The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-19
TRADE REMAINS QUIET.
BRADSTREET SAYS DOWNWARD
TENDENCY OF PRICES CONTINUE


New York, Dec 19.-Bradstreets to-
lay says: Wholesale trade continues OF
smaller volume than. expected. prac-
ically the only activity In wholesale
lines being in groceries. candy and fruit
End nuts. The weather has interfered
With seasonable business. which at many
centers is is smaller than in preceding
years, in that a larger portion of pur-
rhases are Of cheap grade OF goods.
There is q decrease I'm demand atesAt-
ianta and Seattle. but at Nashville,
Sioux Falls. Savannah and Jacksonville
jobbing lines announce an increase in
demand. At almost all other places gen.
eral trade remains quiet and unchanged
with retailers of holiday goods expert
encing the only activity.
The downward tendency Of prices
pointed out a fortnight ago is continued
This includes quotations for hides,
which caused boot and shoe jobbers 10
restrict purchases. anticipating cuts IN
prices for shoes; steel rails. with drop
of $3 ton owing 20 the dissolution of the
pool; steel billets, with drop OF $S.45 on
the failure of the combination, and bes-
scmer pig iron, owing TO the downward
tendency of iron and steel Cotton, too,
is lower on confidence In a larger crop
than expected, print cloths. as product
of that staple and because of the large
stock of the same anthracite coal, Ia
dian corn, oats and petroleum SteaGy
or practically unchanged quotations are
reported for pork. lard, coffee and sugar.
Wheat and rosn are higher.
The dry goods market is quiet for sea
sonable fabrics. jobbers reporting only
small recorder trade. Woolen mills re-
port moderate quantity of orders. AT
the south the decline In the price or raw
cotton may affect country merchants
who are still carrying that staple. An
Increased wheat acreage is reported from
California.
Total bank clearings for the week have
not changed materially, increasing only
about per cent compared with last
week. When contrasted with the cor
responding period last year. this weeks
total shows falling off of pei cent.
but an increase of 8 per cent, as COM
pared with the like week in 1894, and of
13 per cent with the like period in 1898.
The largest bank clearings totals on
record is that for the third week of De-
cember, 1921 ,512 900, 0,O00-compared
with which this weeks total shows
railing nearly per CtHt
There are 359 business failures reported
throughout the United States this week.
% fewer than last week, and rs less than
In the corresponding week one year ago.
AS compared with the like week in 1894
this weeks total shows gain Of 30, and
with the corresponding week in 1893 the
gain is 6. In the third week of December,
1892. there were 61 fewer failures than
| this week. ..-. -
Exports OF wheat (flour included as
| wheat from both United States coasts
this week amount to 3,524,S26 bushels,
as compared with 1929, 900 bushels last
! week. 2, ,O56. 900 bushels i'm the correspond
ing week one year ago. 2.6O5, 900 bushels
| three years ago. and as contrasted with
| 4.o47. 900 bushels i'm the like week i'm 1892.
| Exports Of Indian corn from both coasts
continue heavy, aggregating 2,S14.15o
bushels. as compared with 3,541, 900
bushels last week, 2,057 900 in the week
a year ago. and an average of about
100000 bushels each in corresponding
weeks i'm three preceding years.
Mild weather and bad roads have re-
stricted trade i'm the province OF Quebec
and at Montreal. although colder
weather for time stimulated demand.
The volume of Christmas trade is an
average of that i'm previous years. More
activity is reported in both wholesale
and retail lines at Toronto, particularly
| in dry goods. groceries and hardware.
| Better weather has helped business at
Halifax, and more activity is reported.
even i'm wholesale lines. The Cape Bre-
| ton mackerel fisheries are said to be a
| complete failure, and destitution exists
among Newfoundland fishermen I'm the
northern and other remote parts OF
| that colony. Total bank clearings at
Winnipeg. Toronto, Montreal Hamilton
| and Halifax amount to $22.S61 900 this
week, compared with $24,SS2,O00 last
week. and with $23,204,000 in the week
, one year ago. There are 80 business
failures reported from Canada this week.