The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-11-14
THE BUSINESS REVIVAL.
Irys SURPRISING EVEN 10 THOSE
VINO WERE MOST HOPEFUL.
Wheat Advances to 80 Cents, the Highest
Since June is9s-Hanks Now Hunt
ing for Commercial Paper.

No ono now doubts that the brighter
5oy ia dawning. and II is the common
remark that never before has business
shown SO great a change for the better
r,,hin single week. TO the change oil
oo,a,,ions and Of spirit described last
week. there has already answered
large increase in the working force ana
an tho volume of trade. Dispatches zen
Of about 800. most OF which nave opeheu
or have materially enlarged theF forces
though they FIJI many Columns give oi'y
part OF the fact, Tor thtoushout ue
country the gain has pee" Surprising wv"
to the most hopeful.
WHEATs ADVANCE.
Foreign need OF American wheat con-
tinues an important factor and the price
has advanced TO IS cents, gaining six
cents for one week, 40 cents for two
weeks. and "A cents since early In Sep
tsmber. The price is the highest since
June. 1892
MANY textile works have been starting
or Increasing force mostly on orders
booked weeks ego But there has not
been much gain in the demand as yet.
After purchases Of i6.on~J pounds OF
vool In FIVE weeks. the transactions ie"
IN e2.s 700 mounds last week, but pil''9
were strong. and in some grades o."'
HIGHER and even greater advance is ne
,,,,rdod AZ tho west. while foreign mar
tets arc HIGHER and Australian iuiN
-, ~ round The market for COTTON
Goods Il not vet active. but more iperal
estimafoe of the cotton crop are reneihi-
II. credited causing an Is decline -
c copts The ot.tput Of iron furnaces III
bi,rt Nsovernbor 1st was l2t0O tons week
=. to,.i,, boon Increased II 20 tons, OF
n nor cent in the latter part OF oc'ooci
-. oo,edo,co I'm the future. All the mar
,,,,s voro stronger. although the ehor-
,,o,,s nurchases Of pig iron in advance
% ,oeds causes comparative inactivity
a, nraeent plates ard steel bars are 81
10 q nor ton higher and sheets In better
demand Anthracite and Bessomer pig
have advanced a shade. and the average
OF prices is 2i-2 cents higher. The billet
pool Is i'm protractod meeting here TINS
week 10 decide upon its course ana rs
s..il undersold. The beam. bar. rail- ana
wire.nail associations meet this week.
and the undertaking Of wire nails by
outsiders has gone 50 far that a de-
Is noteworthy that the prevailing cxnoc-
tation notwithstei ding tho general inn
provement n business. IS that some. if
not all these combinations will desire
to reduce prices Tho coke combination. II
now appears has not prevented large
contracts for future delivery N less than
e iis fixed price and oven less than s1.75
but the outnut last week decreased
MONEY MARKET EASY.
The change in the money market is
striking. Instead Of S2.5W,e0 going out
TO the interior, rs before. S2.50J.uO0 have
come in this week; instead Of 80 cents
discount. New York exchange u Chica.o
is al 20 cents premium. instead of mer-
chants and manufacturers yainly hunting
lenders banks are hunting for more COM
mercial paper Commercial rates are
down TO per cent. on best paper For
eign exchange is higher. owing 10 sales
of Si000.Q00 governments, taken by the
Bank Of England as a member Of the
syndicate early in 1895. to payments Of
100000 sterling loans and 10 foreign
realizing on S2o0000) Of securities. but
an these are in effect taking profits fcr
confidence I'm American honor
Failures for the week have been .1S
in the United States. against 2S3 last year,
BRADSTREET's
NEW YORK. November fs.-Brad-
streets tomorrow will say:
The volume Of business improves
slowly in nearly an lines The most ac-
tive demand is among jObbers I'm dry
goods. olcthinr, millinery, shoes. leather,
and hardware. and in leading industrial
lines. nearly 20l mills. factories. and
foundries having started up this week,
enc half of them boo iron. steel. machinery.
tools. carriages. lumber glass, woollen
and cotton goods lines. About l5l other
industrial establishments have Increased
working forces or working hours. or both.
\ partial record OF the number OF
men given employment In Industrial lines
since November 9th shows an aggregate
of nearly 3o0). Demand for iron and
steel has not increased after the activity
OF week ago. but prices arc hrm-in
some instances advanced-and the trade
continues confident Of large business
during the coming year. Cotton and
cotton goods continue firm and unchang-
81 I'm prices. nriut cloths have an up-
ward tondenv. Wool is higher on more
active demand. bat manufacturers are
not supplying in excess OF wants. other
advances in prices are or leather. shoes.
white pine lumber. petroleum. lard. SUI
gar. and FOR wheat, corn. and oats. The
strength Of the statistical position Of
wheat is as marked as heretofore. and
renewed inquires are received from Aus
tralia.
The conspicuous decreases i'm prices are
those for coffee. pork. ana turpentinc
Western jobbers report an increase in
mail orders. and that between seasons m
some lines alone prevents Improvement
in demand from iohhing being general.
COLLECTIONS.
Mercantile collections throughout Cen
trail Western and Southern States are
easier, but complaints are still heard
from the West.
Bank clearlngs leaped NJ p per cent
this week. compared with week ago.
the total being Sl.le0o 100. Compared
with the corr, spending week last yoar
the increase is only is per cent. October
railway earnings rejecting anti-election
conditions. make the poorest showing II
any month for several years. The Go
tober total OF l2l roads Is siS1t0 5s0-a
decrease OF As per cent. from gear
ago.