than the clls- tomary falling off incidental to Thanks l giving week, the decrease as compared with the preceding week amounting to 23 per cent. When compared with tha total for the week a year ago the gain is only per cent, as compared with the week of 1893 the increase is ony 10 pen cent. Compared with three years agd | the decrease is 37 per cent. l There were 2S8 business failures re- ported throughout the United States l this week as compared with 307 one year ago. | Advices from Montreal are that the volume of trade has been interrupted because of the close of navigation. Toronto reports a slight Improvement l in dry goods, but no material change in other lines, and that the mercantile col- the business outlook rather more favor- ably, and although some of the shoe manufacturers are idle they expect to l be in full operation next month. Hali-i fax wires that mild weather has result ed in smaller trade throughout tha province.
 There are 52 business failures report ed from the Dominion this week against 35 a week ago. Bank clearings at Winnipeg. Hamilton Montreal and Halifax show rapid advance compar- ed with last week when a holiday was observed, the gain being about 15 pen cent Compared with the total year ago this weeks increase is about 10 pen cent.