The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-04-14
BUSINESS OUTLOOK.
no Gain Shown in the CONNER
cial Situation.
Floods and WashOuts I'm the south
and Northwest the Cause of In
activity-Anaiysis of the
Quarters Failures.
New York, April 1o.-Bradstreets

New York, April 10.-Bradstreets
says:
1.-THE business situation as a whole shows
no gain. Staple lines are only fairly act
i've. Overfows. washouts and hoods con-
tinue to do great damage In the MISSISSIPPI
and Missouri river valleys, throughout u
great portion OF which general trade re-
mains practically at standstill. Rainy
weather. extending from the central west
ern to northwestern spring wheat states,
has rendered country roads almost i'm
passable, with the natural erect upon busi-
ness. AS the region threatened includes
the richest portion OF the cotton belt. the
prospect for delay in planting second
time indicates the possibility OF heavy
reduction In acreage this year, whence the
advance in cotton this week. Pig iron. steel
Dlets and cast iron pipe are lGwexr In
price; and the demand for steel and Non
is not as heavy as IL has been, althoughJthe
price of lake ore has been fixed at low
figure and an ore pool formed. Wheat has
continued as disappointing as iron as 10
price, dropping nearly four cents bushcl
on Bradstreets' report OF an increase In
the worlds visible supply last week, In
stead Of a decrease, as expected, due 10
larger quantity OF wheat in sight abroad.
Chicago has only about held its own, little
If any Improvement being reported in trade
there. st. Louis, more dependent on traffic
with the flooded region, reports decrease
in volume of business. Jobbers at Omaha.
st. Paul, Milwaukee and Portland, Ore,
report a better demand, notably in dry
goods, oils, paints, glass. shoes and leather.
Prospective advances in the wool tariff are
behind another rise In prices of wool and
woolens, but cotton goods thus far fail to
advance, because restricted production Is
meeting current demand, nearly all staples,
except those mentioned as having ad-
vanced. have declined"
Analysis of Failures.
~ O., 10
in their weekly review of trade, say:
"Out OF 1000 failures, with liabilities Of
$780, 1872 SCI in the first quarter "A bank fail
ures covered more than a fifth OF the
amount. Sl2,7i46 $50. and 3,345 failures. with
liabilities of s35. S92, or nearly three
fifths, are classified this week according
to branches of business, leaving only 5%
failures and less than fifth of the liabil-
tiles, S12, 060,019. in branches Of manufacture
or trade not specified. Only two of the
13 manufacturing classes and only four OF
Is trading classes show liabilities for
the quarter larger than last year, and only
five manufacturing and three trading show
larger average liabilities. For the month
of March. only three manufacturing and
four trading classes show larger amounts
than last year, and only two manufacture
ing and five trading show larger average
of liabilities. In almost every case also
IL is shown that the increase is due TO one
or two exceptionally large failures in that
class The returns. compared with those
of three previous years, disclose much i'm
provement already, and a bright prospect
for more hereafter.
Clearing House Exchanges.
1.-THE exchanges at the leading clearing
houses in the United States during the
week ended yesterday aggregated s1.O1G.-
093,3 against $685. 1885, 42 the previous week
The increase compared with the corre-
spending week of 1896 was 90"