The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-05-13
IN THE WORLD OF BUSINESS
BRADsTREET's AND DUN q CO.'S
REVIEWS OF FINANCE AND
COMMERCE..
QUITE IN ENCOURAGING SHOWING.
In Sales by Leading Houses East OF
the Rockies-COttOn Prospects
n Little Better-Spring
Trade DisappOinting.

New York, May 7.-R. G. Dun q Co.'S
weekly review of trade tomorrow VIII
say:
Nearly all will be astonished to learn
the actual sales in April by leading
houses i'm each line of business in the
principal cities east of the Rocky noun
tains average only about 10 per cent less
than in April, 1892, the year of the
largest business hitherto, and were 81
per cent more than in the same month
last year. Yet this is the summary OF
1915 reports, each covering actual sales
of leading merchants in line of business
in one of fourteen cities. They are es-
pecially encouraging in view Of the great
fall of prices during the five years and
with exceptional floods and other retard-
ing influences this year. While sDecu-
lative business in nearly all lines is
small and does not swell clearing house
returns, as in previous years, the volume
of legitimate trade shows no correspond
ing decrease, and the fact is one of the
highest importance in all business calcu-
lations. Moreover, returns of failures for
April by branches of business given only
by the mercantile agency show n decrease
in number, amount and average of liza
.bilties In almost every branch of trade
and in nearly all branches Of manufac-
ture, except cotton, although failures of
five New Bedford mills for $500 1874
make the total defaulted liabilities for the
month 40 per cent larger than last year,
60 per cent larger than in 1895 and 80
per cent larger than in 1894. The value
OF reports tracing failures to particular
lines Of business is impressively illus
trated.
Crop prospects are little better for cot
ton because of the passing of floods and
the increase of acreage elsewhere, and
for spring wheat because the customary
accounts of injury to winter wheat begin
10 appeal and stimulate larger sowing Of
spring wheat than usual. The wheat
market declined . cents until Tuesday,
and then rose l IL cents. Liverpool
speculations lifted cotton to 7.75c, but it
has lost sixteenth, and the consumption
IN manufacture does not appear to be in
creasing. The demand for cotton goods
has not met expectations, and neither the
prolonged curtailment of production by
many mills, the large distribution of goods
since November nor the great acution sale
has yet sutiiced to reduce the surplus of
goods.
Print cloths are again lower, at 2.44c,
the lowest point ever reached in previous
years and though some kinds of goods
have found sufficient demand to advance
prices n little, the expectation of better
prices and larger consumption in the flu
ture still seems to push the mills to ex-
coed present wants.
The same Is true of wool manufacture
in many branches. for orders and sales
thus far do not call for as large produc-
tion as appears, though il is yet much
below the maximum but the increasing
demand has been encouraging. Sales of
wool ut prices firm, but no longer rising,
fall much below recent records. indcat-
ing that spectators are growing less sure
of early profits, in view of enormous sup
. plies on hand.
AT the three chief markets they were
500, 200 pounds, of which 5.7i4, 600 were
foreign, and in five weeks the saloo have
been 10, 1871 $50 pounds against 23,327, 100
pounds in the same weeks of 1892, when
the mills were well employed.
Failures for the week have been pol
in the United States against 23S last year
ana ~ in Canada against "a last year.