Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-01-11
The business Situation.

The first week of 1896 shows more
favorable business conditions than were
revealed IN the opening or closing
months of 1895. At the end of De-
cember, 1894, the net gold in the treas
ury was $50, III 200, which was about
So, 10000 above the amount OF that
fund at the end of December, 1895, but
1t was shrinking far more rapidly than
it is now, and it was down to si4, 7O0,-
600 at the end of january, 1895, which
Is sls,0O0,000 below its present line.
AT the time early in February, 1895,
when the So, 700 bond sale was
made to the Morgan syndicate, the re-
serve had shrunk close to the SAL ,000,-
900 mark, the lowest point ever touched
by the gold reserve since the resump-
tion OF specie payments January !,
1879. Now, as q year ago, bond sale
is imminent, but the reserve will not
be allowed to drop as low as ii did then,
and the sale will be made under better
conditions for the government.
In another particular also the gov
ernment's balance sheet shows an i'm
provement. There was a slight ex-
cess, which was expected, in treasury
receipts over expenditures in Decem-
Der, amounting to nearly s475,OO0.
which makes the revenue shortage for
the six months since July /, 1874, sl5,-
So. 600. This is $1,000, 900 below the
deficit for the corresponding time in
the preceding year. In the same pc
Rod there was an increase of $4,000
600 In customs over the second half of
1894 and decrease of 5000, 900 in in
ternal revenue, net gain of 81, 0OO, 900.
Secretary Carlisle, it will be remem-
bered, in bis report to Congress four
weeks ago. estimated that the deficit
in the fiscal year ending with June 30,
1896. win be $4,000, which shows
that he thinks the receipts will come
within s., OO0, 900 of meeting expendi-
lures in the next six months. The
Secretary's predictions heretofore have
usually been wide of the mark. but the
growth in revenues now under way
promises to bring this estimate little
closer to the truth.
A new element of disturbance for
the speculative markets appears in the
Transvaal complication, which sent
stocks down in Europe and the United
States In the past two days, but as
England disayows the invasion of that
country and threatens to discipline
some OF the leaders responsible for it.
the war cloud has dispersed and the
markets viii quickly recover their lost
ground. The Venezuelan scare has so
nearly been forgotten that most OF the
stocks have advanced to near the point
at which they stood the day before the
Presidents war message was read.
About sl,500,OOO in gold is to be ex-
ported to-day, but this is far short of
the amounts which will soon be i'm
ported on account of the projected
bond sale and the general improve
ment in business conditions. Bank
clearanees throughout the country in
the past six days increased 7.9 per cent.
over the like time year ago. The
output OF the great productive indus
tries Is much greater than it was early
In 1880. Railroad earnings continue to
show up well. The general expecta-
ton is that after the forthcoming bond
sale and the increase OF the gold re-
serve to the old 100000, 900 minimum
and beyond, business will again spring
forward as it did soon after the sale in
February, 1895, was made.-Globe-
Democrat.