Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-01-05
BRADSTREET SAYS
The Trade Outlook is Not Very
Hopeful.
Reports Of Business from All Parts OF
Country.
Total Bank Cfcarings for 1894 the Smallest
in Ten Years.

New York, Jan. 4-Bradstreet to-
morrow, will say; TheI e. has been no
material improvement in the general trade
within the week. Jobbers and other
wholesalers are sending out, or are about
to send out, commercial travellers, and
in many instances have not finished the
years accounts and stock taking. Tele-
graphed receipts from the more I'M
portant trade centers do not reveal specl-
ally hopeful views as to improvement III
business in the near future. In many in
stances the trade revival is declared to de-
pend on the settlement of the currency
question.
The most encouraging expressions OF
opinion are from merchants who are hope
full. Among the more favorable conditions
tions ar the reports that the stocks of goods
of all descriptions in the hands of job
bers. manufacturers and retailers, West
and Northwest, are generally smaller than
usual at this season, and that the bust
ness of the year in dry goods, hats, shoes,
millinery and groceries is fairly satlsfac-
tory. The cold weather has stimulated a
demand for coal aud seasonable fabrics.
Telegraphic communication in the
Northwest..and on the Pacific coast is in
terrupted by the storm. The movement
of cotton, sugar and rice in Louisiana is
checked along with demand. Less favor
able is the announcement of the lowest
price on record for iron and steel Bess-
emer pig iron and steel billets have have
each declined Is cents per ton. Print
cloths are weaker and sell q shade under
last weeks quotations. Coal is fraction
ally lower. Pig tin is lower, as are pork,
sugar, Indian corn, live cattle and hogs
Foreign competition with American
wooden dress goods for spring delivery is
sharp, domestic fabrics are rather neglec-
ted, and many mills are busy on orders
for mems wear woolens. Cheaper grades
of shoes at Western factories are higher,
as are wheat and lard.
At the larger Eastern cities, only a
moderate volume of business is reported,
Buffalo and Boston are now inclining to
regard the outlook more hopefully.
philadelphia and Pittsburg are naturally
affected somewhat by lower quotations
for iron and steel, Baltimore prefers await
ing orders from commercial travellers be-
fore expressing opinions on outlook. Gen
eral trade reported quiet at Charleston,
Nashville and Memphis, with mercantile
y BilCCpfoHS lttil oiilN Az chattanooga anu
Atlanta very little is doing in wholesale
lines. At Savnnah trade is quiet and i'm
proving; collections are only fair. Cotton
manufacturers are taking seine new COZ
tracts and merchants will act with ex-
treme conservatism. Augusta cotton
fctories report fairly good demand and
improved collections, but general trade
shows no gain. City trade is reported
fairly satisfactory by Jacksonville. Dam
age from EXTREMITY cold wether IN Florida
to fruit and vegetables quite heavy, and
orange growers are affected seriously.
Birmingham manufacturers report orders
scattered general trade quiet, collections
only fair. Only small volume of business
at New Orleans, and collections are slow.
At Galveston trade is very quiet and orders
are slow.
All Western cities announce practiclly
unchanged trade conditions and light or
moderate volumes of business, conspicu-
ously Cleveland Cincinnati, Detroit and
Louisville, although the Straits City re-
ports that cold weather stimulated orders
and Louisville that merchants are more
hopeful.
At Chicago orders are mostly of the
filling-in variety, and at st. Louis mer-
chants are still working on inventories
and starting but commercial travellers.
Business is confined mostly to mill riders.
Jobbers and wholesalers at Kansas City
and Omaha report only a moderate trade,
and at Des Moines and Milwaukee mer-
camille collections are slower On the
Pacific coast San Francisco is inclined to
regard the near future more hopefully,
although trade there is quiet.
Total bank clearings at 90 cities in the
United States aggregate for the calendar
year of 1894, S44, 995, 600, 900, Is per
cent less than the panic year of 1898, and
26 per cent. less than 1892, the year of the
largest volume of bank clearings. Clear
ings for 1894 constitute the smallest ag-
gregatc for nine years. Only Is cities re-
port increased totals in 1894 over 1898
Total exports of wheat, flour included,
for both coasts of the United States,
amount to 2,6S4 900 bushels, against 3, =
1886 600 in the week a year ago. The
available wheat of the United States and
Canada, Jan. l, aggregated 1877, 009, 600
bushels, II, 00e, 900 more than the year be
fore. The wheat afioat for and in Europe
first inst, aggregated 57,7i4, 900 bushels,
falling off of %, 200, 900 from one year ago
The most bullish feature of Bradstreets'
regular monthly report of American wheat
stocks is found in the net decrease of 639,
600 bushels in available supplies in the
United States and Canada during Deem
Der last The least bullish feature of the
report is the stocks of available Russian
wheat at the interior. These reported
monthly from June last, when they
amounted to $4,000 bushels. Since
then they have doubled, the total, Janu-
airy /, 1895, being 100000.