The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-07
BUSINESS NOT YET BOOMING.
THE SOUTH STILL DOING DETER
THAN OTHER SECTIONS,

The WOODEN and Cotton Goods Manu-
featuring Industries Continue De-
Pressed-NercantiIe Collections
Generally UnsatisfactOry-auO
lions Lower I'm Several Instances.
New York, March 6.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say: General trade began the
week relatively less favorable. but with
the change from high winds and extreme
cold which killed trading TO milder wealth
CT increased purchases and brighter pros
poets for business have appeared.
THE untavorable conditions previously
reported are continued. but they are less
numerous than those pointing to improve
ment Conspicuous among them is contin-
ucd depression in the wooden and cotton
goods manufacturing Industries. Iron and
steel have had an unsatisfactory demand
and prices of billets and southern pig are
shaded.sThere are also reductions in quo
tations for cotton. and print cloths, petrO-
leum, hides and for wheat, Indian corn
and oats. Mercantile collections are gener-
ally unsatisfactory.
1.-THE distribution of general merchan-
disc is fairly satisfactory at the south and
least fayorably regarded east and north.
Interior merchants south have met near
by needs and Baltimore travellers report
sales throughout the South Atlantic coast
and Gulf states satisfactory.
Relatively the most favorable southern
trade reports come from Jacksonville, but
Galveston says general business Is quiet
and collections are unsatisfactory,
THE business failures throughout the
country number go this week, against 2f
last week, thus maintaining the improve
ment shown for nearly month. The to-
tai for the corresponding week year ago
was %"
r. G. Dun & Co, in their weekly re-
view Of trade, will say tomorrow: The
failures for the week have been 2S5 in the
United States, against 23i last year, and
6S in Canada, against IS last year.
''The Cuban resolutions and the appoint
ment of receivers for the Baltimore and
Ohio We're events Of sufficient import
ance to affect almost any genuine mar
ket, especially for securities. 1t, there
fore argues either remarkable strength
of conditions or an entire want or life
and genuineness in the market that the
prices of the sixty most active railroad
stocks. which averaged A9.I4 per share
Feb /, have never fallen since that date
lower than $685.. nor risen above $50 80
per share. The market is largely under
the control of operators who cannot at
ford to see II decline much, but 1t Is
also true that the vote on Cuba and the
receiVership had both been discounted
The strength of the market Is largely
due to increase in railway earnings.
THE volume of business reflected by
ally improving, the weeks returns show
ing a gain of only SIS per cent. over last
year. and a decrease of 'H6 per cent, IN
comparison with the same week OF 1888
II must yet be broadly stated that bust
ness appears to improve only in pros
pect and in the confidence on which fu-
ture transactions may be based, but not
as yet i'm actual sales accomplished.
1.-The Industries all report a slightly low
er range of prices except for iron ana
steel products and II is noteworthy that
while combinations in structural beams
and wire and cut nails are advancing
prices the quotation for Bessemer pig has
fallen to Sl2.40 at Pittsburg, and southern
No. Is offered at $I75, deliverable az BIZ
mingham, and billets have sold at $l7 Pitts
burg. The bar combination which raised
prices not long ago finds an increasing part
of the business absorbed by outside works.
The demand for no class Of iron products
is at this time brisk, but large structural
business is expected I'm the spring and
there is still much hopefulness about rail-
road orders, as earnings continue TO I'M
prove.
"The reports of the boot and shoe in
terest are not on the whole more encour-
aging this week, shipments from the east
being still nearly 20 per cent. less than
last year but there was no further de-
cline i'm prices. There Is no improvement
whatever in the demand Tor WOODEN GOODS
and a number of establishments nave CLOS
ed or reduced their working forces. Some
further reductions have been made IN
prices of cotton goods, although II does not
aDpear that the concessions have thus far
been successful in calling out new busi-
ness Reports are frequent that many OF
the largest mills are about to stop produc-
tion for a time in order TO give the market
an opportunity to clear Itself