The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-18
BETTER TIMES ALL AROUND.
SPECULATIVE CIRCLES THE scENH
OF THE GREATEST ACTIVITY.


The Gains in Mercantile Circles
While Less Pronounced Have All
Been Retaincd-A Further Increase
shown in bank CIearances-Im-
PrOveneRt i'm Trade Reported by
Several Southern CitIes-RetaiI
Trade Somewhat Retarded by the
Cool weather.
New York. May l7.-Bradstreets' to-mor@
row viii say General trade conditions
throughout the country continue In tha
main quite favorable. Activity in specula-
tive and investment circles has exceeded
that in merchandise lines. but the gains
made In the latter have in nearly all in-
stances been retained.
"Woolen goods manufacturers. even with
orders for several months to come, are not
anticipating wants. as prices for wool 40
the interior are above parity with quotaS
tions at the seaboard and lower prices ara
looked for. The heaviest transactions con-
tinue in Australians. The weather has re.
tarded shearing Rhode Island woolen
manufacturers say the demand is largely
for the cheaper grades.
Among the more favorable features %
the situation are the bank clearings, thu
aggregate for the week having been s., ,l6l,-
Vo0,ON or per cent more than last Weeks
when the total was the heaviest since thu
second week OF June, 1898. Compared with
the third week of May last year, the
weeks gain is more than 80 per cent.
The entire region from Boston TO kanss
as city, Omaha, and South Falls, s. D.
and south to the Gulf, reports damage ia
early vegetables and fruit, from the latq
severe cold weather. II has also checked
sales Of seasonable fabrics.
Among southern cities an imprOvement
IN trade Is reported from Memphis, In grOS
81 At hat furf aH An ar
particularly at Galveston, where business
Is said to be fairly satisfactory and the
outlook favorable. At New Orleans tha
volume Of business Is smaller"
r. O. Dun a Co.'S weekly review of trade
tomorrow Will say: "Fhe severe colo
snap, with extensive frosts. and In some
states snow, has fortunately done littla
damage to the great crops. though much to
fruit, but has considerably retarded retail
trade. The best news Of the week Il thR
advance OF 10 per cent. In wages by tho
Carnegie works, followed By the Jones4
Mclaughlin establishment and evidently
implying similar advance by many other
concerns. The Illinois Steel Company is
starting its furnaces without granting the
demands OF It's employees. No advance has
been found practicable in the woolen mills,
where the conditions as TO prices and
foreign competition are very different and
about 1000 workers are still idle at Olney-
vile. where the works should consume
100000 pounds per week. In other depart
ments OF labor the troubles are not seri-
Gus, and the demand for manufactured
products Increases.
with material and steady enlargement
IN domestic trade, there Is stlll great want
OF employment In the interior for money,
which still comes hither, s3.500,OOO during
the past week, and with the millions dis
triDuted by the syndicate on bond account
stimulates speculation.
Cotton Is an eighth stronger IN spite OF
the fact that .0Si bales had come into
sight last Friday which Is over 4O0O 200
bales more than the largest crop ever re-
corded. Northern spinners have taken a
little less than three years ago to date,
when the crop was overs co., 900 bales. but
at least 100000 more than they have con-
sumed as yet and foreign spinners hold
nearly 100000 bales more than they have
and abroad are 2t6,000 bales more than
three years ago. The manufacture is pros-
pefing though no one can suppose its con-
sumption Is quite at the maximum, and for
tho year IL certainly has not been. Gooda
are in fair demand for the season, and re-
cent advances In prices are fully main-
tained.
"The advance In the wages Of the iron
workers by Mr. Frick Of the Carnegie
Company, are as significant, as were the
advances In the wages Of the coke work.
ers by the Frick Coke Company. Appar.
entity II Is strategic move In the great
battle Of the iron producing interests, all
that the outlook for trade Is sufficient to
warrant a material advance In wages and
prices Most Of the furnaces in the Ma
honing Valley have also advanced wages
and Bessemer iron has risen to $l1.40 al
Pittsburg, and grey forge to 1896.
"Shoe manufacturing Is doing well.
THE failures during the past week have
been 2ll in the United States, against 214
last year, and 81 in Canada against "A lass
year.