The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-21
FAILURES ARE MANY.
First Quarter Of Current Year Will
Be a Record.
BRADSTREET'S SAYS BUSINESS
FAILS TO IMPROVE.

Higher Prices In Many Staples Noted
Cotton Continues High Though Man.
ufactured Products Are Low-Moderate
Value of Trade Reflected in Bank Clear
ings.
New York, March 20.-Bradstreets to-
morrow will say General trade through
out the United States for the first quar-
ter of 1896 is disappointing. When the
improvement of the industrial and COM
merclal lines between March and Septe1n-
Der, 1895, is recalled occurring as it did.
two years after the panic of 1893, reas-
on would seem to have been behind the
confidence that the current calendar year
would bring general revival. The most
favorable reports at this time are those
which declare the volume of business lis
equal to, and in a few instances in excess
of like time year ago. The fact that
the interior merchants are buying more
freely in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma
and parts of Nebraska, where snow and
rain prepared the soil for crops, continues
almost the
ONLY FAVORABLE ANNOUNCE
MENT
for the week. In most all other parts of
the country, east of the Mississippi, the
stormy weather tended to check the vol
ume of business and still further restrict
mercantile collections, which have been
exceptionally slow for more than a month.
The winters jobbing business in staple
lines with few exceptions, is unsatis-
factory rs has been that for the coming
spring. The prolonged falling of in de-
mand in the iron and steel, cotton, wool
en- shoe industries presents no sign and
of early Improvement.
AS consequence, hides, leather and
shoes are all weaker, and in some in
stances lower. Ginghams and print
cloths have sold for less money within the
week, and the demand for American
wooden goods remains in marked contrast
to the request for like goods of foreign
make. Quotations for some grades Of
iron are lower than last week without
The wholesale trade in mems wear, in
yolving clothing is depressed by heavy
stocks carried over, and low quotations
for domestic wool have sent some abroad
While the distribution of merchandise at
the Northwest is not as good as few
weeks ago, it is of larger volume than a
year ago. Country bakers in that and
regions further south have been with
drawing their Chicago balances. North
western jobbers continue confident of re-
viyal of
THE COUNTRY DEMAND.
General business at the South remains
unchanged. At Portland and Tacoma on
the Pacific coast some improvements are
reported At Seattle the lumber mills in
the State of Washington are expected to
advances prices soon.
There is a decline in the total exports
Of wheat, (four included as VIII eat) from
both coasts of the United St ates this
weak. The total amounting to 1,592, 600
bushels against 2, 401, 900 last week. an d
2, $685. 600 in the same week year ago.
Thissis the smallest grand total of exports
of wheat, with wheat flour included,
since the last week of July, 1895. The ex-
port Of Indian corn this week are 1909, 900
bushels against 486, 600 In the week
year ago.
In addition to the reactions in quota
tions noted the prices for wheat, -four
wheat pork and lard, are lower and
those for Indian corn, sugar, raw and
refined, cotton, crude and refined petrol
cum are higher. The continued advance
in the price for cotton, in the face of the
reductions in quotations for manufac-
tured products thereof, during the fort
night Indicate that the expectations of a
large (new) crop of cotton has been per-
mitted to
UNDULY ATTRACT ATTENTION
from the comparative shortage of the
present supplies A more moderate vol
ume OF general trade is reflected in the
bank clearings, the weeks total being
976, 900, 0OO the continuing recent tenden-
cy being to get below the billion dollar
mark. There is, nevertheless, an increase
in the aggregate clearings amounting to
So per cent over last week; 2.5 per cent
compared with the third week of March,
1895. An unusually large number of
failures during the first quarter of the
current year promises to make a record.
The total for the current week, through
out the country is 300, or IS more than
last week; 4S more than in the like week
of 1896, and 1903 more than the correspond
ing week of 1894.