The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-28
THE BUSINESS SITUATION.
The South Safely at the Front
in Prosperity.

NEW fOHk, Oeo. 27.-Rrad5treet5 to-
morrow will soy: "As ia the rule in
Christmas week, wholesale trade has
been quiet. The Holidays. the close of
the year and stock taking tend to make
business slow and promise only q lighs
trade until late In January. At various
cities, notably New York, Boston, Bal.
timore and Chicago, snsioipations IS to
the character Of trade early in the COM
ing year are hopeful, but 1t rem aims 70
be seen whether the downward move
mems OF demand and prices and the de.
lay in putting the currency on a sound
bsais. all Of which have begun to show
themselves In trade conditions, will per-
NIT OF as early and marked gains in
staple lines OF trade in 1896 as has been
confidently anticipated.
business failures in tho country for
the completed year number 1908, an
increase OF more than per cent, not
wishstauding this Is the second year fol-
lowing panic, in which, as shown by
the records, 1t Is usual for the number
OF failures to decline. The increase of
. per cent. in number is accom- panied
by gain OF per cent. in the liabilitiee
OF those failures and the commercial
death rate, which averaged l. 90 in every
100 engaged during five years from 1890
to 1894, inclusive, snd ranged as high as
l.5o in the panic year 1898, down to 1.al
in 1894, has rleen to 1.23 of every 100 In
business this year.
The increases in the mum Der Of fail
ures are at the West, Northwest and in
the middle States, decreases being
shown in New England, at the South
and on the Pacific coast. The percent.
age of assets to liabilities has risen
from So per cent. to nearly Sc per cent.
as contrasted with Is per cent in the
year 1898. Exports of wheat flour in
Guided as wheat, both coasts OF tho
United States, this week amount to 81
457, 0oO bushels, against 2,056 600
bushels last week, 1S4 900 bushels in
the corresponding week of one year ago,
2,0a6, 600 bushels two years ago, 2,9l7,-
600 bushels three years ago, and as COM
trasted with 3106 600 bushels in Christi
mas week 1891. This weeks foreign
shipments of wheat (nour included),
are the largest since the third week of
January last"
Il. G. Dun &c Co.'s Review.
K. &. Dun & Co.'s weekly review of
trade, which issues to- No orrow, will say:
THE failures Of the fourth quarter OF
the year 1895 have not yet been finished
and cannot be definitely stated, but the
aggregate OF deferred liabilities for the
will vary but little from that of 1894.
The years aggregate OF com merclal liza.
bilities will probably be about Sl7O,-
100000 In manufacturing, being over
S73. 900, 900 or ten per cent. more than
Last year, but In trading about $50 ,OOO,-
OGO or nine per cent. less than last year.
The foreign and financial messages
OF the President were followed by vio-
lent reaction in the stock market last
Saturday, with grave feers of monetary
trouble The sudden panic checked bus.
mess In many departments and the in
dustries cannot be expected to show
signs OF improvement until the new year
begins. Orders have for months been so
much smaller than they were In the
aummer. when production was expand
Ing and prices mounting rapidly, that
new causes OF uncertainty have the moro
influence. Wheat and cotton were de-
pressed by last weeks panic and have
not had time to recover.
Cotton has remained at 8 u cents since
last Saturday, and the enormous COM
mercial and mill stocks here and abroad
with demand for goods much SIN taller
than in Septemb Der hinder an advance.
The quantity which has come into sight
10 30 per cont.l less than last year to date,
but slightly larger than in 1892 when
the crop WAS 6,7OO 600 bales. Failures
for the week have been 322 in the
United States against $50 Last year, and
forty In Canada against forty one last
year."
A Daring Robbery.
pIrern W.