Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-08-31
AUGUSTA MAINE. SATURDAY MORNING AUGUST 81 1896
SURPRISING INCREASE
Reported in Business Circles In North
East, South and West.
Prospect tor Fall Trade Is Better Than for
Several Years.

new YORK, Aug. 30.-Bradstreets, to-
morrow, will say: The concluding week
OF August surprises even the more opti-
mistic with a striking increase in the
volume of business with jobbers In stsple
lines at such centars as New York. Dalti.
NOR, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis. Kansas
City, st. Paul, Minneapolis, and to more
moderate extent, Mt distributing point in
the south Atlantic and Gulf states, among
them Charleston, Chattanooga, Atlanta
Savannah, Jacksonville, Birmingham and
Dallas
In dry goods, millinery, shoes hats
clothing and groceries, the autumn de
mand is making itself felt, with the pros
pect of further improvement in the i'm
mediate succeeding weeks. This situa
tlon is encouraged by the practical Ger
tainty of an unprecedently large crop Of
Indian corn and a phenomenal harvest Of
wheat in the Northwest, rs we'll as by th,
unexpectedly upward bound of prices o
steel and iron, followed by correspond
Ing gain in demand.
The gain in quotations for steel anG
iron is one of tho sharpest, within week,
on record, and following. as 1t does. an
advance of about so per cent. from the
lowest levels reported in 1S93-g4. 1.
enough TO raise the question of whether
veritable boom is impending In thes,
metals
A jump of nearly g. per ton for besse
mer pig, within week. 81 80 for billet
81 for charcoal pig, and Western mills re-
fQsing to take orders for future delivery,
except at value. render these industries
excited. All forms of finished iron and
steel will tend upward in price
The total volume of general trade fol
the summer has been larger than in 1894,
and in many instances than ia 1898, with
the outlook, today, for even better fall
demand than many had anticipated. Thf
upward and onward impulse of this week
is noticeable. All the winter lines OF
goods have felt All improved request, and
manufacturers and jobbers are preparing
to handle larger trade.
At the South, where the recovery from
the effects of the late trade depression was
felt latest, the jobbers in dry goods. hard
ware and groceries announce the receipt
of many orders for September delivery.
Even In Texas, where at the south the
state has suffered from drought, and at tht
north from continuous rains, and where
the cotton crop Is to be short, in conse-
quence, the country merchants report
better feeling In all lines and fair de
mand from wholesalers.
Increasing wheat shipments from Tia.
coma, Investments at Seattle, flour ship.
ments from Portland (since the establish
ment of the new China steamship line),
and a moderate volume of trade at San
Francisco, characterize the situation on
the Pacific coast
The general course of prices has been
indicated with reference 20 the leading
metals, and higher prices for cotton stimu
late advances in the quotations for ging
hams and prints Wool is firmly held.
largely owing to the strength of the Lon
don market. Copper. lumber wheat
-four and pork, too, are held at last
week s figures, as is leather, which is
easier. Anthracite coal is now declared
to have seen its lowest prices
Wheat is off in lack of export interest
here and abroad, and increased afoa,
stocks from other exporting countries.
notwithstanding a heavy shortage in the
crops of several exporting and importing
countries.
Corn and oats are off on good crop pros
poets, and lard and hogs Oh prospectiv,
good supplies The list of decreases also
includes sugar and coffee.
The temper of the trading communit,
may be characterized in part by sales of
SlS, 600, 900 of bonds at the New York
Stock Exchange, this week, against
81, 900, 900, last week. and 25. 900, 600
bushels of wheat future at New York.
against 1000. 900, and 800, 900 bales Of
cotton futures, against 900, 600 bales, a
week ago
New York's bank clearings are 20 per
cent. larger than last week but at Pitts
burg the increase is 60 FER cent. at New
Orleans, so per cent, Cleveland, 81 per
cent; Minneapolis, 26 per cent Provi-
dence, 20 per cent and St Louis, IS per
cent. larger.
Bank clearings at so cities in the United
States aggregate 1885. 600, 600, this week.
or !. per cent. less than last week, 9 per
cent more than in the last week of Au.
gust, 1894, 36 per cent. more than in the
like week Of 1898, but 8 per cent. less
than in 1899, and u per cent. less than in
1891.
Exports of wheat from both coasts of
the United States and from Montreal
this week, (fiour as wheat), amount TO
only /, s71, 900 bushels, against 2,3S9, 600
bushels, last week, 3, 420, 600 bushels in
the week a year ago, and 5,092, GOO
bushels, two years ago.
During the nine weeks of the current
cereal year, the total wheat (and -four
exports from the United States and
Canada amounted to only 16 900, 0C0
bushels, as compared with 25,000, 900 in
the like portion of tbe preceding year
Business failures number 1870 in the
United States, this week, against 1872 In
the week, a year ago. There are AZ busi-
ness failures reported from the Canadian
dominion this week, against 80 In the
week year ago.