The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-03-02
CONDITION OF TRADE.
There is Not 8 Satisfactory Sign of Improv,
 ment,

There is Not Satisfactory Sign of Improve ment.
 New York March 1.-Bradstreets to-
 morrow will say:
 While the course of trade during the
 first two months of the year has been
 disappointment February ends and
 March begins with tangible, though
 not as yet satisfactory signs of i'm
 provement. It is encouragement to note
 that the gains are reported in the vol
 ume of trade at almost every southern
 city, notwithstanding advices from northern cities whose jobbers supply
 southern and southwestern markets,
 that low prices for products had curtail-
 ed purchases at the south and south
 west. Among larger eastern business
 centers no general evidences of i'm
 provement are reported, except larger
 volume of trade in staple lines at
 Pittsburg, together with better demand
 in the iron and steel trade.
 Large purchases of Bessemer there
 and at Chicago and purchases of small
 lots of steel rails at the latter point
 together with the starting up of the Joliet works of the Illinois Steel com pany point to a beginning of revival in this industry. At the west there is less encouragement, improvement being reported only from Louisville, Chicago St. Louis and St. Paul. Milder weather has not favored the situation in the northwest. Prices of butter and eggs have reacted, and wool has been weaker, while prices for cotton goods have been cut by competing New York and Chica- go jobbers. Potatoes and live cattle re- port higher prices, while iron, steel, hogs, naval stores, shoes, lumber, hides and leather are strong at late quota tions. The weeks volume of trade is characterized by total clearings amounting to only $77O, ,0O0, 900 (refiect- ing the holiday decrease of 2 per cent. from the week before, 2 per cent from the week a year ago, 43 per cent com pared with two years ago, and 37 per cent from the week in 1892
 Stocks of general merchandise the central and southwest ern state are small and the number of buyers from those regions at Chi cago is increased. Like reports are re- ceived from St Louis, where orders for spring goods are of fair volume, buying continues conservative, inducing frequent conces- sions in price General trade has pre- served oly a modrate volume at Cleve- land Kansas City, Omaha, Milwaukee, Duluth and Minneapolis, where collec- tions are fair only and the mild weather Is unreasonable. The movement of is more active at Charles | ton and business is increasing at Nash | vile, although southern country roads are heavy.
 The approaching exposition at Atlan- | ta results in employment of more peo- pie and merchants are more hopeful, | decreased cotton acreage and | culture in other lines will | benefit the planter financially. Savan- 1ah Jacksonville and Birmingham re- | port a moderately increased demand. as | 1oes New Orleans the Mardi Gras hay- ng drawn many visitors, and the ac ion of the senate as to sugar boun- .ies having stimulated better feeling. Weather conditions in. Texas have alos conditions in Texas have also 'esulted in gain,
 Boston buyers continue to make pur- ,hases with caution and activity there S confined to building materials Tex he mills at Providence are only fairly ,usy. At Philadelphia the volume of Drder for staples from the west and outh has decreased, awaiting the open ng of spring, while at Baltimore the eason is two weeks late because of re- ent unfavorable weather, with poor ollections from the south and west 4ast months clearances aggregated 6.3 er cent. larger than in February, 1894 ut 22 per cent. smaller than in Jan ary, 1895, and 39 per cent. smaller than n February, 1893
 This weeks failures number 234. con- rasted with 272 in the concluding week f February, 1894.