The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-01-03
BUSINESS WORLD.
BRADSTREET'S AND DUN'S RE
VIEWS OF TRADE.
Activity Shown for Christmas Goods.
Failing Off in Failures This Year as
Compared With Last-Specu-
latiOn at Low Ebb.
New York. Dec. ESTABLISHMENTS vii

New York, Dec. 2S.-Bradsurect's will
say:
Holiday trade presents the usual char
acteristics. \ majority CT wholesale deal,
ers and manufacturers are beginning,
or have finished taking account of stock
or arranging settlements for the new
year. Much activity has been shown
| for Christmas goods in retail trades
The. practical conclusion of holiday
trade brought about modest reaction
and thus emphasizes the dullness noted in
preceding weeks.
JObbers claim the outlook for trade
during the late winter and early spring
is for very conservative buying, but in
some lines, notably heavy textiles. the re-
cent cold weather has stimulated sales
and reports from the retailers West and
South indicate that stocks are low almost
beyond precedent. Travelling statesmen
with few exceptions are off the road.
Boston reports 81, 100000 pounds of
wool in that city compared with a stock
Of 43,500.000 one year ago, the decline
being exclusively in domestic varieties.
Industries are shut down in many in
stances to make repairs on stock and ow-
ing to extremely prices for industrial
staples the wage movement tends down
ward.
Quotations for staple merchandise
show more firmness with sugar, cotton,
wheat, corn, steel, naval stores, tobac-
co, tin and copper practically unchanged
in prices. Oats, among cereals, records Il
fractional advance while print cloths and
other staple cottOnS are lower in conform
ity with the results of recent actions
and pork and lard with increasing sup
plies of live stock at western markets.
Coffee, too, is depressed, and there are
rumors of contracts for iron and steel
at shade under last weeks quotations,
although uncontirmed. Reduced stocks
of American available supplies Of wheat,
Notwithstanding reports in the visible
supply statement of a net increase, tend
TO strengthen wheat, but the surpris-
ingly large total of the cereals flour in
cluded as wheat sent abroad last week,
is fully offset by the shrinkage in such
expectations this week. The total for
both coasts of the United States being
1,S40,O0O bushels compared with 3,3334,-
600 bushels in the previous week, 2O36,-
900 bushels in the week year ago, $780,
600 two years ago, 100000 three years
ago, and cOntrasted with 100000 BUSH
els for the last week in the calendar year
of 1890.
Mercantile failures in the United
States for the calendar year December
~, 1893 to December 26, 1894 aggre-
gate 12,311. or IS per cent less than in
the year 1893, when the total. 1850,
was ; per cent heavier than in 1891. Iii
abilities of failing traders this year ag-
gregate S149,500,000, a reduction of Sc
per cent from 1893, and assets of $79,-
100000, a falling off of so per cent
Special returns to Bradstreets shows
n net decrease within the year of about
5000 individual firms and corporations es-
tablished in business throughout the coun-
try, but owing to the decrease in the num-
Der of failures the commercial death rate
is only about IL in every 100 engaged in
business in the four years preceding 1893.
1t is also shown that IS banks are re-
ported suspended this year, compared
with J0S the year before, showing liabil-
tiles of S7J,4S2OO0 us contrastcd with
S170,0 100000 the year before.
Toronto jObbers say trade is very quiet
and travellers from that city are not hur
rying their departure.