The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-12-09
DUN'S CIRCULAR
Improvement Noticed in
All Lines of Business.
More Than 500 New Enterprises
Started-Confidence Fully
Restored.


will say: No one doubts that bright
er day is dawning, and it is the com
mon remark that never before has
business shown so great change for
the better within a single week. Dis
patches telling of about 500 establish
ments which have opened, with ma
terially enlarged forces, though they
fill many columns, give only part of
the facts, for throughout the country
the gain has been surprising, even to
the most hopeful. 1t is not mere spec
ulation which lights the fires and starts
the wheels. Orders which have been
accommodating for months, with the
necessary replenishment of dealers
stocks now greatly reduced, would en-
ploy the whole producing force for a
time, and the increase in the number
of hands at work means an increase in
purchases for consumption.
The foreign need of American wheat
continues an important factor, and
the price has advanced to SO cents,
gaining cents for one week, 10 cents
for two weeks and "a cents since Sep
tember The price is the highest since
June, 1892. Western receipts were
only 4,494, 033 bushels, against S2O2, 1854
last year, but the election cut off much
work during the days in which these
receipts were started to market. Elk
ports, in spite of scanty freight room,
were for two weeks 2,717, 231 bushels,
-four included, against 3,260,3S4 last
year, and Pacific shipments are also
20 mi At1c
tralia.
Many textile works have been start
ing or increasing their force, mostly
on orders booked weeks ago. But there
has not been much gain in the demand
as yet. After purchases of 46, 600, 900
pounds of wool in five weeks, the trans
actions fell to 6,243, 700 pounds last
week, but prices were strong and in
some grades / cent higher and even
greater advance is demanded at the
West, while foreign markets are high
er.
The output of iron furnaces in blast
November LIST was 124,077 tons week
Iy. having been increased II, 295 tons or
100 per cent in the latter part of Octo-
Der by confidence in the future. All
the markets were stronger, although
the enormous purchases of pig iron in
inactivity at present. Plates and steel
bars are ST to So per ton higher and
sheets in better demand. Anthracite
and Besemer pig have advanced a
shade and the average of prices is 21S
cents higher. The billet pool is in pro-
tracted meeting here this week to de-
eide upon it's course, and is still I'M
derSold The beam, bar rail and wire
nail associations meet this week and
the underselling of wire nails by out
siders has gone so far that a decline
of As cents is openly quoted. 1t is note
worthy that the prevailing eXpecta-
tions, not withstanding the general i'm
provements in business, is that some,
if not all, these combinations will de-
eide to reduce prices. The coke COM
bination, it now appears, has not pre-
vented large contracts for future de-
livery at less than 81. its fixed price,
and even less than S1.75. but the output
last week decreased. A heavy sale of
copper to foreigners, said to cover TO-
100000 pounds, has raised the price TO
lis. and tin actually sells at Is cents,
though less is quoted.
Failures for the week have been 276
in the United States. against 2S3 last
year. and 40 in Canada, against 40 last
year.
Rradstreet's tomorrow will say: The
volume of business improves steadily
in nearly all lines. The most active
demand is among jobbers in dry goods,
clothing, millinery, sheets, leather and
hardware and in leading Industrial
lines, nearly 200 mills, factories and
foundries having started up this week,
one-half of them in steel, machinery
tools. carriages. lumber, glass, wooden
Goods limos 4 hO1lt 6S OF H.
er industrial establishments have in
creased working forces or working
hours. or both. among them 19 iron
and steel and glass works and four
factories. each making lamps, clocks,
wooden goods and cotton. y partial
record of the number of men given
employment in industrial lines since
November 9Th shows an aggregate of
nearly 10000.
The demand for iron and steel has
not increased after the activity of
week ago, but prices are firm-in some
Instances advanced-and the trade
continues confident of large business
during the coming year.
The exports OF wheat, flour included
as wheat. from both coasts of theUnit-
ed States and Montreal amount to A.
664.515 bushels this week, the heaviest
weeks total since the second week of
September. 1898. This is an increase
of about 900 900 bushels over last
week. of more than 100000 bushels
over the corresponding week Of year
ago. more than 100000 as compared
with the like week in 1894, a gain of
about 10000 900 bushels as compared
with the corresponding week OF 1898,
and of more than 100000 bushels as
contrasted with the like week in 1892.
There have been 25S business fail
ures reported this week, 50 more than
last week, but 81 fewer than in the cor
responding week one year ago; p few
er than in the like week two years ago,
and 112 fewer than in the correspond
ing week of 1893. There are Al bust
ness failures reported from the Do
minion of Canada this week, as COM
- Nth 20 last week A in the week |