Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-07
AS SAFE AS II |S LARGE All Uncertainties as to the Corn
 Crop Removed. BAD OUTLOOK FOR COTTON Bank cIearings Show an Increase of i6 Per
 Cent Over August Last Year. BOOM IN STEEL AND IRON CONTINUES Points in the South Show Actual Gains in Volume of General Trade-A Decided
 Decrease in Failures-Trade
 Summaries.
BOOM IN STEEL AND IRON CONTINUES

New York, Sept. e-Bradstreet's to- morrow, September 2, will say:
 , Favorable crop reports from nearly all directions and continuance of the boom in steel and iron continue to char acterize the general trade situation.
 Latest advices as to the corn crop have replaced anxiety with confidence in the larger estimates of the size of that crop and satisfaction with the outlook for trade this autumn. Harvesting and threshing are interfering a little with business in the spring wheat country, yet Duluth, Minneapolis and St. Paul jobbers in general lines are pushing for new business. In South Dakota and Washington farmers show no disposi- tion to sell their grain. California re- ports perfect weather for harvesting. The other side to the crop outlook is found in Texas, where worms ere said to have seriously damaged cotton in some sections.
 The growth of bullish speculative feel ing engendered by expansion in trade and industry was partially checked to- ward the close of the week by continued gold exports, London beariShnesS and the low prices for agricultural products of the country. Present interest in the New York stock has been increasing. Reports indicating a settlement of the anthracite troubles have made the coal stocks a speculative feature. Foreign exchange is very dull, but firm, at $490 for demand. The gold shipments for the week through outside channels were $4, ,000, 900. Advances in prices this week, aside from BesSemer pig iron, steel bill lets, bar iron and wire nails, included
 
 cloths, hemlock sole, sugar and lead, while wheat, corn, oats, pork, coffee, cattle, hogs, wool leaf tobacco and hops are lower
 Bank clearngs at fifty-nine cities for August aggregated A,107 S21 ,5S7, falling off, as was expected, of per cent from July, but>an increase of 16 per cent over August of last year and 23 per cent over August ia the panic year QS93). and decrease of only S.s per cent from Au- gust, 1892
 Every section of the country shows a gain in August over last year except the northwestern, which is beginning to re- port trade expansion. Gains are heaviest and more numerous in the eastern and middle states and the south is beginning to experience the effects of higher cot ton prices in enlarged bank clearings. Wheat stocks available east of the Rockies, here and in Canada, fell away sharply during August, ana TOT two months the decrease is S,927 ,000 bushels, against increases in August and July in the four preceding years. The world s wheat stock for August. increased 642,0O0 bushels. In August 1894, they gained 9,26S, 900 bushels, and in 1892 12, ,4S6, 900 bushels. Domestic available wheat stocks are almost as light as on Sep tember 1, 1892, and much smaller than the two preceding years.
 Actual gains in the volume of general trade this week are recorded at Seattle and Tacoma, on the Pacific coast; St. Louis and Kansas City at the west; Du- luth and St. Paul in the northwest, and at Chattanooga, Augusta, Atlanta and Memphis at the south. Competition be- tween rival coal companies still prevents advances of prices of both bituminous and anthracite, and the outlook for the woolen mill plant is not quite as bright as is that for the cotton mills. which are sold we'll ahead.