New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-14
trial of offences against city ordinances or
New England Board Of Selectmen looking ai'er
the paving OF metropolitan streets.
MONEY IND BUSINESS

| About half OF January mas passed anu the c"-
pected Improvement in business has not yet
come The defeat Of the Currency bill gave dis
tine, help to the stock market which has risen
an average of IS cents for railroads and "a cents
FOR Trusts and doubtless lessened the exports
., gold which were s2099 300 last week. bat would
have been much larger had not more confident
feeling prevailed since the first Of the week But
with these and other encouraging influences
hr.,ness "a nevertheless about where 1t was
wear ago. Clearings in the first week OF the year
| include so many annual settlements that tney
re,rssent quite well the general condition OF
business but were 81 O37, 100000. against slol4
nm NM last wear. $685., 100000 In 1893 anu
| 81 501 600 900 in 1892, the decrease co'"-
pared with the latter year being oo'' pei
| cent The daily average for the month mus
far has been 25 per cent more than last year, p"'
242 per cent less than in 1892 1t Is Impossible 10
| find in these figures much encouragement. f'ah-
road earnings for the first week OF January sho"
a decrease OF 81 per cent. and for the month "a
| December. 125 roads reported by THE flnahciai
| Chronicle" show a slight decrease, wniie i'f
roads for the year show a decrease OF SllZ4zo9-l
| or lis per cent.
| 1t is the common explanation now that the
| Government revenue Is deficient. and this causes
dls.rust 1t Is quite true that the revenue IS de
| hcent: for the month thus far 1t has been ILL.,
e20624 against l6,s9s,4s3 last year, and the ex-
pcndi;ures have been s!ss20179. so that the de-
| nct has been about s6,900,0o0 in eleven days
| This is in spite OF the extraordinary increase
| caused for the first few days Of the month Dy
heavy importations Of woollens under new DUTIES
| The fact is that the new tariff has fallen far
short OF expectations because people do not con-
| sumo as largely as they did. This deficit, and
Ina cit, ~
It. cause much apprehension and withdrawal OF
gold and the root OF the difficulty Is, OF course.
the change of National policy by which the bus:-
| ness OF the country has been curtailed "a to 81
per cent The Treasury runs into difficulty
! deeper every day. not so much because Congress
fails TO provide for borrowing money. but because
a free-trade policy crpples the industries ana
| the business Of the Nation. Failure OF the Cur
| rency bill only removes an additional cause OF
dlsrust but does not restore business or revenue
| The depression In the great industries has not
diminished since the new year began though ar
dent hopes were entertained OF speedy revival
| and the actual output in some directions mas
| clearly increased. In iron and steel the weekly
| output January was 34s tons less than Deem
| Der l. but the decrease In unsold stocks was
| 81 9s9 tons or considering the holiday stoppage
more than 30 900 tons weekly. which would make
| the quantity consumed In manufacture not more
| than 600 tons weekly In December. against
l51, 900 In November Nothing else explains the
continued fall in prices which even a shade
| lower than In December and the market FOR
barbed wire at 81 IS at Pittsburg wire nails at
s9La cents and wire rods at S2l % Is not far from
| demoralized structural work is not changed in
price with many good contracts promised. and
bar IL in better demand. but still at the bottom
| in, wh is "a a
stronger with speculation. but there are more
offerings OF Lake copper below 10 cents, and large
| transa ctions In lead at 305 cents.
| The best authorities speak Of the boot and shoe
| Industry az much unsettled by the attempt 10
| raise prices of products In correspondence with
the advance in prices OF leather. The leather
| Trust claims that II cannot make lower figures
| as long as hides so dear. and the jobbers
greatly restrict purchases OF boots and shoes be-
cause they say. at the slightest advance IN
| prices consumption is materially restricted For
| the present orders are not coming in sufiiciently
| TO keep the shops at work The cotton goods
| market Is also much demoralized with prices
| nj and in some cases below the lowest ever
| quoted: nevertheless. the demand Is COM
| paratively light. Print cloths. prints ana wide
sheetings have been especially reduced. and the
only indication OF returning steadiness is that
|
in price The supplemental demand for mems
| woolens has been moderate. and no especial
change In prices has developed since the large
| distribution under the new tariff began; but In
| heavy weights there is much uncertainty. al
though some makers have already secured salts
factory orders The demand FOR dress goods has
! recently diminished.
| Speculation in products has not been very
| active The Government estimate OF 462, 000, 900
| bushels Of wheat gets jus; as much respect as
| It's estimate OF 397 900 900 bushels a short time
ago; and Mr.. Thomans guess that stocks OF
wheat are 1000 900 less than year ago quail
hes him for Sta;istican OF the Agricultural De-
partment. The thing known is that stocks In
sight are larger than year ago that the
| Western receipts since July | have been the
same as last year to date and that the exports
have been smaller The week brought no change
In price. Corn fell cent. in spite OF the Gov
eminent report that the yield was only l,2l3,O0o.-
| 900 bushels which no one considers even a good
guess. 1t Is said with truth by some Democratic
| journals that II the department cannot make
! more intelligent estimates than these 1t had
| better get out Of the business altogether. With
several hundred thousand dollars OF the peoples
money spent each year. the department gets In.
formation not more trustworthy than Mr. Tho
mans guesses, which cost nothing. Cotton was q
shade stronger and receipts are,a shade smaller
than for the same week when the crop was over
5000. 900 bales; but the stocks OF American cottor
here and abroad are 243, 900 bales larger than a
the same date last year After all. the question
Is one OF consumption. and the demand both II
this country and in Europe. Is for the present
much below the maximum. When the people ar,
ready to consume more goods. and at better
prices the South will OF course. vote to GU
down duties on imports again. but just now Il
paying the cost OF Its last vote in that direction
Hurrah for the cold wave. Anything to sc
rid OF grip weather.