The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-09-26
THE HEARTBEAT OF TRADE
IN EASTERN CIRCLES TT IS STRONG.
 ER THAN FOR S0uB TIME.

General Trade Conditions, However, Are Not Much Improved Everybody is Wait
 ing Until Election is Over--An Increased Demand for a Few Staple Products-Iron
 Mills Starting Up-Bank CIearings sbow
 an Expected Decrease-Total Number of
 Failures for the Week Was 3a1-Pointers From Various Centers.
 New York, Sept. 25.-Bradstreets to- morrow will say:
 In eastern jobbing circles the feeling is one of increased confidence. There is more doing in some staple lines. noticeably at the east, and at a few southern cities. In most other in- stances purchases continue for imme- diate wants only. There Is little ex- pectation of general revival of bus- mess prior to election.
 Throughout the central west and northwest no material change Is re- ported in general trade features. Ex- captions are at Cincinnati and St. Louis. where demand for staples is larger. Savannah and Augusta report a marked increase in volume of busi- ness, both wholesale and retail, with satisfactory collections. Memphis and Galveston report moderate gains in de- mand and sales.
 Improvement is shown in various commercial and industrial lines at New York, Boston, Providence and Pitts- burg. Improved demand for wool con- tinues, with an upward tendency in prices. Demand from England re- main noticeable, but is offset by high rates of freight and scarcity of ocean l room. There is better jobbing move ment in cotton goods which are high CT. Not much more wooden machinery has been started. Sales of woolens are generally of low cost variety. The starting up of iron mills and furnaces Is conspicuous, but makers in some instances seem to be anticipating demand. Stocks of pig iron have near- | ly doubled since January 1, while the producing capacity has been restricted more than one-third. The better feel | ing in the iron and steel industry is not | followed yet by the corresponding de- | mand.
 Exports of 50,000 tons of steel rails, | 25, 900 tons of pig iron and smaller quantities 0 fother forms of those met als this year have been possible only by reason of extreme depression of cost. prices of raw materials at a time when foreign makers were endeavoring to | I.i Sy~,, 1r~ manufacturers in Philadelphia have started up and some have shut down.
 Providence manufacturers of textiles l and jewelry report better demand. Easier rates for money at the east are followed by disposition on the part of l western banks to make loans, but at many points money markets are char | acterized by extreme stringency, not ably at some southern cities. Collec-s | tions generally are difficult to make, the only tendency to ease being at some
 primary markets for wheat and cot- l ton.
 The general tendency of staples con-8 1 tinues most of the advance of a week ago. notably those for cereals, wool, cotton, leather, while iron, steel, lum- | Der and hides remain firm. The bank | clearings, gauge of the volume of busi-
 ness brings an expected decrease as compared with last week, the falling off
 amounting to more than 5 per cent,
 the total for six days to September 24
 being $S33,O00,0G0 The decrease this
 week compared with the corresponding
 week in 1895 is IA per cent.
 Exports of wheat (f1our included as | II, l., ll. s4s.u
 States and from Montreal this week
 amount to 3,81S,646 bushels, dispatch 1 from Newport News not received, as | compared with 3,141 000 bushels in the week one year ago. The number of | business failures throughout the United
 States was 321 this week compared with
 19S in the fourth week of September,
 1895.