The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-04-17
BUSINESS OUTLOOK.
An Improvement Shown in Spec
ulative and Other Demands.
Retail Trade Increases, But Progress is
slow-Exports Are Good-The Situa-
tlon in Several Western Cities
Record OF Failures.

New YORK, April 13.-R. G. Dun &
Co.'s weekly review Of trade says:
Progress toward better business continues,
but Is slow and meets many obstacles. In
speculative aspects and In wholesale demand
for goods, the week shows improvement.
Money markets are undisturbed, and little
more active. But among the chief obstacles
is the anxiety Of operatives to secure
better wages, even while many manufacturing
works are running without profit and others
at the risk Of loss. In q number OF establish
ments better wages have been conceded thus
increasing the purchasing power Of the people,
but strikes have largely overbalanced settle
ments several of Importance having thrown
about 1900 workers out Of employment this
week.
Retail Trade Improving.
Retail trade has improved on the whole
since March, as the approach of Easter brings
more business, but distribution to individual
consumers still lags behind purchases OF
jobbers and such demand for products as
springs from buildings and other investments
looking into the future, Crop prospects will
greatly affect the course of trade for some
months, and the government report has little
influence to discourage. For consumers the
worst feature Is the rapid advance in meats
Exports Especially Good.
1.-THE last week for exports was especially
good, showing an increase Of 18 per cent, but
March returns for the principal products show
decrease of S5,2535S1, or lis per cent, against
an increase OF II per cent in imports at New
York.
The Failure Record
Failures for the first four days Of April
showed liabilities Of SllS3,5.3, OF which $445,-
$40 were Of manufacturing, and 6S3 OF
trading concerns. Failures for the week were
907 in the United States, against 2lS last year,
and q in Canada against "a last year"
Bradstreet's View.
Bradstreets says:
"The feature in trade circles is found In
the prices movement, more particularly
those for cattle, dressed beef and petroleum.
Drought, low prices and hard times within
two years have resulted in shorter supply OF
cattle, prospectiVely 30 per cent. less than
last year. Live cattle are Sl60 higher per 100
pounds than last year and 81 higher than the
lowest point this year Dressed beef is "a
cents higher than the average last year, the
highest since 1883 The comparative scarcity
of high grade cattle is emphasized by the fact
that present quotations, when made in previ-
Gus periods OF scarcity, have never failed to
bring supply when one existed.
Situation at Many oints.
Central western cities, notably st. Louis
Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Louisville and
Detroit, report improvement In business and
confidence rs to the future. Greatest activity
is noticed in dry goods, hats, shoes and leaf to-
bacco
Recent rains have produced u cheerful feel
ing in the agricultural region tributary to Kan
sas City, Omaha, Des MUines, Milwaukee, st,
Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth The conse-
Quent improvement is not as great as hoped
because OF activity in planting. The move
ment Of farm machinery. dry goods, groceries,
hardware, paints and oils is most active
Among more important southern cities re-
porting actual gains in the movement Of mer
chandise are Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah and
Galveston. but improvement there is slight
The outlook is regarded more cheerfully at New
Orleans, where sugar bounty disbursements are
expected soon, but ut Jacksonville and Bir-
mingham general trade Is quiet and In some,
lines slow. Nashville and Memphis retain i'm
provement previously recorded. AT Chatta-
nooga dry goods and hardware are relatively
most active.