The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-16
A HAND TO MOUTH BUSINESS.
The Signs of Improvement Few and
Far Between.

New York, May 15.-Bradstreets to-mor-
row will say: General trade throughout
the country remains quiet: wholesale mer-
chants continue conservative and the dis
tribution Of general merchandise is al
most Of a hand to mouth character South
and southwest business remains dull and
Observation-Disclosures from last week.
At the larger eastern centers travellers
are preparing to start out. but the un-
favorable features in recent weeks, with
respect to cotton and wooden, and steel
and iron Industries, show no change.
collections in most directions continue
unsatisfactory.
Relatively the most favorable reports
as to trade this week come from Illinois.
Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska
Jobbers supplying that region report the
demand for hardware, shoes, dry goods
and notions more active, and that mer-
camille collections have improved. Re-
cent rains have had a very favorable in
fiuence on crops In Kansas and Missouri.
This has tended TO make merchants re-
gard the outlook more favorably and to
stimulate purchases.
I'm addition to better feeling and
stronger values for leather and hides,
steel RAN mills have sold two tons OF
product this year to one ton last year.
The fact that fewer pig. iron furnaces
this month than last year indicates that
an unexpectedly large volume Of contracts
had been placed prior to the late nominal
advance In quotations.
'"rhe recent average weekly commercial
death rate Is continued with a total OF
265 business failures throughout the
United States this week. against 267 last
week and 2l0 in the week one year ago.
More important changes In quotations for
staples include advances for nails, cotton
and oats, and decrease for pig iron, WOOL,
petroleum, flour, wheat and pork, with
steel nominally unchanged or shaded
according to the character Of the sale"
New York, May 15.-R. G. Dun & Co.
will say tomorrow, in their weekly review
of trade "The failures for the week have
been 22l IN the United States, against 21I
last year, and 80 in Canada, against u
'It IS now the middle Of May, too late
for business to change materially, until
the prospects of coming crops are as
surcd, and definite shape has been given
TO the presidential contest Dy the conven-
tons Until the future is more clear,
there is a prudent disinclination to pro-
duce much beyond orders, or to order be-
yond immediate and certain needs. II
this waiting spirit prevails two months
longer, ii will crowd into the last half Of
the year an enormous business, If the out
look then Is good. For the present there
is less business on the whole than year
ago, though in some branches more, ana
the delay in collections following most
causes numerous failures.
THE iron and steel industry is pro-
nounced as dull il ever has been In its
whole history at Pittsburg, in part be-
cause of doubt about the maintenance Of
prices recently advanced and the demand
is so small that in spite of such advances
prices average IL per cent. lower for the
week, Bessemer pig being no higher than
it was three months ago at $12.65, while
No. 1 anthracite is also $3.50 at New
York. The attempt to hold common bar
at IL cents leads many large consurn-
ers to prefer steel bars which sell at IL
cents, and prices of nails are expected to
be reduced because Of the scanty demand
There is much promise for future struc-
tural work, but orders are deferred
Textile mills are not yet gaining. Enor-
nous bargain sales of dress goods and OF
ready-made wooden clothing have hin
dered orders at any prices which the mills
can afford TO take, and must have partly
supplied the needs of consumers. For
some cotton goods a more active demand
appears, and low-grade bleached are an
eighth higher, but Lonsdale and fruit 81
the loom bleached. Aka goods, are cut
to 6la cents, and unsold stocks Of many
kinds are heavy. Curtailment Of produc-
ton, partly by intention and partly ny
differences about wages, has not vet
brought the Improvement hoped for.'s