The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-28
THE CONDITION OF TRADE
EXPECTATIONS EARLY IN THE YEAR FOR TRADE ARE HOPEFUL.

iEAH FOH TRADE ARE HOPEFUL. Bradstreets Has Partially Confident FeeI-
 ing That Business in n Short Time Will
 be Good-Grain is Moving Very Freely
 Fractional Reactions Are Reported.
 New York, Dec. 27.-Bradstreets to- morrow will say:
 As is the rule in Christmas week, wholesale trade has been quiet. The holidays, the close of the year and the stock taking tend to make business slow and promise to make only a light trade until late in January. At various cities, notably New York, Boston, Bal timore and Chicago, anticipation as to the character of trade early in the com- ing year are hopeful, but it remains to be seen whether the downward move- ment of demand and prices and the de- lay in putting the currency on a sound basis, all of which have begun to show themselves in trade conditions will per- init of as early and marked gains in staples in 1896 as has been confidently anticipated. The weeks features in commercial lines are rather better trade in Christmas specialties than eM- pected, check to business at the west from long continued rains, extremely light stocks of goods in hands of retail- CTS, the strength of wool and expecta- tion of holders that it will advance should the proposed duty be placed on it together with the pronounced movement of funds from the west, not only to pay interest, but because of the better de- n1and for currency at larger financial centers. Grain is moving more freely in the state of Washington as, well as in the nearby northwest, where lack of snow is felt by nearby lumbermen. Wheat has continued to go from the Pacific coast to Australia
 Most industries report business quiet. Eastern dress goods woolen mills are fairly supplied with orders, but some of the Philadelphia mills have shut
 
 facturens report buyers are taking very litlte interest, but increased strength in hides makes them relatively confident.
 The prices movement is more favor able than for weeks, the quotations for 1 coke having been advanced, as we'll as those of mohair wheat, Indian corn, oats and for sugar, while for leather, | hides and lumber, coal, wool, coffee and print cloths quotations are unchanged.
 Fractional reactions are reported in prices of refined petroleum, cotton, pork, 1 flour, iron and steel. Exports of wheat 1 flour included as such, from both coasts of the United States, this week, amount to 3,547, 900 bushels, compared with 1,S14, 900 bushels in the correspond | ing week of a year ago. This weeks | foreign shipments of wheat (f1our in- l cluded) are the largest since the third week of January last
 Clearngs totals are favorable-the ag- l gregate,. while it is 3.5 per cent. less l than last week, a remarkably small l falling off when the Christmas inter- ruption is recalled, shows an increase of l fully 36 per cent. over Christmas week 1 in 1894 and of 47 per cent. over 1893. 1 Business failures in the country for a completed year number 13,013 an increase of more than per cent, not withstanding the excellent second year following a panic in which it is usual for the number of failures to decline. The percentage of assets to liabili- | ties has risen from 5 per cent. a year ago to nearly 56 per cent. as contrasted with 65 per cent. in 1893. The liabilities l this year aggregated $15S, SAP. 445 and the actual assets $SS,115,530. The num- l Der of failures in New England were 1 1,6S6 against 1 .7S4 in 1894; the liabilities | $19,914, ,153 against $1S790,01S in 1894 and the assets $9,9O2,244 against $7,S26,3S1 in 1894.
 Toronto advices are that prices are 1 firm and unchanged, the bank dis counts are heavier than a year ago. Mild weather has served to interfere 1 with general trade at Montreal and at Quebec City shoe manufacturers re- port lack of orders. General trade ] throughout the province of Quebec is l somewhat duller than usual
 Bank clearings at Winnipeg, Hamil. ton, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax ag- 1 gregate S21 100000, 8 decrease of per cent from the week before. Business failures reported from Newfoundland number 47 this year against 42 last year. but liabilities aggregate only S445,62S against $6,2S0,000 a year ago, at which time the colony suffered from panic and commercial depression.