Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-09-21
GENERAL TRADE
Shows Slight Gain in United
States. Says Bradstreets.
Heavy Increase in Bank CIearings and
Wheat Exports Gain a Third.
Visible Signs Of improvement Shown Particu.
larly in the South and West.

New York, Sept. -Bradstreets, to-
morrow, will say General trade through
out the United States shows further i'm
provement in this the second week of
September, more particularly in manu-.
featuring and commercial lines at the East
aud South. From the central Western
and some Western states, notably Iowa,
there are advices that purchases of season.
able goods have been checked. this week.
because of the high temperature through
out the region specified
In the south Atlantic, Gulf and South
western states and on the Pacific coast,
general trade has been increasing i'll
volume, with improving mercantile COL
lections as rule, and goods selling with
less effort in many instances.
In the support of the favorable irfluenc-
ing conditions are this weeks heavily in
creased total bank clearings, the largest
week S aggregate of wheat exports within
three months, the heaviest weeks ship
ments of Indian corn in II months, the
maintenance of full proportions of an ex-
traordinarily heavy demand for iron and
steel, the significant hardening of a leading
money market accompanied by reports of
increasing mercantile discounts
Bank Clearings from "A cities, tele-
graphed to Bradstreets, this week, have
jumped above the 81, 600, 600, 900 mark, to
81, 0S2, 900, 600. This is a gain of 10 per
cent over last week, 20 per cent. more
than the second week of September, 1894,
nearly 3S per cent. large, than the like week
after the panic in 1898, only 2 5 per cent
less than the same week in 1892, and only
9 per cent. less than 1891, when trade was
of very heavy volume.
Some of the heaviest increases in clear
ings, this week, compared with the year
+go, are those at Atlanta IS per cent MIL
waukeC, SO; New York, IS; New Orleans,
20; Boston. Cleveland and Pittsburg, each
"a; st. Louis, 8 Chicago, 3 per cent.
Price tendencies this week are more
favorable from the point of view of the
holder, advances having been recorded in
wheat corn and oats, after prolonged
reaction, wheat flour, raw and refined
sugar, coffee, brown and bleached cotton
goods print cloths, in sole leather and
turpentlne.
Quotations have held steady through
the week for cotton, wool, lumber, hogs
and lard. decreases among prices for lead
ing staples noted for cattle, sheep, pork
and rosin.
Special inquiry by Bradstreets into the
prices for more than 100 staple products.
show in the second quarter of the current
calendar year, that there were advances in
quotations for 56, no change for II, and
lower prices reached by only 28
Food products constitute one third of
the entire list, half of which lower, July
/, than April 1 Of this year There was
division among chemicals and building
materials while many food products, al
most all textiles, metals, chemicals,
Gather, oils, several special articles,
showed sharp advances.
Wheat exports, both coasts OF the United
States and Canada aggregate 2,53S, 900
bushels, this week, (ilour inclu uded as wheat)
a gain of one third over last week. in CON
trast with 3, 537, 000,a year ago, 4, 1921, ,00o,
two years ago, and 3,7l1, 600 in the like
week of 1892.
Among the special trade features of the
week are the increased demand for finished
orms of iron and steel, following the
check in demand for crude; increased
activity among manufacturers of clothing
and cheaper grades of iewelry, the enlarged
demand for dry goods, hardware, clothing
and shoes at the West, particularly Chicago
and St. Louis
1t should be noted that there is pros
pect that whislcy production will be cur
tailed The demand for shoes among
manufacturers is slower in starting up
than was expected The season for light
weight domestic woolens has been only
from a third to half average, owing to
the low prices asked for European products
Agents are asking 10 per cent advance
on spring samples of imported plain
woolens, and % per cent. advance for
mohairs
Advices from Des Moines are that trade
IS disappointingly dull, collections poor
money tight, and farmers holding their
crops. From Omaha the reports are much
more favorable.
Savannah, Jacksonville and Birming-
ham at the South, report visible improve
ment in general trade and Is expected at
Atlanta and Chattanooga
On the Pacific coast Palouse wheat was
nurt by the rain, but hops not as much as
expected
Flour is going to the Orient by the
cargo, as is general merchandise to Cen
trail America.
Failures throughout the United States,
this week, were 21S, against 213. last week.
compared with 2lS in the week year ago.
In the second week of September, 1898,
the total was 346, and the year prior ia.