The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-11-28
ouN'S COMMERCIAL REVIEW.

The Gain In the Volume of Business Con-
tinues to be Entirely Without Precedent
Every Day Adds Thousands to the
Numbers of Those Who Are Able to Buy
n Weeks supplies
NEW YORK, Nov. 2O.-R. G. Dun &
Co., in their weekly review of trade,
say:
The gain in the volume of business
continues entirely without precedent.
More than $50 establishments have
started work since the election, which
were idle, and at least 800 have in
creased working force. Every day
thus adds thousands to the number of
those who are able to buy a weeks
supplies and then make up gradually
for many months of enforced economy.
Already this brings great increase in
the volume of business and the clear
inghouse exchanges, for the first time
in several years, not only exceed those
of last year by ten per cent. but also
exceed those of the same week in 1892
by nine per cent. Business men are
all anxious to prevent anything like
the fictitious excitement of last sum
mer, and in nearly all branches an ex-
cessive rise in prices is prevented.
But with more hands at work there is
inevitably a greater demand for sup
plies, materials and products.
The speculative markets have been
reacting. which is also natural. Wheat
had risen with wonderful rapidity, SO
that exports had beer checked by the
hi,rha- p,inaS nnI rnalizinr SfarfaH n
break which made the close 31 lower
for the week.
The demand for freight room, both
here and on the Pacific coast, is still so
large as to disclose an extraordinary
foreign demand.
Cotton has declined from 8 to 7.62
cents in spite of the starting of many
cotton mills, and the controlling fact
for the moment is hat reports of a
yield smaller than 5000, 900 bales are
now entirely discredited. The guam
tity coming into sight has exceeded
last year by $780, 600 bales. and it is
noted that the decrease in the remain
ing months of the year will bring the
aggregate below S,5Ou,O0O. The ex-
port demand does not abate, although
temporarily checked while prices were
above s cents, and the increase of
50, 400, 900 in value of cotton exported
in October contributed more than any
other single item to make the aggre-
gate exceed hat of the same month
in any previous year.
In a transition period Industries
record gains slowly. but the slight de-
cline in prices of Bessemer pig iron
and of finished products of iron and
steelis partly due to realizing on specu-
lative purchases before election,
and partly to the selling of nails by
jobbers below the combination price.
For most manufactured products of
iron there is a better demand and 4
slow advance in prices. Shipments
of boots and shoes for three weeks of
November have been 1S3,02T, cases
against ia, rs last year, but while he
works have orders for some time
ahead, neither manufacturers nor
dealers are disposed to do much be-
cause of the uncertainty about
prices, those of boots and shoes
being about IL per cent. above
the lowest point; leather, 16.3 per
cent, and hides STA per cent, the lat
ter again rising at Chicago. In cotton
and wooden goods no serious change
appears, though there is continued
weakness in cottons, and print cloths
are a sixteenth lower. Stocks of wool
purchased before and Immediately af-
ter the election now prevent a further
advance. but to November Is wool had
risen 10 per cent. on the average.
Failures for the week have been 34+
in the United States. against $40 last
year, and 40 in Canada, against IL last
wear.