The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-10-19
CONDITION OF TRADE.
IMPROVEMENT MORE MfHhED Nv
ruE SOUTH THAN ELSEuHERE.
The Great Industrial Markets show n
Tendency Towards Reaching
More stable Basis.


we're OF manufa- turing, and s2,iso,ooi oil
trading concerns.
Failures for the week have ceen 20
In the United states. against 20 last year
and 4s In Canada, against ~ asst year.
The events of the week are promising
In nature. though TO speculative mar
kets not entirely encouraging. The great
advance i'm cotton had crested exports
and so dcrapgcd eXcnangr that shipments
OF gold were for a time arpIehenucd' ou'
the break In the market Indicates 'na'
the natural movement u the pfoduct may
soon lie restored.
The halt!ug OF demand and moderately
Welding of prices In the great industrial
markets show that A reason oi reason
nhlc attention TO natural conditions mas
arrived and gives hope that the future
demand will be more nearly proporuoncd
10 actual consumption
The week las brought a little further
decline In iron and steel and products IN
hides and leather. and more yielding
tone In boots and shoes.
Wheat does not 20 out freely, ana thc
attempt TO advance prices on MonnaS
was followed 10y an immediate neclihe'
The iron industry is still further en-
eaecd on old orders. but new business
is so scanty that many Of the works are
seeking II at some concessions IN prices
and the only large contracts have been
at Y.75 TO 81 so for bridge plates quoieu
at $50 and s..
rRg IgoN TRADE.
Quotations are not lower, though any
good exchange demands some discount.
EilIets sell AT 81 and rods at SIS at Pits
burg. Want Of business In wire ana
wire nails continuing Mills have 10
compete in pig iron and other products
with spectators who took large quant-
ties on advancing prices and actual con-
SUMPTION will not be fairly measured I'M
nj the effects of the speculation are
out of the way. So in boots ana SHOES,
dealers throughout the country supplied
themselves so largely when prices were
advancing that many shops were laying
off cutters. and others closing ior want
of orders
Boston shipments are - per CENT
smaller than last year.
Textile manufacturers have strong mar
kets for materials TO support them
Scarcely any advance is seen TINS week
I'm cotton goods. though the rise Tor
the moNh has averaged Al per per cent
The price OF some worstods has been ad-
vanced, but IL is as questionable as ever
how far the market can be held by domes-
tic makes. and woollen manufacturers
have to Face. not only foreign compeu-
ton. but an especial tendency oil popular
demand toward worsted fabrics sales
Of wool q 10000 pounds at the three
chief markets against lS,fG'~ III 1870
greatly exceeded actual consumption
Money markets have been easier with
foreign exchange higher and the demand
for crop purposes is remarkably small
while commercial offerings are Increased
by importers settlements in advance on
profitable Business.
Clearincs for the past week are 900
per cent larger than last year, but 49,
per cent. less than in 1872.
BEADsrREtI's.
Bradstreet's tomorrow will say: There
IL less push TO the general commercial
movement this week. indicated as much
on reports from eastern jobbers ana ON
era as from travellers have returned from
trips west and northwest
There are. of course, noteworthy eN-
ceptions. Baltimore merchants report re-
latiyely most satisfactory trade 1Eis
is largely due 10 the remarkably favor
able conditions at the South.
In general the volume of business ap-
uears slightly smaller this week. but
with q widespread although somewhat
irregular demand.
The total business failures throughout
the United States this week aggregated
20. as against pa last week, 20 In the
like week one year ego. $40 ana 2lb Tor
the same weeks in 1898 and 1892.
Al the West business failures practical
ly doubled this week as compared with
last. .,.
continue to specify continued increase
of wholesale and retail demand, with
cotton moving freely.
COLLECTIONS IMPROVING.
Collections are improving and mer-
chants anticipating Indebtedness IN some
instances.
Eank clearings continue to increase
The increasing cotton movement and
speculation is probably responsible for
the large gain at New Orleans, 81 per
cent: Baltimore. . per cent, ana Sa-
vannah. 10 per cent.
AmonS other large gains Is that or -
per cent at Philadelphia.
Among higher prices for staples are
those for cotton and cotton goods, which
reflect immense speculation ana gOod ac-
tual demand. growing out of the belief in
a short crop.
REPORTS that New Orleans houses have
tried to corner October delivery are said
to be confirmed by strong support from
that market Wheat closes higher on d
better export demand and continued dry
weather, although spring wheat receipts
are very large Winter wheat brands o..
-four are scarce and higher.
Corn is frmcr on restricted receipts ana
oats. Coffee and coal are also higher
the latter on continued progress toward
Lower prices FOR steel bllets reflect the
subsistence of the late furOre I'm the iron
changed. Hides are lower. as is also re
fined sugar on decreasing demand for
and weaker tone OF raws.
Lard Is slightly of. and pork is weaker
but unchanged on free offerings at the
West.
As SEN IN RICHMOND.
The Snow-Church Company's Weekly
Review of Trade says:
That there is an adoption of new meth
DDS by the jobbers OF the country who
are rated the most aggressive and sue
cessful. is evident to the class observer
and as one new idea after another Is
utilized by the wholesale people, the
question is forced home. How nearly
Will the jobbers' methods OF ten years
hence be TO those Of the retailers? This
question Is more than ever an opportune
one when the fact is considered that the
retailer is fast getting away from his
old methods, particularly regarding buy
ing. Not many years ago many mer-
chants visited the eastern markets once
a year, ana the bulk of his buying was
done at this time. II was COM
pulsory. Later. and for the
past few years, two sits an
naally TO the market nave been Gus
tomary. But another factor has enter
ed into the consideration of this matter.
and the one that is sure 20 make the
jObher change his method Of operating
The retailer who is leading the battle IN
his locality is crerting himself To turn
his stock the greatest number OF times
possible.
The fan trade is now on IN fuli force.
The jobblng houses are scenes OF the