The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-04-15
The South Leads.

Baltimore, April 9.-iue M2nulac-
turers' Record has anayzed the
statistics of Bradstreet's commercial
agency for the past three months,
showing the number of failures
throughout the country, as compared
with the corresponding period of last
year. This shows that "the record
of the South for the past three
months exhibits phenomenal bust
ness stability, as compared with the
failures in the west and northwest y
The failures in the south for the
first three months of 1896 show a
total increase in liabilities of only
S5O0,000 over the corresponding pc
riod of 1895, and this entire increase
was in Texas, where $2,000,000
wholesale grocery failure occurred
But for this the liabilities in the
South would exhibit large decrease
as compared with last year, notwith
standing the fact that there was an
increase in liabilities throughout the
country of SIS, 100000. In contrast
with the south the central western
States show an increase in liabilities
of Sll,600,o00 the middle States
S3,600,o00 The one State Of Min
nesota, with an increase in liabilities
Of S2.3oO,000, showed an increase
FIVE times as great as the total in
crease of liabilities in the South In
fact the increase of liabilities in Mon
tana alone was S54S,000, which was
greater than the increase in the Is
Southern States Comparing the
bank cIearings for the first three
months of the year, the Manufac-
turers' Record and the commercial
agency reports "By far the best
showing and the largest number of
increases in bank clearings are re-
ported from the South +"
The returns for the three months
show a gain in the Southern States
in clearings of IA 6 per cent COM
pared with the same time last year,
against an increase of only 2.S per
cent. in New England and an aver
age gain of 8 4 per cent for the en-
tire country The figures show that
the South continues to make good
progress in general business expan.
sion, Notwithstanding the complaints
from all parts of the country of dull
ness in trade The South has for
several years past despite the gene
ra! depression, made better progress
than any other part Of the country
Among the other industrial enter
prises reported for the week, are the
organization of a company at Norfolk
with proposed capital stock of
100000 for the purpose of building
steel floating dry dock and marine
railway repair shops; 100000
cotton mill incorporated at Spartan
burg, S. G cotton mills projected at
Allendale, S c., Gainesville, Texas,
Palmetto, Ga. Auste!l, Ga and
knitting mill at Sumter S. O.; ~
900 acre tract Of timber land has
been purchased in Alabama and a
large lumber mill will be built ln con-
nection with it; a $3.50. 900 cotton
oil mill company has been organized
in Arkansas $4,000 electric and
power plant in Florida; 100000
fertilizer company at Valdosta, Ga;
$4,000 electric lighting plant at
Houston. Tex $50 1000 tanning
and leather company at Laredo;
$4,000 ice and cold storage plant at
Ell Paso; cement works to turn out
300 barrels daily at Glasgow, Va. !;
the enlargement of operations by a
Goa! company in Texas to produce
5000 tons of coal day by early
fall; the reorganization and the start
ing up of a long idle furniture manu-
factu.i ing company with $4,000 OF