The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-07-11
PRETTY DULL, INDEED
Business Is Even Slower Than Usual at
This Season Of the Year.
BETTER REPORTS FROM SOME QUARTERS
Business In baltimore and Phirade,.
phia shows lnproyemeut-Iro
ana Steel Market CnspeaItabiy
Fiat, Partly the Result OF Uncer.
sainty as to Futuro Conditions,

New York, July 1O.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say:
The usual midsummer dullness In
sehefal merchandise markets has been
unpnasizeu by unfortunate weather. by
uneasiness at the attitude of the f,hi
cago platform towards the finances of
the country, and by the continued CON
serVatism with which merchants con-
.inue TO supply their wants. The vol
tn ni,e ol business appears smaller than
lasl week. Mercantile collections are
more unsatisfactory and there is
disposition among the iobbers
10 look more closely after credits.
WOOL is still further depressed
WI nol enough business to establish
quotations. There Is no Improvement In
the demand for fall business in wool
ems. Iron and steel industries report n
reduced demand even after the greatly
restricted output, with prices pructi-
caily unchanged, and little prospects for
revival for some time. a portion of
the recent activity among shoe manu-
tacturers still continues, but the ten
dency is to fall off. Notwithstanding
rains In Texas the cotton crop there is
suHering from the effects of drought.
while In South Carolina too much rain
mas failen FOR the good of the crops
Pittsburg, st. Paul and Savannah all
report Il smaller volume of business and
complaints are heard as to the prospects
OF the wheat crop OH the Pacific coast
More encouraging trade features in
clude the opening of new points for fall
deiVery and the preparation for the
road OF travellers, more particularly
among dry goods jobbcrs.
Rains have helped Georgia farmers
and at Philadelphia the recent brisk de-
mand for boots and shoes continues
Jobbers at Augusta. Ga, report some
Improvement over May and June, and at
Minneapolis merchandise Is moving
more freely with fairly satisfactory or
ders.
The most favorable advices come from
baltimore. where dry goods jobbers re-
port .salesmen receiving encouraging
orders. and wholesale dealers In clothing
and shoes regard the past three weeks
business as pointing to better fall
trade than In 1895
The total number of business failures
throughout the United States Is 219 this
week, smaller number than In the
corresponding period in each of the
three preceding years. The falling off
from last week is 10.
Dun's Bcview.
New York. July 1O.-R. G. Dun & Co.
will say tomorrow In their weekly re-
view of trade: Failures of the week
have been 215 in the United States,
against 253 last year, and SO In Canada,
against 35 last year.
With political convention in pro-
gress directly antagoniZing the position
taken on the money question by the
convention of last month II Is natural
that there has been much enormous un-
certainty about the future to intensity
the dullness expected at this season.
Wall street exhibited no excitement,
though stocks were weaker on Thursday
and closed lower for the week 25 cents
per share on rails, but trusts rose IS
points.
Large sales of print cloths are report
ed at 2ia cents. slightly above the bot
tom price. but other goods have not yet
been strengthened. Nor have woolen
goods improved, but the tone is rather
less hopeful and the demand for goods
is even more slack than was expected.
Not much can be said OF market so
fiat as that OF iron and steel products.
but part of the inactivity Is strictly sea-
sonable, part is due to still unsettled
questions about wages, and much more
to a general disposition to defer orders
until the future Is clearer. Whether
prices for finished products are too nigh
or not, they average relatively at least
10 per cent higher than prices of pig
iron. which necessarily causes inaction
when pig is going lower. Bessemer fell
this week TO sl2 at Pttsburg and grey
forge to $40, but some contracts of i'm
portance have been placed, one for 1000
tons for a new building on Park Row,
and another for 1900 tons cast pipe for
Fifth avenue is pending.