River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-02-06
CONFLICTING VIEWS.
Dun Notes an improvement In Trade
Bradst-eet Is Disappointed.
IL.


Bradst-eet Is Disappointed.
New York. Feb. I.-R. G. DUN & Co..
in their weekly review of trade, say;
Though business is still waiting, there
are some signs of definite Improvement
1t Is now believed that the first payment
Tor bonds Will cause no further pressure
aid the money markets are easier. as re-
Streets loans on collateral, though the diff
ncuity or rfnking commercial loans still
checks operations. But large maturities
at the end OF January have been met more
satisfactorily than was expected and mer-
chants and tanFers report that the signs
promise a good spin trade.
NO increase appears as yet In the dc
mand 10 the p ,ncl'al products. unless for
some iofnis or iron md steel. In which good
contracts have been N ade this week Do
nestle trade recorded through clearing
houses Is 60 per cent. smaller than year
ago. Signs OF Improvement I'm the iron and
steel business are gratifying. even though
they spring from comb nations which have
raised the price OF coke and allotted the
output of lake iron ore. Pig iron is rather
weaker. southern works competing sharp
ly,while speculative buyers OF some months
ego are selling below present furnace
prices, but the average for all products is
practically unchanged and ia per cent
below the highest last year.
Wheat has again advanced about s
cents for cash. but only ~ for May. al
though Atlantic exports are little larger
than year ago. Neither this fact nor the
continued excess of western receipts ex-
plain an advance for which the basis or
the excuse must be sought In foreign re-
ports. Corn has ceased 10 "sympathize.
and records little advance. Cotton Is a
shade lower than week ago.
The earnings of railroads in three weeks
or January were s.9 per cent larger than
last year. The stock market has been
lifted by these returns and hopeful none
tary conditions. so that the average for
railroad stocks is sl.S per share and for
trust sl.A per share higher than week
ago. The expectation of an anthracite
settlement has been a powerful factor,
and It is generally supposed that prices
will rise after the bond settlement.
Failures In three weeks OF January
show liabilities of si7.S365ll. against $780,
6S5.oG0 last year: in Manufacturing s6.Gci.-
l29 this year against s.. 479,l 1913 last year: in
trading, sl0.SlI.S6o. against ssi65.267 last
year. Failures this W =. have been 40i
Ia the United States, gains. = last year.
and 20 in Canada. az .Inst 81 last year.
Bradstreet's says of the trade situa
ton:
General trade at the close of Janu-
DRY proves disappointing. particularly In
central western. western and northwest
ern states. where the movement OF mer-
chandise from jobbers has been slow and
unsatisfactory. 1t being only fair at n few
points. The volume OF spring goods dis
tributed from Chicago in January falls be-
hind expectations, although larger than
In January, 1895. Some traders in terri
tory tributary to Chicago are making or
dcrs small. owing to having carried over
large stocks and to a desire to confine pur-
ohases to actual requirements At st.
Louis spring demand is slow and general
trade Is characterized as only fair by the
most sanguine. The condition in the north
west is such that grain moves freely in
some regions, irrespective of low prices
a result of all this is shown by the cuts
by New York. Chicago and st. Louis job
hers in prices of standard cotton goods.
which demoralizes demand"