Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-12
BRADSTREETS REPORT.
No Improvement Noticed in the Past Week in
General Business.

New York. Dee. ll;-Bfad streets to-
Improvement in general trade. this week,
except in the holiday specialties. At Au-
gusta Louisville Nashville Charleston.
chattanooga. Cincinnati and Memphis
the condition of business is unchanged,
Like reports come from Cleveland, Troy
idence, Chicago, Omaha and puluth.
where the activity is confined to the re-
tail demand for holiday goods. and the
requests for staples. continue moderate.
The situation al Milwaukee,. Galveston
and Birmingham, Ala. is characterized
as disappointing; at St Paul and Mime
apolis, there is Il more active demand Tor
drugs groceries. shoes and hats. and AT
Jacksonville. Savannah. Atlanta and
New Orleans for staple goods. The dis
tribution of merchandise in Texas Is
checked by those who held back cotton
awaiting higher prices. The unreasonable
weather has again delayed the demand
for winter goods. and the approach of the
period for stock taking Will prolong the
season of dulness well into next month.
The tendency of prices is more con-
|spicuously downward, noticeably for bes-
semer pig iron. steel hilets, rails hides
leather, flour. wheat. corn; oats, lard.
cotton and petroleum. Comparatively
steady quotations are reported Tor raw
wool, print cloths. lumber. pork and SUI
gar Coffee is higher. Many who have
been extremely bullish as to wheat prices
regard a reaction likely. notwith-
standing the outlook for greater iirmness
and higher quotations during the latter
than IN the frSt nail or the current ceTedi
year The collapse or impending disso-
luton of the iron and steel pools or com
binations encourages the belief that the
prices for those metals will range lower
This causes buyers to withhold orders.
The demand for leather and morocco mas
fallen off. and a number of factories
have been closed. Dry goods have been
depressed by the large stock of print
cloths in the hands of manufacturers.
Although some New England wooden
mills are well supplied with orders. there
is no revival in the wooden manufact-
uring. Some makers are waiting for the
goods market to start up
Exports of wheat Uiour included as
wheaU from both coasts of the United
States. this week. show a marked IN
crease compared with preceding weeks
and in corresponding weeks in preceding
years amounting to i.222. ia bushels con-
trasted with 2i9S,o03 in the corresponding
week of last year Exports of Indian
corn. this week. ara also heavy. amount
ing to 3.5t42Ss bushels, twice as much as
cent. more than the corresponding week
OF last year.
Bank elearings show an expected fall
ing off amounting 10 $780,. 1909 $50, or b
per cent. less than the preceding week.
and 6 per cent. less than the second
week of December. 1855
The November gross railroad earnings.
as expected. are the poorest for over two
years. The total November earnings of
| 115 companies aggregate SIS. la l32. a de-
| crease of 10 per cent. from 1885 when
| there was a gain of 6.3 per cent. over
November 1S9i. The failing off is the
heaviest in the Granger and central
| Western roads, and lishtest in the South
| western group. Only one-lifth of all the
| roads reporting show gains. The total
earnings Of liz companies for IL months
| Of the calendar year aggregate $ioS,6a5.
81. a gain OF 10 per cent. over year
| ago. following an increase in 1873 over
| 1894 of As per cent The Changers, trunk
lines Southern ana Pacific railroads are
sim ahead of last year. but the central
| = Hs.,t