The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1897-01-02
THE PAST YEAR IN TRADE
COMMERCIAL AGENCIES GIVE THE
RECORD FOR 1896.
August and September Show Fail.
uFes With Total Liabilities of
Over 930,OOO,OOO.

New York. Dec. sL-R. C. Dun & Co. 5
Weekly Review Of Trade will say:
There have been more commercial fall =.
ures In 1886 than in any previous year
except 1899. about Is.syv. against l3.1s7 last
year. with liabilities Of s225 900. CO., against
s17s, 1876, 0so last year. an increase in num-
Der Of about Il per cent and in liabilities
of Is per cent.
The holiday week makes 1t impossible
to give exact figures until next week,
but the monthly returns heretofore pre-
pared show that sIsOO0.O 900 Of the excess
over last year was In two months, August
and September. In which manufacturing
liabilities were SIS. 900 larger than last
year. trading slO.l00.0O0 and brokers and
other commercial so 800 600 larger.
OF the latter class 81, Oh, ZIG out Of about
tls, co., 600 were in those two months; OF
the manufacturing class. s24,9OI, &c. out of
about SIS. 600 in the whole year. were
In those two months. and of the trading
class. 81 81. $50. out Of about sos 500 900 in
the whole year. The ratios of defaulted
liabilities to clearing house exchange
were t4-s7 per 5000 against Sss last year
and sS-S in 1899. The average Of default
ing liabilities was sI9O.57, against $l45 last
year and S2S0.65 in 1850. For the first time
detailed monthly statements are also pub
lished for the last year Of the panic year,
1883. showing commercial liabilities
amounting 20 Ss4, O00, 900.
Local Failures.
The year closes with an epidemic Of
failures. mainly at the west and In banks,
loan and trust companies. or companies
dependent upon them. The action OF
clearing houses in the various places in
dicates no want of confidence and several
banks which have failed will be enabled
TO pay in full but disclosures OF unsound-
ness in widely known institutions, in the
abnormal state of popular feeling after
an exciting contest on monetary issues,
has caused distrust and suspicion where
they are frequently undeserved. There
has been no monetary pressure to cause
trouble, nor have important western prod
ucts declined in value. There has evil
IDENTIFY been too liberal assistance given
by some fduciary concerns 10 speculative
operations Nc drain on eastern funds
has resulted since the first alarm at two
large failures, and the money sent then
has all returned. Failures often grow
| more frequent as annual settlements APP
proach.
Holiday dullness has been extensive By
the failures and the efforts of the great
combinations 10 make new arrangements.
With iron. coke. wool. cotton and hides
all somewhat lower. there is almost mi
verssl confidence that business will soon
become larger and safer than before for
a long time. and several large establish
ments, among them the Yonkers Carpet
works. which employ 5000 hands when
| full. and the Maryland Steel company
| Will now start operations.
Wool sales decreased p per cent in the
first four months. and were smaller than
/ for FIVE years decreased sc per cent in the
| second four months. when new wool was
coming forward. and were much the
smallest ever known. except in the paniC
l OF 1898. but enormous sales made the az
| gregate during the last four months near
| ly equal TO that OF last year.
The aggregate OF the gross earnings Of
all railroads in the United States report
ing for December is 81. s22, 5Ss. a decrease
| OF ~ per cent as compared with last veal
and 81 as compared with December, 1899