The Portland daily press., 1897-01-16
no NOTICEABLE CHANGE.
Business Doesn't Improve Says
BradstreetS.
MERCANTILE COLLECTIONS CON
TINUE SLOWER AND MODERATE.

Bank Clear1nSs SNOW d ShSh1 y <sAAAn5 -
Improvement in Railroad Earnings
Figures Compared With Those OF
Previous Years-statement of Asso-
ciated Banks of New York.
New York, January 1o.-Bradstreets
tomorrow will say: Except at rew
southern cities as reported last week she
wholesale merchants throughout the
country report no noticeable change In
trade features and few II any. indications
of Improvement in the near future. Mer-
camille collections continue slower OF
moderate. Some Jobbers at Chicago, St.
Louis. Baltimore and other large cities
report an increased demand for dry gooas,
hats, shoes, hardware and groceries TOE
snrine delivery and that in other lines
business is very dull. Dealers in staples
at cities in Texas, sLouisiana, Georgia.
Tennessee and South Carolina report
bettsr demand for hardware and agrlcul-
tural supplies.
Compared. with last week. some balti-
more statesmen are securing relatively
fair orders. There has been no revival IN
textile circles except increased purchases
of wool at Boston by some larger manu-
facturers. Cotton goods continue de5
pressed at first hands, with little prospeo6
for Improvement until after production
has been restricted.
Prices this week show advances for
leather, pork, lard, petroleum, cotton;
decreases reported in prices OF Noes,
wheat, corn, coffee, pig iron ana steei
billets, No change is reported in quota-
tions for coal, lumber, -four, oats. sugar,
print cloths and WOOL Heavy STOCKS
continue to depress cotton goods. Iron
and steel have not met with the increased
demand expected, while sugar aid coffee
prices have been affected by competltlon
among leading dealers.
The exports OF wheat (fiour include1
as wheat) from both coasts OF the Un1teo
States this week is Q, 946, 154 bu snels,
compared with 8, ,202, 600 in the week one
year ago. The exports OF Indian corn Jnls
week ale 8, ,757, 600 bushels compared with
g. 1886. 600 in the wesk year ago. Inc
bank clearings throughout the hlteo
States amounts to III, u4S. 00u, ,0OO TINS
week, s per cent less than last week which
was day short. Ths unexpected shrink
age In the volume of ciearings when COM
parision is made with the total in the
second week of january, 1885. decrease
during the week is seen to he nearly per
cent. ContraaJed with the corresponding
weeks total in 1895, this week's clear
ipps show gain of per cent.
There have been 47S failures IN the
United States this wsek, compared with
412 In the second week of January, 1895.
The Decem ber gross railway earnings
are relatively more favorable than those
in the preceding months, showing de-
crease of l.. per cent from december,
1895. The Noyem her total in 1895 fell OF
10 per cent from November, 1895, that
for October, 4.s per cent; september earn
inos. seyen-tenths of one per cent.
The best December reports were by
so11th western and southern roads, which
show a gain over the December totals 10
| 1895. For the calendar year the total
earnings of l55 railroads aggregated
| s5Os, 286, O5b. gain over 1855 of IA pei
cent, which year showed gain over 1881
of SO per cent. This gain IN 1870. was
| on q mileage of "a, 40 miles. IL eleven
months earnings of 81 other roads, with
| az. 600 miles of track be included, for bott
wears the aggregate total of S797, 7l6, 7Ss
on 1877 200 miles OF track is obtained, rep
resenting nearly so per cent OF the entire
| railway mileage and gross earnings o
the steam railroads in the United States
| engaged in freight transportation.
These earnings figures represent gaiI
over 1895 of slightly less than one PEI
cent, on gain in mileage Of about th'
| same proportion.
| Bradstreets comparison of prices of 10'
staple articles and products of tile quar-
| terly intervals for series of years shows
an upward tendency on the part of quo
| tatinns during the last quarter OF 1898
| There were forty prices higher Januar!
/, 1897 than October /, 1896, forty lowe.
and twenty eight practically the SAM
on both dates, in contrast with 33 highe
quotations January /, 1896, compared
with a year ago, 7aa lower quotations thar
January /, 1896 and only thres PRACTICAL.
the same ct the beginning and end il
1896. Advances during the last quarter. O
1895. were conspicuous among most Q
the leading cereals. live stock, wool
and various grades Of iron. copper, lead
brick, glass, spruce lumber. Decline
were noticeable for miscellaneous foot
produ ucts, cotton, hemp, print cloths
steel, tin, coal, coke. petroleum, rubber
paper and drugs.