Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-14
FROM THE HIGH WATER MARK
: put of Iron Is Much Greater Than the  Consumption.
PRICES HAVE AGAIN DECLINED
,troleum, Coffee and Cotton Were the Only Staple Products to Show an Ad- vance in Quotations Birmirg-
 Lam Shows Improvement.

New York, Dec. 13.-R G. Dun & Go. 1 will say tomorrow in their weekly re- 1 view of trade:
 Failures for the first week of December 1 show liabilities of $3,104S31, against $4,- l 036,SG6 last year and $4 ,409 in 1893. In
 manufacturing $1,157, 76O, against s1,427.-
 415 last year and $1, ,790,044 in 1893. and in
 trading $1,S92.S21, against $2,4O1,451 last l year and $2,591 365 in 1S93 Failures for 1 the week have been 33S in the United l States, against 349 last year, and fifty | four in Canada, against forty last year. | It has been 0 very quiet week without anydfsturbances, prices of manufactured products slowly receding from the high | water mark of speculation and no mate | rial increase in demand is now expected until after the holidays, but there is gen. | eral confidence that greater activity will l then appear.
 1 Speculation in products is not very brisk and in stocks decidedly inactive, 1 except in a few industrals. The outgo
 of gold does not expand and the outward | movement of products is shade less. 1 Clearings are 10.4 per cent more than last | year.
 1 The government crop report caused 1 scarcely a ripple of interest though in- l dicating less than 6,400, ,000 bales of cotton | and a larger acreage than had been ex- ] pected of winter wheat. The great sup plies of cotton brought over from pre- | vious years render it unimportant wheth- l CT the yield of 1895 was 100000 or 6,000,- | 900 bales, except as affecting future planting, and the extensive organizations | of planters to keep back their cotton de- l prive small receipts of their natural in- | fluence. Whether from that cause or not receipts have recently been over 40 per cent smaller than last year, but takings 1 of spinners and exports are also smaller. Iron furnaces in blast December l | turned out 216,797 tons weekly, against | 217, ,306 November l. with an increase of | 5000 tons in stock unsold. But actual con- | sumption is much smaller than the out put at present and prices again declined No. anthracite to $13.75, Bessemer pig
 l at Pittsburg to S12.60 and gray forge to l SIP. Finished products are weak and sell l below quotations, though quoted prices l average about F of l per cent lower for l the week. Heavy orders by the Rocke- | feller interest for plates and other mate | rial to build vessels for transportation or | Mesaba ore next year have strengthened | the market somewhat, but the demand at | the east is very light and most of the works have shortened force considera- | bly,, while at Pitsburg structural forms, plates sheets and pipe are in light de- mand. and some bar mills in the valley have shut down for want of orders. Higher prices are expected for ore ana coke and 1t is believed this will cause an | upward turn in iron.
 The shoe manufacture is getting rather more numerous,business mainly in cheap | business by a reduction in prices, which averaged nearly per cent since the last | week of November. Business in cotton has not gained ana print cloths are lower at 31sc., While | few more reductions are noted in prices of other goods. The manufacturer has | had highly profitable season.
 Bradstreet's Review.
 "a New York, Dec 13.-Bradstreet's to- | morrow, December IA, will say: With | the exception of mild weather at cities l in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Min | nesota, colder weather has stimulated | sales of seasonable merchandise at near l ly all points, but only by contrast With | preceding weeks. Wholesale trade IS | dull. merchants preferring to reduce | stocks at the end of the year to make ready for annual inventories. In rela- | tions there has been marked increase | in demand. Irregularity is shown in mer- | cantile collections. The general trade throughout the country is relatively most | satisfactory in the central Mississippi valley. ,. States this week aggregate S1,129,OOO,000 a decrease of per cent from last week. which is not unusual. AS compared witn clearings for the second week of Decem- Der, 1894, this week aggregdte sho"S an increase of 10 per cent.
 The course of prices of staples contin- ues downward. Lumber remains steady and without particular activity. Iron and steel continues what appears to be g regular weekly decrease although re- | auctions this week are fractional. The only advance in quotations record- ed was among the more important sta- ples, petroleum, coffee and cotton. Phil adelphia textile plants running on full time are those at work on orders for im- ! mediate delivery. Philadelphia manu- facturerss of morocco have begun rum ming on short time.
 There are 313 business failures reported throughout the United States this week, compared with 315 last week, 3S3 in the like week year ago. 337 two years ago, and as contrasted with 29S in the second week of December. 1892. Among the con- spicuous trade features are the disap- pointing Christmas dealings. Among southern cities the single instance of i'm provement is at Birmingham. Ala, al- though most distributing centers expect an increased demand after January 1. Cotton receipts are unusually small at almost all southern points except New Orleans where they are liberal. Gal weston reports the Christmas trade smaller than one year ago.
 A Cold Day in December.
 New York. Dec. 13-This is the coldest he a