Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-01-10
FOR THE YEAR PAST
BRADSrkEEr AND Dun MAKE
REPORTS.
TRADE HAS BEEN CNrRECE-
DENTEplN Pooh,
Steel and Iron AZ the Lowest Points
in rhrir History But lIttlc I'm
Frightened Into Buying The Con,
ditiop vi Cotton and Wheat,

New York. Jam 5,-p,n \ Co.'S
weekly reports says that the failures
for lNai are fully rrpCrued this week,
being 1850 ia the United States and
l,Sl6 in Canada; liabilities in United
States S1T2,992,Sa6; Canada 81, &C.
2lG. Few states, Including New York
and remSA lvanta, show more failures
than III lSR aud IN y few southern
states Is the amount OF liabilities
larger, but in the central Snd western
states. much smaller, Tie complete
review Of different branches OF bus
mess places IN n clear light dlscloscs
the fact that the prices OF commodities
are the lowest ever known, Eight
years ago. in July, prices averaged on.
~ 1860 per cont OF the prices tor the
same articles and IN tho same mar
kets in January |, 1850, and this re-,
manned the lowest point ever touched
until August 10, lSa3, when the aver.
age rcll TO 72.i6 but early last year
the prices dropped hNlow all previous
records and have never recovered, the
average on Dcr. - being only 6S.I3
per cent, Of the prices In 1850 They
range very little higher and at the end
Of the year werc about rs low as on
has been i IL per cent, but has been
unequal in different branches, The
changes contrast sharply with tho de.
clined wages paid per hours work,
which average Is only IL per cent,
less than year ago The condition
of industries is largely governed by the
fall in prices and while production is
much larger than n Year ago, the ag-
gregate Increase being fairly meas.
ured by the increase of S.2i per cent.
In hours Of work done In November,
compared with the previous year. 1t
has been the controlling feature in al
most every important industry that
the consumption has not kept pace
with the output ana has not sus-
tanned the prices. In iron and steel
the lowest prices Of the year are ut
the close, and the lowest over known
demand. calling for less than half the
usual quantity Of rails, with n large
decrease in many other branches,
though probably the use Of structural
forms WAS larger In 1894 than ever be-
fore
The wooden industry production for
the year was about n quarter less than
normal, and for the last four months
~ Ian, la, tn In.
quantity Of wool consumed, but In the
value of the product the decrease IL OF
course greater The year was cspec-
tally noteworthy for the lowest prices
of wheat and cotton on record. Both
suffer from wholly unprecedented nc.
cnmnlation of stocks. crops being
large, outside this country, the wheat
production has not increased enough
to Justify the price of 60 cents at New
York. aud the nccunt ilatlon IL largely
due TO the false reports OF the yield,
intended to brighten buyers ana raise
the prices. The same influence has
been felt In cotton, which was also
affected by the world wide depression
IN business and the decrease IN tho
consumption of goods. In other mar
kcts changes have been relatively I'm.
poriant.
New York. Jan. D. Bradstrcet's
weekly report says there has been no
material Improvement In the general
trade within the week. The tabun-
ton In Bradstreet's tclegraphic re-
ports from the more important trade
centers does not reveal an especially
hopeful view as to the Improvement
Of business In the near future, In
many instances the trade revival IL
declared to depend on the settlement
Of congressional questions. Among
the more favorable conditions are re.
ports that stocks Of goods OF all de.
scriptions In the hands OF jobbers man
ufacturers and retailers west ana
northwest are generally smaller than
usual nj this season; that the busl-
ness Of the year In dry.g0ods, hats,
shoes, millinery and groceries has
been fairly satisfactory and that cold
weather has stimulated the demand
for coal and seasonablc fabrics. The
least favorable IL the announcement
that the lowest price on record IL
reached for iron and steel, bessemer
pig iron and steel billets each having
declined II cents ton. A silver lin.
In Is found In the advance OF % cents
per tor In shipping rates 10 northern
markets from the southern points or
pig iron productions Print cloths are
weaker and sell at n shade under last
weeks quotations. Coal. too, Is frac-
tionally lower; pig tin lower, as are
pork, raw sugar, Indian corn, live cat
tie and hogs. The foreign compeu.
ton with American wooden dress
goods for spring delivery Is sharp and