Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-09
DUN'S REVIEW OF TRADE.

New York January S.-R. G. Dun &
Co.'S weekly review OF trade VIII w.
morrow say:
The wear of 1897 begins with one
clear advantage; the past year mas
swept out of the way great NUMBER
of unsound concerns which in any time
of activity would have been dangerous
to business. Of the 15,2S6 commerclai
and banking failures in 1896. with lia-
bilities of $276, S15,749, large snare
represented Gripping losses IN pre-
vious years. or the violence OF specu.
lative storms in 1895 or the first halt
of 1886 while thousands more resulted
from the fury Of the politlcal TORNADO
last fall Banking failures amount
ing to S50,71S,915 during the year aver
age $256, 1876 each and were l4o per
cent larger than in 1898.
Commercial failures amounted 10
S226. O96. S34, little over Sl,Ooo'VOo
having been added by the last day CT
the wear. but the average OF ia
bilities s14,992, was smaller than IN
some years Of great prosperity.
The failures Of brokerage and
"other" commercial concerns averaged
1873 per cent over 1895, while manu-
featuring failures averaged S2S,SOS
each. and increased "a per cent, and
trading failures increased IS per cent
and averaged only 80 sos each. over
four-fifths Of the increase in manutac-
turing and trading failures was in lum-
Der manufacturing. ITO per cent; dry
goods so: wooden manufacturing l6l;
clothing trade 20; shoe trade 81; leath-
er and shoe manufactures 167; grocery
trade SO; machinery 70; milling III;
furniture go and printing 81 per cent.
In ten other branches the Increase
was moderate in amount, and in five,
with the unclassified and manufactur-
ing and trading failures, the liablli-
ties were smaller than in 1895.
While banking failures have not
ceased at the west apprehenslons
about them has almost wholly subsid-
ed. and no serious influence upon gen.
eral trade is now expected. Many
sound concerns were doubtless caught
by the epidemic. 1t is felt at the west
that all business will be the sounder
after it's purging, and the return OF
money to New York has exceeded
shipments to the interior by s2,OOO,CCn
for the week.
Cotton started UP shade, but re-
ceipts from plantations are still too
large for low estimates. and the condi-
ton of the cotton mills forshadows
curtailment rather than large con-
sumption The market for goods is
extremely slow.
1t is proposed TO relieve the market
by selling quantities Of print cloths
abroad or by locking up 100000 pieces
until the market improves.
Prices of wool are shade lower. IN
wooden goods theonly change is a re-
duction of 71ac in clay worsted and
mixtures, and orders are not more fire.
quent.
Enormous purchases Of billets came
with a rush, most of the large con-
Germs contracting for all they required
for months ard even year to come,
and some of the largest contracts are
said to have been about SIS, or even
less. but there is rs yet no better de-
mand for structural work, bars are
weak. nails have declined to S1.4O for
wire and $1.90 for cut, and little is do
ing in rails, as possible buyers think
$25 is too high with billets at SIS per
ton. Nevertheless a great trade is ex-
pected when relative prices become set
fled