The age-herald., 1897-09-04
WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE
Previous Activity in All Lines
 Still Maintained.
THE DEMAND FOR ALL LINES
Is Strong and Cheering Aspect Is NOted-lron Market Lively With an Upward Tone
 -Wheats Instability.

New York, Sept. S.-R. G. Dun 6 Co.'S weekly review of trade tomorrow will say:
 Failures in August were in number not IT per cent. less than in August, 1s96 but in amount of liabilities 7.S per cent small CT. July and August show lower aver age or liabilities per failure than has ever been known in any year or even in a quarter oa the twen y-three years R. G. Dun & Co. have kept quarterly records. The improvement is also well distributed, extending to nearly every important branch of business, but in clothing, jew elry and unclass1ied trading, only two moriths of the past forty-seven have shown smaller failures, in general stores and furniture only three, in groceries, hats and iron manufacture only four, in hat and in chemical manufactures cnly five, and in clothing manufactures only six months of the for;y-seven. The ra- tio of defaulting liabilities 70 payments at clearing houses have been smaller in July and August than in any other
 
 month since early in 1893. August was the first month in which the daily aver age of settlement 5 throughout clearing houses exceeded ma .erially that of the corresponding month of 1892, the excss5 of the principal cities being 12.S per cent. Nor is this due, as might be supposed, to activity in stock speculation, for the stock exchange clearing house now dis poses of a very large share of transac- tons, so that they affect bank exchanges far less than five years ago. The volume of business here has been distincly larg than in any other speculativ lines than it was then, though slacke nirg this week, buyers having nearly completed their ini- movement in grains heavy real estate and building transactions and increased | business in iron products the month was clearly the busiest August ever knew. Wheat continued it's reaction until it had fallen 4 cents more, but then rose cents with the first revival of foreign buying. Western receipts were ysry i large, although not quite as large as a year gao, but Atlantic exports, flour in- cluded, rose to 5534,75S bushels for the 1 wesk, against 2,175.453 last year. The 1 estimates which command confidence still indicate yield of $50 to 5So million bushels, winter wheat turning out so much beyond expectations as to balance much of the loss in spring wheat For eign accounts do rot improve, and unless much more deceptive than usual the demand for American wheat will far exceed the quantity which can be spared. l Continued large exports of corn and buy ing for export show still more clearly the extent of deficiencies abroad. West | ern receipts for the week were 1,065, ITO bushels, against 3,16O,31S last year, and | such a movement at this season implies | a great export demand not yet refle lected | in outgo.
 Cotton speculation made August de- liveries costly, spot rising to SAc, but the market then drifted back quickly to 7.62c Conflicting news doubtless re- fleets conflicting facts, but the opinion gains that the crop will be large, If not exposed to serious injury. The mills are now running and turning out great | quantities of goods in response to heavy | purchases recently made. Wool sells largely between spectators, 16,56S, 800 | pounds for the week. Mills have been buying more freely to replace the wool rapidly consumed and the goods marke t | is so large and strong that they are en- couraged to purchase even after a rise of 50 per cent in year. Great quanti- ties are held by dealers at the west above prices yet paid in seaboard markets.
 The improvement in the iron and stsel industry gains moms ntum and a further advance in prices makes 45 per cent. from the lowest average Aug. 12. The deman1 increases for sheets and plates, especially for bridge and ship building, including 10000 tons in Philadelphia in structural work. of Which it is said that 200O tons have been placed alt Chicago in bars, and | especially in wire and wire nails and all have advanced an average of $1 p,r ton Southern and western 5ealers have united to advance puic,s of pig 25c; Bssaemer alt Pittsburg has risen 10c and eastern markets are stronger. The demand fol cars is pressing, and work for railways increases. The first shipment of stee rails from this country to Australia W $ 1000 toms by the Laickawanna comp ny Tin is slightly lowar at s1S.65, but heavy exports said to cover 15000000 pounds fol the next three months sustain copper al 11A and lead is strong at $40.
 Boot and shce shipments are not quit; 5<per cent smaller than last year in Au gust nor per cent. smaller than in 1895 were 71s per cent. smaller than in 1894 bu were Ettle larger than in 1892. Buying is still mostly for immediate needs, bu is sufficient to keep works wsll employed
 Failures for the past week have beea 191 in the United States against 334 las
 year and 25 against 31 in Canada.