The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-12-14
WORLD OF COMMERCE
The Past Week Has Been a Decidedly Quiet
One Without Any Disturbance.
GENERAL HOPES OF GREATER ACTIVITY.
iu Products Not Very
Wholesale Trade Is Dull
Bnsincss Failures H.css Than Cor
responding week Inst Ycnr-Miid
Weather Causes Depression.

New York, Dec. 13.--R G. Dun & Co.
will say tomorrow III their weekly re-
view of trade:
Failures for the first week In Decem-
Der show liabilities of s3.l0i.S3l, against
81 ,O36, ,SG6 last year, and $4.I6I 400 In 1898.
In manufacturing $l,l57,760. against ST.
427,4l5 last year. and Sl.T3O.044 in 1892;
and in trading Sl.S92,S2l, against s2,i0i,-
AL last year, and $2.5sl ,365 in 1893.
Failures for the week have been 33S in
the United states, against $40 last year,
and % in Canada against 40 last year.
1t has been very quiet week with
factured products slowly rccedc from
the high water mark of speculation, and
no material increase in demand is now
expected until after the holidays. but
there Is general confidence that great
CT activity will then appear.
Speculation in products is not very
brisk. and in stocks decidedly inactive,
except in few lndustriais. The outgo
of gold does not expand. and the out
ward movement OF products Is u shade
larger ClearingS are LOG per cent
more than last year.
Tho Government crop report caused
scarcely a ripple of excitement. though
indicating less than had been expected
Of winter wheat. The great supplies
of cotton brought over from previous
years render II more unimportant
whether the yield OF 1875 was seven or
six millions bales. except as affecting
future planting and the extensive or
Eani2ation Of planters TO keep back their
cotton. deprive small receipts Of their
natural influence. Whether from that
cause or not. receipts have recently
been over 40 per cent. smaller than
last year, but takings of spinners and
exports are smaller.
Iron furnaces in blast December 1st
turned out 206. .797 tons weekly. against
o17 .30G on November 1st, with increase
of 5000 tons in stocks unsold. But ac-
tual consumption Is much smaller than
the output at present, and prices again
decline. Number | anthracite declined
TO $13.75: l3csscmer pig at Pittsburg, TO
Sl26S and grey forge to Sl2. Finished
products are weak and sell below quo
tations though quoted prices average
about half Of | per cent. lower for the
week. Heavy orders by the Rockefeller
interest for plates and other material
to build vessels for the transportation
of Mcsabi ore next year have strength
cncd the market somewhat, but the
demand at the East is very light and
most OF the works have shortened
force considerably. while Pittsburg,
structural forms, plates. sheets, and
pipe are in light demand. and some
bar mills In the valley have shut for
want OF orders.
What Bradstrect Snys.
Bradstrcet's tomorrow, December
14th. will say:
at cities In Missouri. Kansas, Nebraska
and Minnesota. colder weather has slim
ulatcd sales of scasonablc mcrchan-
die at nearly all points. but only by
contrast with preceding week. Whole
sale trade is dull, merchants prefcrrinG
10 reduce stocks at the end Of the
year to make ready for annual invento-
ries. In retail lines there has been n
marked Increase In demand; lrresu-
iarity is shown In mercantile collec-
tions, general trade throughout the
country being relatively most satisfac-
tory I'm the Central Mississippi Valley.
Bank clearnEs this week aggregate
throughout the United States 81 i12a O00-
600, decrease of per cent. from last
week. which is not unusual. AS com
pared with clcarings for the second
week OF December, of 1894. this week
shows an increase.
The prices of staples continues with
a downward tendency. Iron and steel
continue what appears to be n regular,
weekly decrease. although reductions
this week are fractional.
The only advances in quotation rec
ordered among the more important sta
pies are for petroleum. coffee and cot
ton. In industrial lines. wooden manu-
factures report fair orders for dry goods.
bur a, low prices. iladclphia tex
tile plants running on fun time are
those at work 81 orders for immcdite
delivery. Philadelphia. manufacturers
OF morocco have been running on short
time.
There are 313 business failures report
ed throughout the United States this
week. compared with 215 of last week
Among more conspicuous trade fea-
lures are the disappointing Christmas
trade nj several cities. smaller volume
Of business, except in Christmas goods
ut Chicago. increased distribution Of
heavier textiles. shoes and rubber goods
ut ST. Louis and continued depression in
certain lines at Kansas City. Omaha
and Minneapolis, because OF mild wealth
or. Among Southern cities the single
instance Of Improvement Is reported
from birmingham. although most dis
tributinS centres expect an increased
demand after January 1st Cotton re-
ceipts are unusually small at almost all
Southern points. except nj New Or
leans where thov are liberal Calves
ton reports the Christmas trade smaller
than one year ago.
Higher prices are expected for ore
and coke. and ii is believed this will
cause an upward turn in iron.
The shoe manufacture is getting rath-
er more new business. mainly in cheap-
or goods bv . reduction in prices. which
has averaged nearly four Dcr cent. since
the last week of November Business
in cotton has not gained and print
cloths are lower at 3M cents. while n few
more reductions are. noted in prices. OF
other goods. Tho manufacture has had
highly profitable season though dull
now.