Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-05-23
BRADSTREET'S
Says Business is Better than a
Week Ago.
Great improvement in General Trade
Noted on the Pacific Coast.
Bank CIearings Aggregate 1891 900 Other
Features Of Weekly Bulletin.

New York. May % Bradstreets' TO-
morrow, will say: keactionary tendency
IN prices, shrnhage In railroad earnings,
itilinS OF in bank clearngs and the fact
that the present constitutes the begin
ming OF the between seasons period In
clude the more conspicuous features OF
The general business situation. On the
other hand. BUSINESS failures have fallen
OF sharply. The most favorable report
comes from Kansas city. where the
movement of merchandise continues reIa-
lively quite active. mercantile collections
are fair. and trade prospects never bet
Ter Improvement Is also noticed on the
racine coast. due to the weather, which
has rendered the crop outlook more ia
vorable and stimulated purchases in
staple lines The boot and shoe industry
Is conspicuous In that the demand has
revived sufficiently to furnish most fac
tories with orders for some time. ahead
ana to stimulate quotations for hides
movement Of merchandise IN Nebraska
and other Western states owing TO pro-
onsed rains have been offset elsewhere
by improved agricultural conditions be-
chuse OF rains. In addition to the higher
prices named are those for tin and
HAVANA tobacco. the latte. due to the
general In Cuba. looking to prohibiting
exports of tobacco from the Island
There is no improvement in the demand
for or the price OF wool Manufacturers
are induced to purchase only bp price
concessions.
The warmer weather helps the retailers
of dry goods. but has not continued long
enough TO stimulate the wholesale de-
mnnd. The iron and steel Industries re-
port a moderate increase in the request
Tor raw material. not sufficient to
strengthen prices or encourage makers as
10 Increase in the output. Jewelry man
nfacturing Is restricted to the South
Most encouraging reports are coming
from Savannah. where the excursion OF
country merchants. farmers and others
ness among. the wholesalers. Georgia.
South Carolina and Tennessee truck
farmers complain that the want of rain
has injured the crops Wholesale mer-
chants at Galveston are not pushing
business and report the demand unus-
ually light
tral West has not met anticipations.
Clothing orders have dropped off two
weeks earlier than usual at Chicago and
the run of orders for dry goods there is
light. Relatively the more favorable re-
port comes from ST. Louis that dry goods.
clothing. hardware and groceries are be-
fall delivery. Detroiat and Milwaukee in
terests are suffering from strikes re-
spectively in the building and street rail-
On the Pacific coast the price Of pota-
toes has doubled. owing to the damage to
the California crop by frost. Seattle is to
indianapolis. Tacomas single shipments
east for four months are larger than the
corresponding period of 1895; vessel is
week. for Australia and another for
South Africa.
The decreases in prices for staples are
for wheat flour. wheat Indian corn oats
lard. sugar. live hogs, petroleum and
foundry pig iron. Practically unchanged
quotations are reported for pork coffee
cotton and print cloths.
The exports of wheat flour included as
wheaD from both coasts of the United
States. this week. We're $50. 600 bushels as
compared with 21J4 .000 in the week a year
ago.
The bank clearings aggregated sa9l 900 =
900 throughout the United States this
week. falling off 81 per cent from last
week. los per cent. from the total in the
third week of May. 1875 an increase of Is
per cent compared with the correspond
ing total in 1891.
The railway earnings for the first quar-
ter of 1896 show a total enlarged beyond
those of last year in all but one group
the coalers. The total earnings of 13c
companies. having about two-thirds the |
total mileage of the country We're sl77-
Ulo. 80. a gain over last year of per cent
The net earnings aggregate 81 732. G22 an
increase OF ?.S per cent. following the /
gains OF respectively 1.6 and 3.5 per cent |
in the first quarter of 1895 over 1894 The /
best relative showing is that by the |
granSers. which increased us per cent |
i'll gross and 22.S per cent. in net over a /
year ago.
The total number of business failures |
throughout the United States this week |
shows a marked falling off from the |
weekly average during the past four
months being PIG, compared with 2c5 last |
week. and PIG in the like week of 1896