The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-21
The BUSINESS OUTLOOK.

(From Bradstreet's state of Trade.-)
Special kilograms from trade centres
throughout the country emphasize the
growing prosperity OF the farmer. due to
higher prices for almost all agricultural
| produce still in his hands, and point to a
continuation of the demand which has
been conspicuous within the past few
weeks. The volume of trade continues to
increase and prices are hardening. Asso-
Citations of merchants at Baltimore. Phila-
delphia. New York. Chicago, st. Louis inc
the Twin Cities. in Minnesota. have Sc
cured reduced railway rates and enabled
thousands of interior merchants to visit
those cities and make purchases in per-
son. No such volume of business. largely
in anticipation of requirements has been
reported since 1892. Larger transactions
have been in dry goods, clothing, shoes,
and south and west, in wagons and i'm
plements.
Another extraordinary favorable bank
clearings report is found in the total,
81, l04. 0e0, 600, this week, which while it is
l per cent. less than last week, is 40 per
cent. larger than in the third week of
August, 1896, 26 per cent. heavier than in
1895, 40 per cent. larger than in 1894, and
fully 30 per cent. larger than in the like
week of 1893, when clearing totals were
reduced to extremely low figures. Com
pared with the Hike period in 1892, a year
OF large volume of business, this weeks
total shows a gain of 10 per cent; con-
trasted with 1891, nearly IA per cent, COM
pared with 1890, 2 per cent. Among S6 of
the cities reporting larger bank clearings
only II decreases this week compared with
the corresponding period last year. Bank
~clearingS at other cities than New York
are II per cent. larger this week than in
the like week one year ago, but at New
York the increase is Sc per cent.
Prices for staples continue the favorable
movement of the past week, with adj
vances for wheat flour. wheat, new pork,
butter, ekks, cheese, corn and oats. Hides
are also firmer and higher. Ginghams
have advanced Nc, while the cotton mills
are starting UP, and jobbers in WOODEN
goods are getting higher prices for spring
delivery. There have been a large number
of assumptions among the iron and steel
concerns this week; Bessmer pig is 25c.
higher, and the outlook is for improve
ment. Sugar, cotton, print cloths, wool
and petroleum are firm and unchanged,
while coffee, almost alone among the
staples, is lower than last week.
The New York stock market is less ac-
tive and has shown reactionary tenden-
cies. Public interest is less prominent,
and large spectators have taken profits
an dare waiting. The low temperature
in the corn belt creates some anxiety and
bears have been more active. The short
interest is much larger. London MAIN
tains its unfavorable attitude toward
Americans. but the supply of our stocks
there is small. At declines a buying pow
err reappcars, and favorable railroad earn
ings. good accounts of traffic and the ten
dency toward Improvement in iron and
other industries create an underlying
bullish sentiment. Expectations or i'm
mediate gold imports are negatiVed by
T1e naIdGiitliGs " li&C 44O4tdol AAC4ANJ AtAeA "
ket and an advance of sterling exchange
here. demand bills being firm at 4.Sos4.
Silver. after touching the lowest figure
on record, has rallied fractlonally 10
9fiLa nor ounce. The silver situation is
denoralizing to E~ngland's trade with sill
yer countries
Exports of wheat (four included as
wheat) from both coasts of the United
States and Montreal this week are the
largest in any week since September,
1888 amounting to 5,21S, 900 bushels this
- A {Aa Cfo
last week. 2.991, O00 bushels in the week
+ wear ago, 1883, 000 bushels two years
ae5 !, 1882, 900 bushels three years ago, and
as ccutrasted with A.sbo,WU pusheis n me
eorTesrsonding week of 1898. Exports of
indian earn this week are also eNcep--
tionalIy heavy, the largest since the tnlrd
week in AbSiI this year, amounting to
,s2s. os5 bushels as eom Par COO p bushels sis'i IN
tha week p year ago, 1,19a, GOO bushels TWO
years ago. 10000 bcshels three years ago,
and as contrasted Win Soo'Vo pusiieiS IA
the like week of 1885.
The second quarter of this year showed
slow but fairly satisfactorily progress m
net railway earnings Gross regslrts.
showed a loss from a year ago, improved
sufficiently to show a fractional gam a.
the end Of the six-months' period, Wnlie
net earnings more distinctly improves IN
1,ercenfage of gain. Total gross earnings
Of 129 companies for six months enaing
with June aggregate $3SO,6O5 100, a gam Oh
three One-nIf11QTGulfS u -
while net earnings aggregate SlV7, Sie, i4o, a
gain over 1896 of AS per cent. This foi-
lows an almost similar gain in lS96ss net
over 1886, which year. in turn, showed an
increase of s per cent. over 1894. inc pest
showing is by the Mexican and Pacnlc
roads, with respectively Is and IA per
cent. increase in net. The coal roads
and Southwesterns alone show decreases
iu net from a year ago, nearly 3 per cent.
each. The central western, trunk lines
and eastern lines. which show decreases
in gross, report increases in net. The
granger report only a fraction OF l per
cent. gain in gross, but more n III per
cent. gain in net.
rIvrom r. G.. Dun & Co.'S Weekly Re
view.']
Not for several years have the teie-
graphic reports from various cities in all
paris of the country been as encouraging
or shown as uniform Improvement as this
week. The markets are called crazy py
some. but fairly represent the people
whose confidence in the future is strong
and increasing. Nothing appears to check
it. Rumors of injury to crops are not
sufficiently supported to have much in
fiuence. The one temporary hindrance is
the strike of ~bituminous coal miners,
which interferes as yet little with indus
tries. and seems likely to terminate within
a week. Fluctuations in the stock and