The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-04
WEEKLY TRADE REVIEW
Comprehensive Summary Of the Past Years
Business and The Material Causes.
DEPRESSING EFFECT OF OVERpROOUCTlON
Failures Less Than Preceding Year.
but liabilities Produce
Market Eniured By E'rnntir &pcr"-
Iniion 1nrse Corn crop Affected
the Price OF slcnts.

New York, Jan s-K q. Dun K co.
will say Tomorrow. in their Weekly Re
View ~ Trade: 1hC commercial tail
urc& during the coninletc year ur 1885
number 1897. against i3.SS5 in 1884. but
the nGEr' gate of liabilities is slightly
Eroatci'--$fT l96. .OGO. against SlT2 80 S5G
The bright promise offered by II large
,ircrcaso In the first quarter was fol
lowed by II small Increase In the second
ana third quarters and Il large Increase
IN thr last quarter of the ycnr. In that
quarter also, the deferred lin biliticS TO
cach 'i!m in business Increased. and
also IN" proportion of deferred lin biliti"s
10 payments through clearing houses
II" tiirctS III unreasonable spccul,,t ion
III materials. rapid advance in prices of
goods heavy purchases ahead of dis
trlbn,ion, ana enormous mCreure i'm pro-
ductton. clearly appear In the returns
Produce markets have been the thea
trc "l surprising changes. which hnyc
influenced all business. The acreage I'm
COTTON was wisely restricted. In order
~ give producers Il better chance for
lhlr returns. and the crop was further
reduced To some extent by injury. but
growers were injured still more by
lral'ic speculation. which checked OK
i'nItS anu ny false Information and ad-
vice. Wheat producers suffered i'm like
manner from wild speculation. which
nr"Nrntcd the exporting OF many mil
non bushels and false rcroI.ts, which
farmers To keep back their
Er'.n nhtil III" cream had hccn taken
on 'nc market by spccnlntors Tho In
,Nithh'r conscutrncc has been {, very
NV iHilE" of prices. the Weld boiru
vnhriN ~ eNcess ri all demands. The
Grya, Gro" of corn has materially ar
l"rled the prices oC meats
The course Of Industries d,,ri,,r 1so5
mas ,; been materially affected by specula-
non IN materials to-dny Midsur nor
Witnessed tremendous advance. with
a rish 10 buy far exceeding the ordi-
nary demand for c0ns,ilnDtIon
i,ricHs rose beyond .,ll reason rxcItinr
sun more the anxiety to buy bevoud
hc'nal needs. ThOusands of nrodi,.ers
strangely mistobk the cXtranrjIno,v
huNinS Tor vast increase in consuming
m';,ilF: nhI extended plants. opened
unc,ipn IN many lines far beyond m
tuAi consumption. Inevitably botb
traders AID manufacturers were lcft
toward The close with con n.idernblc
!! = 3CES hh$p'd. and claims gninst Gus
Ancrs who We're themselves tied IN,
nN me purchases beyond their d!strib-
ntnS power. Hence the general shrink
age IN prces for the past three months
ma though IN scarcely any department
did prices l'sc higher than i'm former
years. they were found out OF Relation
10 existing demand.
RAPID outlaws of gold with bIph-|
rates Of interest, caused anxiety which
was checked by decision TO issic clear
nE-n"iSe cHr,iiichtes nj New York
Boston. and Philadelphia by promm;
attention 10 financial questions in C.1n
PrrSS. hu: n; the close another Issue of
bonds is c%pc"tcd. Offers already OK
coed the amonnt Of tho issue proposed
The recent decrease in Imports of mcr
chan"iSc and some increase in exports
warrant hone that trade balances may be
NOR" favorable hereafter but much
depends upon the course OF securities
which foreign holders are selling 10
s"mc extent In order to share In the cx
pceH,a prGat IN bonds. Rarely has
there been - situation so comuiica;nd
an1 the near future is difficult to fore
cast. hnt II is the widely prevalent i'm
preston that large sale of bonds viii
speedily revive confidence and activity
irndsirccis Rcport.
New York, Jan. 3.-Brahstrccts 10,
morrow will say: The week which end
ed lS93 and nshcrcd in 1896 has been
very dun in mercantile circles. MS is
usual at this period. The volume of
business has fallen away sharply. owing
To the new years holiday. and then
quiet in trad" circles ut n time when
stock taking and preparing samples for
travellers are Ia king the nj,
t"ntion Of jobbcrs and commission
houses.
slack"ning of activity in some i'm.
poftaut manufacturing lines is noticra
BILE and IL is significant that tclerrams
from so many centres report mercantile
collections slow or unsatisfactory tho
exception being at n few points South
Johhcrs in leading lines at many centres
are confident as TO the outlook for trade
in the near future, although in instances
fears are expressed Of an unfavora ble
effect, due To inability To secure neccs-
snry legislation on financial questions
AhViccs from ST. Louis are that the total
business last year was the largest since
1882. The volume OF chicago'I iobbing
trade last year was 10 per cent larger
than in the year before. and the manu-
featuring output from 10 To II pcr
cent. larger. Another gratifying report
is from Chattanooga that country mrr-
chnnts in the region tributary to that
city are on Il frmcr financial has Sis than
in previous years
December bank clcarings are the iar:-
est Tor amy month last year but one !
October, IHH5--and furnish satisfnr-
tory closing chapter to n years large |
gains i'll hank clearinES. Total clear |
infs at sixty cities for December aEcre-
gate $5.G2G, ,05S.l lS7. gain over December
last year Of lI.6 per cent
Thcp rice movement has taken Il
start upward and for the first time in
many weeks large majority OF sta
pies quoted close higher than one week
ago. Thc more important of the GER
Gals. flour. wheat corn and oats are
all up, as is pork and sugar. both raw
and refined petroleum, corn and refined,