The Portland daily press., 1895-06-08
BRADSTREET'S REPORT.
Trade is Quiet But With Good
Demand.
AN UPWARD MOVEMENT CONTIN-
UES In BANK CLEARINGS.

And Staples Almost Without Exception
Show Slight Advances-Wheat Has De-
creased 100000 BusheIs-Prospects
That the Higher Range of Prices Are
Here to Stay.
New York, June 7.-Bradstreets tomor-
row will say: The speculative spirit
which seemed to dominate both CONNER
cial and financial circles until within
week or ten days past, is still less con-
spicuous in all lines. The demand for
staple goods in number of instances is
smaller, notably at Boston Pittsburg,
Chicago, Kansas City, particularly in dry
goods, the demand for which at first and
second hands has declined as is customary
at this period While business throughout
the country may be characterized as
quieter, the tonel of staple markets
continued strong and with confidence of
a good demand when the fall season opens
next month. The features of the week as
heretofore is continued long list of ad-
vances in prices notably for iron and steel
and an upward movement of bank clear
ings. Higher prices are recorded for some
cotton goods, shoes, hidesl, leather, paper,
pig iron steel, galvanized iron, black
Sheets canned goods, hogs, wheat, corn,
oats and some grades of wheat -four The
prices for live CATTLE, wool, coal, lumber
are reported unchanged but firm, and
silver, cotton and pretoleum. Lard alone
is noteworthy as showing lower prices
than last week.
s.,4ss BANK CLEARINGS.
Bank clearings show a total for the
past six business days of $1,131, 900, 0Oo
the largest week. total in two years, an
increase over this week of a year ago of 25
per cent, and as compared with two years
ago decline of two per cent. May bank
clearings are usually among the largest of
the year, but this year, owing to revival
of trade, the total clearings are the
largestf or any month since May, 1893.
The total clcarings of sixty-one cities
aggregate $4, 839, 189, ,327, an increase of
fourteen per cent over April of this year
of twenty five per cent, and over May of
last year The decrease In only ~ per-
cent from May two years ago. The in-gs
creased per oentage of gain over last year
are noteworthy in the East, New York,
the West, Northwest and Southwest. Less
favorable reports come from the Southern
Pacific coast cities. About one-quarter of
the cities show decreases compared with
May, 1894, mostly in the drought region
of the West, ON the Pacific coast and in
less degree at the South.
For five months the elearings are 12.5
per cent ahead of last year. and 81 per
cent behind 1898, which marked high tide
in bank clearings At the East, dry goods
jobbers report stocks are being cleared
out. Advances in cotton prices are not
likely to be tested for a month yet. Man
ufacturing jewellers and milliners are
more active
At the West general trade, except in a
few lines, is quiet and unchanged Rains
generally have helped the crop outlook in
Central Ohio and North Missouri and
Mississippi valleys, with consequent i'm
provement of the outlook at St. Paul,
Duluth, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Des
Moines and Omaha. Chicago soft steel
mills have orders to keep them busy for
three months.
Southern cities in most instances report
trade and collections only fair, with no
special change from last week. A slight
gain in demand is reported from Atlanta
and jacksonville, where collections are
better, and the improved condition of
business reported at New Orleans week
ago still continues.
On the Pacific coast all larger cities ex-
cept San Francisco, report fair and i'm
proving trade. The salmon catch is re-
ported good from Portland and the wool
trade is active. Seattle announces better
demand for staples and shipments of
500, 900 worth Of merchandise to the
Yukon river. Tacoma reports heavy ship
ments of wheat flour, and one thousand
bales of Mobile cotton to the Orient. AT
San Francisco, fair wheat just sold is be-
ing loaded for export as rapidly as
possible to make room for the new crop.
WHEAT STATISTICS.
1t is singular fact that San Francisco
shipped a large quantity of wheat flour to
New Zealand this week. The newest
thing in wheat statistics is a decrease of
over II, 600, 900 bushels in the available
stocks in the United States and Canada
during May, with an increase of over
T. 900, 600 bushels in and afloat for Europe.
Last year we reduced stocks 10. 900, 900
bushels in May, and Europe's available
supply practically stood still. Exports of
wheat, flour included as wheat, from
both coasts of the United States and
Montreal were 1891, 900 bushels, this
week, against 3, TAP, 900 in the week year
ago, and 3,610, 600 two years ago. Interior
stocks of Russian wheat fell away 2,000,
600 bushels during May. Heavier ship
ments of wheat to Europe with increas-
inghvailable stocks there, mark the latter's
confidence in the relative permanence of
higher range of prices for wheat
The failures in the United States this
week are 2S6 against 207 year ago.