The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-04-19
BUSINESS OUTLOOK.
An Improvement Shown in Spec
ulative and Other Demands.
Retail Trade Increases, Eut Progress Is
slow-Exports Are Good-The situa-
tion nm Several Western Cities
Record of Failures.
New York. April ls.-R. G.. Dun &

NEW YORK. April l3.-R. G.. Dun &
Co.'S weekly review of trade says:
Progress toward better business continues.
but IN slow and meets many obstacles In
speculative aspects and I'm wholesale demand
for goods the week shows Improvement.
Money markets are undisturbed. and little
more active. but among the chief obstacles
Is the anxiety OF operatives to secure
better wages, even while many manufacturing
works are running without profit and others
at the risk OF loss In number of establish
ments better wages have been conceded, thus
increasing the purchasing power OF the people,
but strikes have largely overbaanced settle
ments. several of Importance having thrown
about is0O0 workers out OF employment this
week
Retail Trade Improving.
Retail trade has improved on the whole
since March. a. the apprO "a % eater brings
more business, but distribution TO individual
consumers still lags behind purchases OF
jobbers and such demand for products as
springs from buildings and other investments
looking into the future. Crop prospects Will
greatly affect the course OF trade for some
months, and the government report has little
influence 10 diScour &c ror consumers the
worst feature is the RAP advance in meats
Exports esp -ciaiiy Good.
The last week for exports was especially
good showing an increase OF IS per cent. but
a decrease of S5,25 5si. or lis per cent against
an increase OF - per cent. in imports at New
York
The Failure Record.
Failures for the first four days OF April
showed liabilities OF Sl.lSs,oe3 of which $40
$40 were OF manufacturing. and ,742.6 S3 of
trading concerns. Failures for the week were
207 in the United States. against 2iS last year
and - in Canada against 81 last year.
Bradstreet's View.
Bradstreet's saws:
The feature in trade circles Is found In
the prices movement. more particularly
those for cattle, dressed beef and petroleum.
Drought, low prices and hard times within
two years nave resulted in "A shorter supply OF
cattle, prospectively 30 per cent. less than
last year. Live cattle are 81 so higher per 100
pounl S than last year, and III higher than the
lowest point this year Dressed beef is ~
cents higher than the average last year. the
highest since 1859 The comparative scarcity
OF high grade cattle is emphasized by the fact
that present quotations, when made in previ-
Gus periods OF scarcity. have never failed to
bring "a supply when one existed.
situation at Many Points.
Central western cities, notably st. Louis
Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Louisville and
Detroit, report improvement In business and
confidence to the future. Greatest activity
is noticed in dry goods, hats. shoes and leaf to-
bacco
Recent rains have produced a cheerful feel
ing in the agricultural region tributary to Kan
sas City, Omaha, Des Moines, Milwaukee. st.
Paul. Minneapolis and Duluth. The conse-
quent improvement is not as great as hoped
because OF activity in planting. The move
ment of farm machinery dry goods, groceries,
hardware, paints and oils is most active.
Among more important southern cities re-
porting actual gains in the movement of mer
chandlse are Atlanta, Augusta Savannah and
Galveston. but improvement there is slight
The outlook Is regarded more cheerfully at New
Orleans. where sugar bounty disbursements are
expected soon, but at Jacksonville and Bir-
mingham general trade is quiet and in some,
lines slow. Nashville and Memphis retain inn
provement previously recorded At Chatta-
nooga dry goods and hardware are relatively
most motive.