The age-herald., 1897-12-16

Poultry-Hens, 2O@221zc; fries, 12h@ 171se; ducks, 15@30c; geese. BOG.
 Potatoes-Irish, soc per bushel; sweet per barrel, $1.75.
 Apples, S3.5004O0
 Lemons, $S03.5O per box. Oranges, $3.00GD4 co per box.
 Cocaonrts. S4.OO per 100.
 Corn-Yellow, 41c: white, 42c.
 Hay-Choice timothy. s15; No. 1. s14; No. 3, SIS.
 Local Staple Groceries
 F1our-Best patent, $5.50@5.75:
 Straight-$5.00; e2.ra family, $45O. 475.
 Coffee-Rio, green, S@131kc; Arbuckle, lowering and Lyon's packages, $ll.lV' Lard, Dc basis
 Clear Ribs Sides-$46O
 olassess-Centrif., 15@25c; sugar. house, 20035c.
 Rice. 5hQ6c.
 Cotton Letter.
 New York Dec 151There was no break in the monotonous dullness of the cotton market today. Early Liverpool cables re- ported unchanged prices there, and the opening here was quiet with prices 1 point above the closing figures of last night. There were no developments to stimulate trading on either side, and the market was without features. There was somewhat more disposition to sell, and after the open ing declined little. The investment de- mand absorbed the offering and the loss in value was trivial. January opened at 571, declined to 5.G9, and closed at 5.69 to 5,7o, with the tone of the market dull. We fear there is not much demand in the market on either side at present.
 RIORDAN & co.
 Tn Wall Street.
 New York, Dec. 15.--Today's market was largely professional and in the contest be- tween the bulls and bears the former en- listed themselves under the banners of the coalers and the latter made the local trac- ton stocks their main resource. The for tunes of the battle shifted several times during the day and in the middle of the afternoon the bulls seemed to have gained a decisive advantage. The earlier marked losses in some stocks having been almost entirely wiped out and the bears appar ently driven to cover. In the last hour of Grading however, a large number of 2oaus were suddenly called and in replacing them the call loan rate Stiffened sharply to per cent, at which rate a large amount of money was placed. This induced liquida- ton especially in stocks, which yielded a profit on the day. The bears thus encour- aged, renewed their attack on the special ties which had engrossed their attention all day and uncovered stop loss orders on the way down. As a consequence the tide of battle was turned completely and victory lay with the bears A small part of the days large gains were left in some of the Gtocks which showed much early strength Dut in other leading shares early gains were replaced by late losses. The scarcity of money is due to the payment tomorrow of an installment of $S,50O,000 on the Union Pacific sale. The previous payment on this account amounting to over $29, 900, 900, had been left on deposit in New York banks but tomorrow's payment will go direct into the treasury and be removed from the money market. Two additional payments of an equa amount remain to be made, one on December N and one on Jnauary 5, and these wiu go directly into the treasury. The payment by the government on Decem- Der M of the maturing Pacific bonds. which amount to over $29 900, 900 will be made by checks, presumbably on the New York de posits to the governments credit.
 The movement of currency continues from New York this week, indicating a still further decline in New York cash re- serve. The tone of sterling exchange was somewhat easier today, but did not respond tn the marked degree to the hardening of the money market. Atchison, preferred, was up over a point at one time. The rise above par of Burlington was further feat ure. The special weakness of the local traction stocks was due to the threatened competition of an underground system and to the judicial decision at Albany holding that consent of adjoining property owners is necessary to enable the cars of one com- pany to run on the tracks of another com pany. The resumption of the quarterly dividend of 1A on Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis preferred, after its omission for two quarterly periods was a feature of the day, as was the 1 per cent dividend in Southern preferred. Sugar was traded in ex-diyidend at one time during the day showed recovery of one-third of the dividend, but in the latter dealings it succuinbed quite easily and lost over 2 points on the day. Norfolk and Western preferred, which was at one time nearly 3 points higher. shows a net gain of 19s.
 The bond market was somewhat less act i've than of late and the tone was~ only about steady. Some of the high-priced issues showed sharp advances. Missouri Pacific 5s lost per cent. Total sales $s, lO0,- 0O0
 United States new 4s declined Bc bid. Total sales of stocks today 406,S00 shares, including Atchison, 7,67O; Atchson, pre- ferred. 21,3OO: Chicago Burlington and Quincy, 309S8; Louisville and Nashville 6.61O; Manhattan, 61,1 IA; Metropolitan Street Railway, 9,l10; Missouri Pacific 8,160; New Jersey Central, 2,1S0; Northern Pacific, 13, 175; Northern Pacific preferred, S9,25O Reading. 6,5SO; Rock Island 2,S20; St. Paul, 33,3l0; Southern, preferred, 9,495; American Tobacco, 39OS; Chicago Great Western, 662O; Peoples Gas, 12,167; Sugar, 4.SSO Western Union, 6, ,422.
 Money on call easy, 2@p2ts; last loan, 2 per cent; closed 2q21A per cent.
 Prime mercantile paper 3Q4 per cent. Sterling exchange easy, with actual busi- ness in bankers bills at $4.S5A for demand and at S4 S2A@ .S2ss for sixty days.
 Posted rates. $4.934@4s4, and $4S61A@4S. Commercial bills, AS3A.
 Silver certificates, 571k@5Ss.
 Bar silver 57.
 Mexican dollars, 47la.
 Government bods easier.
 State bonds dull
 Railroad bonds strong.
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