The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-09
BRADSTREET'S REPORT.
Confidence Increased by the Ad-
jOurnment Of Congress.
AN IMPROVED DEMAND NOTED IN
BUILDING MATERIALS.

Hallway Earnings for February Show
That Business Was at a Low Ebb-
Increased Activity This Week is Re
flected in Increased Bank CleariBgs-
The Grain Situation.
New York, March S.-Bradstreets to-
morrow will say: The general business
situation shows more improvement.
From several centres this is declared due
in part to the adjournment of Congress,
and to some extent to better weather.
The gains are shown in an upward de-
mand for lumber and other building
materials, and in the receipt of larger
orders for structural iron and steel, to-
gether with the absorption OF available
stocks of Bessemer pig iron. In the
South, Augusta cotton factories have
received large mum ber Of orders, many
for future delivery, and in almost all
directions jobbers report increa sed sales
of staple. dry goods, hats, shoes, millin-
cry, and hardware. Fine foreign WOODEN
goods continue to attract special atten-
tion as heretofore reported, and are
competing successfully with correspond
ing American grades The increased ac-
tivity is reflected in the total bank
clearings for the past six business days,
of ST ,002, 900, 600, an increase Of 80 per
cent over the total in the preceding week
which contained one holiday, and n gain
compared with the corresponding week
of 1894 of per cent, though as contrast
ed with the cIearinRs in the first week
of March, 1S!3 3, the sh rinkage this week
amounts to 27 per cent. The tendency
of prices remains as heretofore, an ad-
vance being reported in shoes, which
checked the volume OF business for fall
delivery aud in cotton, due, as alleged, to
the spread of confidence i'll the prospect
for a reduced cotton acreage; pork, lard,
refined sugar, Indian corn, live hogs,
leather, the latter having advanced
sharply,
Bessemer pig iron is unchanged, de-
spite the market being cleared of availa-
BILE supplies. Lumber, while nominally
unchanged, is firm with an upward ten.
dency. Cotton goods are generally weak
er. Wheat and oats each reacted, as
have butter, eggs and live cattle. The
reduction in the price of steel hilets at
Pittsburg is surprising feature, and
reports of larger volume of trade at
western and northwestern centres are
more numerous. The feeling is general
that sales will increase when the spring
opens.
RAILWAY EARNINGS.
The continuance OF the movement of
merchandise at about low ebb during
February as indicated by the gross earn
ings of Sc of the larger railway com
panies for that mouth, which aggregate
S211, ,673, 900 (about 70 per cent of the
total), a decrease Of 1.8 per cent from
the earnings for the like period last
year, when the falling off, as compared
with February of 1893. was ~ per cent.
A regular monthly report of wheat
stocks in the United States and Canada
for February, shows decrease of 9, 49,
0 90 bushels, three lines falling off in
February OF last year, while the Janu-
bushels, four times the falling off in
like period of 1894. The February de
crease here and in Europe and afioat for
Europe, is 10, 000,0 600 bushels Contrasted
with the increase of about 100000 each
in February, one and two years ago.
For the two months of this year the
worlds avails BILE supply fell off II, 000,
900 bushels against decrease OF 6,000,-
| 900 in the two months of last year, and
of 1000. 900 bushels in the two months of
1873.
IL like exceptional decreases are to
follow during the remaining months of
the cereal year, the effect on the visi Bile
supply and on piices should be marked.
Exports of wheat from both coasts of
the United States this week increased
sharply, aggregating 3,272, 600 bushels,
against Q, $3.50, 600 last week, and 2,o51,-
600 in the week two years ago.
Business failures increased somewhat
within the week, the total for the six
business days being 252, against 233 in
the week a year ago.