Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-06
BUSINESS PICKING UP.
Bradstreets Report a Better Feeling
Throughout the Country.
Nearly Every Commercial Center Shows an
Improvement in Business.

New York, April 5.-Bradstreets, TO-
morrow, will say There are appearances
az more settled weather with the an
noupcement of an increase In prices FOR
Bessemer pig iron and steel billets, the
continued strength Of cotton stimulating
manufacturers to demand higher prices
for the fall delivery, rains in the North
western wheat regions, where they We're
greatly needed, further increases in wages
OF Industrial employees heavier shipments
Of wheat abroad, and the rush of volume
Of the weeks bank clearings is above the
81, 000, 900, 900 mark
There are evidences Of the continuation
Of better feeling in trade circles and
returning confidence in many lines OF
business. The list of increases of quota
tions for staples include hides and leather,
with prospect for further advances, one
result being the extremely firm views OF
the makers Of shoes; cut meats at " Western
points. as well as for cattle and Bessemer
Mig iron and steel billets, so cents ton,
which results in better demand for car,
wagon and implement iron as well as for
pipe and finished material generally.
Prices are unchanged for hogs and pork,
refined sugar, coffee, copper and cotton.
The decreases Of note are for lard, tea and
fractionally for wheat and oats.
The bank clearings for the week, ST.
O13, 900, 900, are II per cent more than
the preceding week, 8 per cent. heavier
than the corresponding week of year ago.
and 80 per cent. larger than the first week
Of April, 1891, the period when the effects
OF the Barring embarrassment were being
sharply felt The weeks clearings aggre-
pate Is per cent. smaller than the cor
responding period OF 1893, just prior to
the panic, and 10 per cent. smaller than
the like week Of 1892, while the volume
OF business az very heavy.
The bank clearings for March show
moderate gain over last year, the increases
being reported by more than two thirds
the cities covered, the tendency to decrease
being noticeable in the South. The
heavier gains are in the Middle and South
western states The increase over March
Of year ago, is IA per cent, annd the
decrease from March, 1898, is 90 per cent.
The bank clearings for the three months
aggregate I'll, 749, 247, 596, an increase of
IA per cent. over 1894, and 2S per cent.
less than 1893.
z Rather less improvement in the
feeling and volume and distri-
button of merchandise was felt
ut the South, proportionately, during the
past few weeks than elsewhere. Central
Western and some Eastern industrial and
commercial centres continue to report
relatively the greatest increases In demand
and prospects. Some New England cot
ton nlanufa cturers have sold the year S
output for export, and have cheap raw
material to meet the contracts. Wool and
the wooden industries report less activity,
the impro we'd prospect in iron and steel,
and advances in petroleum and for lum-
Der at almost all centres, with the activity
in the building trades, having an influence.
Boston reports prospects for continued
favorable business and active trade in
lumber. The weather at Pittsburg
checked the spring trade, but in addition
to the increased interest in iron and steel,
there Is activity in the demand for shoes.
Quito number Of Philadelphia textile
manufacturers are running ON orders
only. but the demand for hardware, petrol
cum, leather and lumber has improved.
Tho volume of trade at Baltimore Is equal
to 1894, and the demand for dry goods and
the character Of collections in better. At
Buffalo there Is considerable activity
in building circles, and the, improvement
in trade of week ago is continued.
Lake navigation Is expected to open,
May /. At Cleveland lake navigation
opened this week, and at Duluth 1t is
practically open, tho tone of trade with
jobbers ut both cities being better. Whole
sale houses report an improved demand
in nearly all lines at Cincinnati, but
Detroit gains chiefly among the building
trades and manufacturing industries.
Louisville reports q better demand for dry
goods and millinery, as does Chicago, al
though with no increase in volume over
last week. Lumber Is moving more freely
ut the city last named, coarse white pine
lumber prices being cut by competition
from tho North.
St. Louis and Kansas City specify rela-
lively the cost marked improvement
among the jobbers, the latter stating that
the sales arc in excess of those for the like
week of 1898 At Omaha and Des Moines
the commercial community,as well as the
country districts, was benefited by the
rains. No change Is reported from Mil
waukee, but from ST. Paul and Mime
al,olis comes advices of milder weather and
q bighter outlook for bust ness and the
favorable progress of the spring seeding.
At Tacoma the exports and imports for
March were Of large volume, with general
trade improving and collections slow. A
better demand is reported In all lines at
Seattle. Lumber shipments are active, and
reports are received that the recent trusts
did not hurt the fruit crops. General trade
ID unchanged ut Portland, Oregon, and
the new steamship line to China and
japan, to start June /, is expected to
stimulate exports from that point, par
ti0ulnrly -four. No features are reported
In the commercial lines ut San Francisco,
movement and prices for wheat not having
varied materially.
Trade IL fair at Charleston, where the
demand is relatively best for phosphates,
and there Is an improvement ut Memphis
aQd|N ashville under the weather stimulus.
No change Is reported from Augusta.
At Savannah business Is quiet, except for
naval stores, and at Jacksonvill 10 the
volume of trade has decreased. There is
better request for dry goods, shoes and
groceries at Atlanta, where one cotton mill
Il doubling its capacity. Birmingham
fails to record special Improvement, but
Chattanooga refers to gains in several
lines. The wholesale business at New
Orleans and Galveston shows moderatt
improvement. dry goods and groceries
receiving perhaps the most attention.
Exports of wheat flour included q.
wheat, from both coasts OF the United