The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-21
AN UNPRECEDENTED
BUSINESS BOOM
Nearly 400 tabIishmeuts Have Started
Up Since Election.
INCREASE IN TRADE EVERYWHERE
Clearing House Exchanges Exceed
Those Of 1892 by Per Cent..ln
Nearly All Branches IN Excessive
Rise in Prices is Presented..De.
mand for Freight Room.

New York, Nov 20.-R. G. Dun &
Co. will say tomorrow in their weekly
review of trade:
The gain in volume Of business con-
tinues entirely without precedent. More
than 800 establishments have started
work since the election. which were
idle, and at least 300 have increased
working forces. 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 great increase In the volume of
business and the clearing house 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 0
per cent. Business men are all anX-
ious to prevent anything like the fic-
titious excitement of last summer. and
in nearly all branches an excessive
rise in prices Is presented. But with
more hands at work there is inevitably
a greater demand for supplies, mater
ials and products.
The speculative markets have been
reacting, which Is also natural. Wheat
had risen with wonderful rapidity, SO
that exports had been checked by the
higher prices, and realizing started
break which made the close 37s cents
lower for the week.
The demand for freight room, both
here and on the Pacific coast. Is still
SO large as to disclose an extraordinary
foreign demand.
DECLINE IN COTTON.
Cotton has declined from to 70
cents in spite Of the starting of many
cotton mills, and the controlling fact
of the moment Is that reports of
yield smaller than 100000 bales are
now entirely dlsproven. The quantity
now coming into sight has exceeded
last years by $4,000 bales, and 1t is not
expected that the decrease in the re-
manning months of the year will bring
the aggregate below S,500O00. In
transition period, Industries record
gains slowly, but the slight decline In
prices of bessemer pig iron and of fin
ished products Of iron and steel Is part
ly due to realizing on speculative pur-
Chases before the election, and partly
to the selling of nails by jobbers below
the combination price For most manu-
faCtured products Of iron there is a bet
ter demand and a slow advance in
prices
Shipment Of boots and shoes for three
weeks of November have been 1S3,O27
cases, against 174,17S last year, but
while the works have orders for some
time ahead, neither manufacturers nor
dealers are disposed to do much be-
cause of the uncertainty about prices,
those of boots and shoes being about II
per cent. above the lowest point. Leath-
er 1863 per cent. and hides 514 per cent,
the latter again rising at Chicago. In
cotton and wooden goods no serious
change appears, though there Is con-
tinued weakness in cottOns and print
cloths are a sixteenth lower. Stocks Of
wool purchased before and immediate
ly after the election now prevent fur
ther advance, but to Nov. IL wool had
risen 10 per cent. on the average Of 1O4
quotations by Coates Bros. since Sept
and much more at the west.
Failures for the week have been 344
in the United States against 320 last
year, and 40 in Canada against AZ last
year.