The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-05-08
rsEE WEEis IN TRADE.
lac Aggregate OF Sales shows Very
Great lncrCuSe.

New York, May 7.--R. &. Dun & Co.'s
weekly review OF trade tomorrow will
say:
Nearly oil will be astonished to learn
That actual sales in April by leading
houses In each line Of business I'm tho,
principal cities east Of the Rocky noun
tains average only about ten per cent
less than In April 1892 the year or the
largest business hitherto, and were 61
per cent more than in the same month
last year. Yet this is the summary of
35i reports. each covering actual sales
or leading merchants in Il line Of busi-
ness In one OF fourteen cities They are
especially encouraging in view of tho
great fall Of prices within the five years,
ana with exceptional floods and other
retnrd'nE influences this year, while
speculative business in nearly all lines
Is small and does not swell clearing
mousse returns as in previous years. the
volume or legitimate trade shows no
corresponding decrease and the fact Is
one Of the highest Importance in ali
business calculations.
Moreover, returns of failures for April
by branches of business given only by
the mercantile agency, show a decreasc
IN number, amount. and average of liza
Dnities in almost every branch or trade.
and IN nearly all branches Of manufac
ture except cotton, although failures Of
five New Bedford mills for 81 900, ,734,
make the total defaulted liabilities for
the month 10 per cent larger than last
year, sixty per cent larger than In 1895,
and thirty-two per cent larger than in
S94. The value Of reports tracing fail
ures to particular lines Of business IS
imprcSsively Illustrated
crop prospects are q little better for
cotton because OF the passing Of floods
ana the increase Of acreage elsewhere.
and FOR spring wheat. because the Gus
tlmary accounts Of injury to winter
wheat begin TO appear and stimulate
larger sowing OF spring wheat than
usual. Western receipts continue larger
than last year, 2.34S.G05 bushels against
Z,2US9t2. and Atlantic exports also in
crease, amounting to l49S.167 bushels.
llour included aSinSt l.040 1G7 last wear
me week exports Of corn, 2,725, 0l3
bushels, are smaller than in other re-
cent weeks. The wheat market declined
two cents until Tuesday, and then rose
lt2c Liverpool speculations lifted cot
ton to 7.7a cents but II has lost q, six
teenth and the consumption In manu-
lacture does not appear to be Increasing
me demand for cotton goods has not
met expectations, and neither the pro-
!onsea curtailment OF production by
many mills, the large distribution OF
goods since November, nor the great
auction sale has yet sufIccd to reduce
the surplus OF goods. Print cloths are
again lower at 2.44 cents, the lowest
point ever reached in previous years
and though some kinds OF goods have
round sufficient demand to advance
prices q little, the expectation Of better
prices and large consumption In future
still seems TO push the mills TO excee,l
present wants
Ihe same is true OF wool manufa ct,,re
IN many branches. for orders and sales
mus far do not call for as large nrn-
duction as appears, though 1t is vet
much below the maximum but the In
creas!ns demand has been encourar.
ing. Sales Of wool at prices firm BIT
no longer rising, fall below recent rec.
ords. indicating that spectators are
growing less sure C. carly profits In view
OF enormous supplies on hand, At the
three chief markets they were S.O25 2oD
pounds, OF which 5.737,S5O pounds against
23."2hl 100 In the same weeks of 1900
when the mills were We'll employed.
The anticipation OF better prices ana
great increase in demand pushed pro-
duction so far in iron and steel manu-
lactnre that four furnaces in Eastern
pennsylvania and others in the Pitts
burg region and Ohio have stoppel.
l'essemer pig at Fittsburg has declined
to S9.40 and grey forge to $40. Pres
sure to sell billets lowers them to s14:
tank steel plates have sold below one
cent. and common bars ut 90 cents per
l00 pounds with black sheets in Light