The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-29
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
VOLUME OF BUSINESS NOT IN- OREASRD DURING THE WEEK,

More Encouraging Reports, However, Are l Coming In-Gold Importations Help to
 Create a Better Feeling-Railroad Earn
 ings More satisfactory-More Failures | Than in 1s95-Banks Report Heavy | Withdrawals of Deposits In-
 creased Demand in Many Staple Lines
 No Immediate Permanent Improvement l Looked For.
 New York, Aug. 2S.-Bradstreetsl lto- morrow will say:
 The volume of general business has not increased within the week. Excep- tions appear to be at Baltimore, Louis- vilel and Kansas City, which send out more favorable reports as to the quan- titles of general merchandise than any other centers. Early movement of crops is said to be behind the increased or ders Another encouraging influence is found in lower rates for foreign ex- change. The movement of $10,O0O, 900 in gold from abroad to the United States I
 and the expression of opinion that not less than $25,OOOOOO in gold is to be imported in the near future has in- spired confidence.
 Leather is shade weaker and hides again lose about per cent. for tho week. Sales of wool, including some md foy nrf have been in four weeks only 9,595, 300 pounds against 23,20O. 400 last year, and 29, 500 in 1892. Actual quotations are hard to get, but sales to realize are at bargain prices and exports of domestic and re-shipments of foreign are in con- siderable quantities.
 No gain is seen in the demand for woolens. Cottons show a stronger tone and in a few qualities slightly better prices, but the change has been in sell- ing from store without disposition to order ahead of current demand. Do- nestle business shown by clearings is small, for the week 157 per cent. less than last year and 22.6 per cent. less than in 1892
 The railroad earnings for the last week reported are slightly more fa- vorable than for the second week and the months returns thus far 3.1 per cent. less than last year are 14.5 per cent. less than in 1892. The loss is part ly due to cutting of rates at the west and partly to small westward move ment of goods, but east bound ship ments from Chicago for three weeks of August are 158,645 tons against 143, ,406 last year and 57 262 in 1894
 Failures have been 288 in the week against 233 last week There were A in Canada.
 Banks at most large cities report withdrawals of deposits in many cases by country banks and higher rates for x call loans. Regular rates of discount are no higher at Pittsburg, Baltimore, Atlanta, Louisville, Nashville, Omaha and Kansas City, but only regular patrons are being accommodated. Rates at New York. Boston. Provi- dence, Buffalo, Chicago St. Louis, De- troit St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth and Charleston are all higher, with regular customers receiving good rates. De- mands for funds to move cotton at the south and southwest and wheat west and northwest, with the tying up in a speculative deal of several millions belonging to Chicago banks intensifies the relative difficulty in securing funds.
 Jobbers and manufacturers report no general increase in demand for staple merchandise. The tendency of the for- mer is to let the latter carry stocks and of the latter to cut down production until scarcity compels freer purchases by wholesalers Trade opinion is that little gain in business neeed be expected until after election. Merchants in re- gions where cotton and new wheat are moving freely are somewhat more hope- full as to prospects.
 The general tendency of prices of staples continues downward exceptions being advances for print cloths, wheat, sugar and anthracite coal. On the other hand lower quotations are re- corded for cotton, leather, wool, pig iron, barbed wire, lumber, coffee, corn, oats and pork and lard. Total exports of wheat, flour included as wheat, from both coasts of the United States and from Montreal this week amount to 32,- 381, ,854 bushels, against 1,871,000 bushels in the week a year ago.
 Bank clearings totals aggregate for six days being S24S, ,000 900, nearly per cent. less than last week, 15 per cent. less than in the fourth week of August, 1885, and only one-half of one per cent. larger than in the like week in 1894 when business was supposed to have touched low water mark after the panic of 1893. Compared with 1893 this week shows an increase of 25 per cent
 The record of this weeks business failures in the United States shows an increase over last week 220 compared with 264, a gain of 54. Compared with the week year ago the increase is 130 and with two years ago 128. In the last week in August, 1893, during the panic there were 369 failures reported. Ther is some improvement in conditions at Montreal, but the volume of trade continues light and the collections are poor. Collections are fair at Halifax and Nova Scotia apple and grain crops are promising.
 Big New York Failure.