The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-10-05
CONDITION OF TRADE.
GOOD PROSPECTS or Il FAVORABLE
IALL TRADE GENERALLf.
Cotton Goods, Coffee, Sugar, kos'n' an"
Coal Have an Upward Tendency-De
crease In the Number of Failures

NEW YORK. oct. 4.--Bradstreets TO-
morrow will say:
Seascnable weather has stimulated SAFES
Of merchandise and increased the pros
poets of favorable fall trade generally
Among the less favorable features are
moderate demand in staple lines on the
Pacific coast, an increase in the volume
OF business at Baltimore, and a checK 10
the advance of the price OF iron and steel
at Ohio Valley and Pennsylvania centres.
Prices OF iron and steel at Western cen
tres are firm. and dealers arc said TO ne
sold eight months ahead Mercantile con-
ditions are very generally improved, more
particularly South Georgia ana IeNas
merchants. and farmers being conspicu-
Gus for liquidating Indebtedness ana al
ticipating payment of commercial paper.
Price movements this week present
marked contrast as In preceding weeks
4 further advance in cotton has pushed
up prices for cotton goods. notably PRINT
cloths Coffee and sugar are Ligher' and
rosin tends upward.
Another advance for anthracite coal -
coupled with the announcement Of irac-
tional increases for copper, tin, and lead.
on the other hand the three leading
cereals wheat corn. and oats-have all
gone off again. while heavy receipts Of
live hogs have further depressed pork
and lard.
There are go business failures reported
throughout the United States. as COM
pared with 1913 last week, 2l5 IN the week
one year ago. and Jos in 1872.
The general dry goods trade has i'm
a. Il 10
larger eastern jobbcrs reporting mate
rial increase in the demand.
The unfavorablc spot Is in mems wear
and woolIens. the spring sale for which
was unsati sfactory, owing 10 foreign COM
petit.cn. Wool remains active and strong
on heavy demand abroad and firm Lon
don market. Sales Of wool Il Boston tbs
week are the heaviest on record. mount
ing 10 100000 pounds. Five hundred
thoasand pounds OF Montana have been
sold to 20 to Bradford. England.
Trade conditions South are improving.
with the free movement OF cotton, and
the high price Of that staple. With some
exceptions. leading southern points re-
pot improving trade and advancing
prices for dry goods, hardware leather
and shoes.
=. a.. DrS co.
NEW YORK. oct Ar. G.. Dun & Co,
in their Weekly Review of Trade to-
morrow will say: Commercial failures
I'm the third quarter Of 1895 were 2''sz'
with liabilities of yiS2.l@.lIs. averaging
81 .52i per firm against $io,05 OF last year,
about - per cent more
The rate Of commercial mortality, 2.yi
failures in a quarter for eVesy LOW hrms
in business. is lower than last year. and
NJ
the solvent business represented by pay
mtnts through clearing houses is but
. % per 81. 900 against 2.V last year.
Highly important comparisons OF prices
this week show about September 80. the
lowest average ever known for whole
sale prices of all commodities, notwith-
standing advances since March, of -
per cent. in cotton goods. 40 per cent.
in boots and shoes. and 50 per cent. In
iron and steel products while in wooden
goods there has been scarcely any ad-
vance. and in all food products taken to-
gether fan Of Il per cent
Reports from other cities at the end OF
the quarter are highly cheering I'm facts
recorded and reflect a hopeful spirit.
Beyond question the quarter has shown
astonishing improvement in some branch
IS and retail distribution has generally
been good, though not commensurate
with speculative wholesale purchases as
prices were rising
Hence there is a market decrease in
buying which some branches of industry
begin to feel.
The Pennsylvania has ordered 1000 tons
of steel rails. and other roads 5000 but
the steel makers having bought their
pig, Bessemer is lower and also gray
forge and the demand for finished pro-
duets Is decidedly smaller, so that the
average of iron prices turns downward
for the first time since February. Coke
workers gain per cent. in wages, and
coke is raised IS TO 80 per cent.
The money market is stronger with
heavy demands from the interior. All
fears of gold exports have ceased.
Failures in three days have been ~
IN the United States against 2l9 last year,
md u in Canala anaIEsI I'D last NeaI.