Omaha daily bee., 1895-10-06
CONDITION OF OMAHA'S TRADE
Business in a Jobbing Way Shows Very
Little Change.
COUNTRY COLLECTIONS NOT VERY GOOD
Volume of Business Doing Very Fair,
but No Great Rush to Buy Mer-
hnpdise Noted-Mnrkets Quiet
with Few Important Changes.

with Few Important Changes.
The past week has been characterized by
n good steady movement of merchandise
in almost all branches of the jobbing trade.
No phenomenal record of large sales has
been made, and the total volume Of bust
ness could hardly be regarded as much, If
any, above a good average week. At the
same time jobbers generally express them
selves as well pleased with the results eff
fected during the past six days, and 1t may
be said that business, so far as the local
jobbers are concerned, is fully as good as
could be expected under the circumstances
No jobbing house Is doing the business that
was expected two months ago, but expecta-
tons at that time were founded upon the
prospect that the state would have the
largest crop in its history.
Collections are not good, and in some
lines there is commencing to be a good
deal of complaining on that score. Owing
to low prices the farmers are holding their
produce. and as very little ls being sold
the volume of money coming into the state
is small, and there Is nothing to make
sion for surprise Is that collections are no
worse; AS q rule no Improvement is an
freely, and even then the Indebtedness in
be reasonable to expect that collections
should be exceptionally good.
As to values, the past week has not de-
veloped many changes OF Importance IN
staple lines of merchandise.
SUGAR ATTRACTS ATTENTION.
In the line of groceries a very fair trade
no rush of orders. In certain sections of
dependent territory, retailers are buying
being ordered ID as 'u are oV Wanted saih to so go into nto
immediate consumption.
AS to prices. the cheese market has been
very feverish and in an excited condition,
due to the shortage i'm the make. together
with the extreme drouth throughout Eu-
rome Viii hno fnrna1 fnrAfUn nj 4
to purchase largely of the American pro-
the reported shortage of the German beet
crop, and to the fact that supplies will
cholera in the Sandwich islands. Available
stocks of raw aiioat and in warehouses are
the prospect for lover prices is not at ali
fayorable for some little time to come.
The Nebraska factories have started up
and expect to have sugar on the market by
the middle of the week.
Reliable estimates now place the shortage
in the European sugar crop at 100000 tons
below the average, The sugar trade has
been figuring all along on "A shortage of
only 100000 tons, and the large Increase in the
estimated shortage was one of the principal
sources of strength developed by the mar
ket during the past week.
A slight Improvement in the tone of the
market for evaporated apples Is noted as a
direct result of an increased export de-
about 2A cents below the ruling prices of a
year ago, and that fact may have helped
TO stimulate the demand. IN all apple
growing sections, both in this country and
in Europe, a large apple crop is reported
this season; so that It would not seem prob,
Improvement in the market for evaporated
fruit for some time to come.
The reports that holders of prunes on
the. coast were anxious to sell and were Of
nering fruit at a very low figure is denied.
The growers in California believing in the
shortage of the French crop. which will
prevent fruit from being imported from
that country, are figuring that they will
themselves. and say that they can afford
to hold on for good prices.
owing to Engagements between the pack
been abandoned for the time being. The
result is that the upward tendency of the
market has been checked.
HARDWARE TRADE SATISFACTORY.
Occasionally some little complaint is heard
over the comparative slowness of trade,
in the main the movement of goods in the
hardware line Is satisfactory. Local jobbers
aPpf BUSINESS ae fe tsat ' IS to fba e had aT re &c, gstt ao.n, all
and they are compelled to rest satisfied with
that As a matter Of fact, business is not
what had been hoped for at this season,
but under present conditions 1t Is all that
could be expected.
The hardware market has shown no ma
terlal change during the past six days, or
none at least worthy of mention. Values
If there have been no advances to record
there have at least been no declines. Pres
EN- prospects would seem to favor a CON
tlnuance OF a firm market. In some lines
further ADVANCES are anticipated for the
near future. The barb wire people are
cents before the first Of the year, ~
staple lines of goods, it is said fiddpP that there
is no surplus and that manufacturers are
to their fuli ca ISeiase to ,h Keep p up With hee erE,
rems d stnoE The Lack Of any burden.
strongest features of the market.
BOOT AMI SHOE TRADE.
yo Inc ! dealers report a fair business, and
Volume. AS Yet there has been NO veEv
state to stimulate the retail trade. and 'q in
consequence the amount of goods that has
actually gone into consumption is not very
large. The season is approaching. when
a freer movement of goods into consump-
ton would, without doubt, have a stimu-
!atins effect upon the wholesale trade as
LOCAL DRY GOODS HOUSES.
Houses report a good trade in their line
ing months. The dry goods market has
not been very prolific of new features, but
The market for cotton goods appears to he
In a peculiar condition: Cotton has been
been Improvement in the market for the
is %a so sreat ! d Rspa a i bet Is sald th that tn there re
the raw material and the selling price Of
the cloth that manufacturers have been
Of sSe mills IL " t halt sup with Of 2 1 lnTs co, m,ajOT a;
soon be exhausted, While a good many havs
already had to purchase of the new crop,
NO great activity can be expected in cotton
manufacturing until the price of the nm
ished produce advances, or until raw cotton
Is cheaper.
ICE MEN DISSATISFIED.
The ice season is drawing to a close, and
a iallng on IN the consumption is already
noted as a consequence of the cooler
weather. Without exception ice men admit
that this fall has been far from a salts
factory season., viewed from the sellers
standpoint. A year ago the ice Companies
had all the men and teams employed in
delivering Ice that customers could be found
Tor. This summer, with a decrease in the
number of customers. new ice companies
came into the field and twenty additional
delivery wagons were employed. The In.
creased competition and the lack of enough
customers to keep all the teams busy
Drought about a reduction in prices, A
cut OF about one-third was made in the
prices that prevailed the previous sum
The result. so ice men claim. Is that
there has been no money in the business
Tor any one, while some companies are
said to be heavy losers. Some ice that
was put up by inexperienced people did
not turn out. as well as expected, and there
were some losses from that cause.
A good many wagons have been taken
on the past week, owing to the shrinkasa
In the demand for ice, and the men ana
teams put TO work in the coal yards.
st. Louis General MarLat