The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-21
BUSINESS STILL ON A BOOM.
FURTHER PROGRESS MADE TO-
WARD BETTER DAYS.

The Increase in the Bank CIearings
! the Most Favorable Feature of the
Week-The Volume of Business in
Some Lines Smaller Than Expect
ed-RaiIway Earnings Rejecting
the Ante-EIection Depression in
business.
! New York, Nov. 20--R G. Dun & Co.
will say tomorrow in their weekly review
of trade: 'The gain in the volume of bus
mess continues entirely without prece-
dent. More than 800 establishments have
! started work since the election, which
were idle, and at least 800 have increased
their working force. Every day thus
adds thousands to the number of those
who are able to buy a weeks supplies,
and to make up gradually for many
months of enforced economy. Already
! this brings a great Increase in the volume
of business, and the clearing houses ex-
changes, for the first time in several years
not only exceed those of last year by 10
per cent, but also exceed those of the
same week in 1892 by per cent. Business
men are all anxious to prevent anything
like the fictitious excitement of last sum-
mer, and in nearly all branches an ex-
| cessive rise in prices is prevented. But
with more hands at work, there is newt
ably greater demand for supplies, mate
rails and products.
"The demand for freight room, both here
| and on the Pacific coast, is still so large
as to disclose an extraordinary foreign
demand Cotton has declined from to
762 cents, in spite of the starting of so
many cotton mills, and the controlling
fact of the moment is that the reports of
a yield smaller than 100000 bales are
now entirely discredited. The quantity
coming into sight has exceeded last years
| by $4,000 bales, and it is not expected
| that the decrease in the remaining months
of the year will bring the aggregate be-
low S,5OOOOO. The export demand does not
| abate, although temporarily checked
while prices were above cents and the
| increase of SO, ,400, 900 in the value of cotton
| exported in October contributed more
than any other single item to make the
| aggregate exceed that of the same month
in any previous year.
'In transition period, industries record
| gains slowly, but the slight decline in
prices of Bessemer pig iron and of finished
E. pFOuuCLS Oh iron anu Slett - petl tAS NuS
to realizing on speculative purchases be-
fore the election, and partly to the SELL
| ing of nails by jobbers below the combi-
nation price. For most manufactured
/ products of iron there is a better demand
and slow advance in prices.
Shipments of boots and shoes for three
weeks Of November have been 1SS, OPT cases
against ia, 17S last year, but while the
| works have orders for some time ahead,
neither manufacturers nor dealers are dis
| posed to do much because of the uncer-
tainty about prices, those of boots and
shoes being about II per cent. above the
lowest point, leather 1853 per cent. and
hides 51.4 per cent, the latter again rising
at Chicago. In cotton and woolen goods
no serious change appears, though there
is continued weakness in cottons and
| print cloths are sixteenth lower.
| Failures for the week have been 344
| in the United States against 800 last year,
and 40 in Canada, against AZ last year"
New York, Nov. 2O-Bradstreets to-
morrow will say: "Jobbers and other
wholesale dealers in general merchandise,
do not report the anticipated increases in
| the volumes of goods distributed this
| week. There are increased purchases of
| holiday goods, and the tone of the market
for staples is one of encouragement. Rel
atively, the heaviest demand has been for
/ uTy SOOuSs SuOeS ana DuL even
| in these lines particularly, dry goods, the
volume has been smaller than expected,
| and disappointment is a result.
| THE many Industrial enterprises which
| have started up continue a feature of each
| days news bulletin, but there is reason to
believe the significance of these exhibits
has been over emphasized in some in
| stances.
1.-The most favorable feature of the busi-
! ness week is the increase in bank clearings
| throughout the United States, the total
volume, of which is 1929, 100000, nearly
| per cent. more than the unusually large
total last week. and nearly 10 per cent
more than in the corresponding week one
year ago.
"There are 30S business failures in the
| United States this week, 80 more than
last week, but 10 fewer than in the cor
/ responding week one year ago.
Gross and net railway earnings for
nine months reflected the severe trade
depression which eliminated in the stag
nation preceding the late presidential
| election. Favorable returns earlier in the
year have not been maintained, and the
| tendency is to wipe out the gains shown
| early in the year as contrasted with 1885,
! Total earnings of 1856 railroads, embrac-
! ing 65 per cent. of the railway earning ca
| pacity of the country, aggregate $576, ,9S2.-
| 922 for nine months Of the calendar year.
| an increase over the like period in 1895 of
! 16 per cent, following a gain in 1895 over
1894 of per cent. Net earnings for nine
months Of 1896 aggregate s176 104,SN a
gain over 1895 Of g per cent, follow
| ing a gain in 1895 over 1894 of nearly per
| cent. The largest percentages in gain in
gross earnings are shown by the gran
| gers and southern roads, the only de-
creases being by the central western and
coal roads. In net earnings, the south
western southern and Pacific roads, show
\ the largest gains. while the central wes-
tern, eastern, coal and trunk lines show
| the heaviest decreases"
S-ap-s-