The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-15
BUSINESS A SHADE BETTER.
EXPORTS 1 PER CENT. MORE AND
IMPORTS 1 PER CENT. LESS.

Dun and Bradstreet Review the
Conditions of Trade Throughout
the states-The Upward Trend of
Cotton l. Encouraging to All
branches Of Business. Hut 80 Far
Il Has Not Been Felt In a Practical
Wny-The Trade in Detail.
New York. Aug. 1A-Bradstreet's to-
morrow viii say; The volume OF bust
ness throughout the country IS practi-
caUy unchanged New features do not
point 20 Improvement in prospects for
fan business. Industries generally con-
tinue quiet, with more men idle than
week ago The most significant feature
was higher rates for money early in the
week: there was some didiculty In OBJ
tanning time money. This disappeared
with manifest reaction against the free
silver sentiment which followed the sill
yer demonstration at New York on Aug.
q
Jobbers IN woolens are meeting imme-
diate wants only. Receipts Of new woods
exceed sales. and they prefer TO let hold
ers to carry the raw material JObbers
Of dry goods report no outlook for an
active fan demand. Higher prices in
cotton strengthens the views OF manufac-
turers. but does not sell goods.
Mercantile collections are difficult to
make. At Charleston and at Atlanta they
are poor. Jacksonville jobbers report re-
mittances slow. as do those at Birming-
ham and I'm the west at Cleveland, De
troit, Milwaukee and st. Pau.
There is little or no demand for iron
or steel, Notwithstanding the capacity Of
furnaces in blast was restricted during
July more than $1,000 tons. Manufactur-
ers Of hardware and jewelry report busi-
ness excessively dull crop reports from
some portions of South Carolina are dis
cOuraging, while the vegetable crop in
Florida has been greatly reduced by the
drought
Crop conditions in Alabama have fallen
off within two weeks. Wholesale dealers
al Chicago and at St. Louis report mod
crate gains in the distribution Of dry
goods.
The brighter side Of the picture is found
generally favorable crop conditions at the
south. which have stimulated buying at
Baltimore. Savannah, New Orleans and
Texas The early movement of cotton is
pointing 10 improved mercantile collec-
tiOns. The financial situation at New Or
leans is relieved by sugar bounty pay
ments There are 258 business failures re-
ported throughout the United states this
week, compared with 269 last week. The
increase as compared with the cores
ponding total one year ago is GO.
New York. Aug AR. C. Dun & Co,
will say tomorrow in their weekly re-
view Of trade: Failures for the week
have been 298 in the United States against
1850 Last year, and 50 in Canada, against 80
last year.
An extraordinary spell of deadly hot
weather has caused death throughout the
country, and the speculative feeling was
somewhat affected until Thursday by the
apprehension of possible influence of the
Bryan meeting With cooler judgments
came perception that the meeting would
not affect business unfavorably. But
other conditions were not stimulating
According to government reports, the
crops have sustained serious injuries La
Dor difficulties extend and the closing OF
the esta blishments for want of work and
the refusal OF commercial loans by banks
checked operations in many branches OF
industry and trade. The week, therefore,
closes as the last week did, with domestic
business unusually dun for the season.
Iron production was reduced %, 764 tons
weekly in July and has been further re-
duced since Aug. !, while unsOld stocks
increased 26,192 tons In July. The stop
page of a large share of the Connellsville
coke works and of many lake iron mines
is fair indication that the two combina-
tons do not believe anything could be
gained by reducing the prices of mate
rails, and the main difficulty is obviously
the extreme narrowness of demand for
finished products, which is so small that
most tr9 nsactions are at some conces-
sions from the current low prices With
Alabama No. offered al 60 at Birming-
ham, equivalent to $l0.25 here, against
$ll.5O for northern No. 2, the market is
not large enough to support prices of
either.
The boot and shoe industry is approach
ing the end of orders at hand and a grad
| ual advance in the prices asked tend to
| the restriction of new orders.
Leather is scarcely changed in prices
many of the tanneries having ceased
| operations but hides are per cent lower
| for the week and have declined l743 per
| cent, with interest the last few weeks.
| The wooden manufacturer makes little
| change, with not more than third of the
/ machinery now running and the demand
/ for goods does not improve, although
| prices of some important grades have
| been further reduced. Nor has improve
ment appeared in cotton goods, although
| the curtailment of production for some
weeks has been great.
| 1t was a step toward recovery. slow.
! but sure, that imports since July have
! been l per cent. less while exports have
! been l per cent more than last year.
| 1t has been a depression of trade, but
| also decrease of foreign indie btedness.
a NARROW ESCAPE.