The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-03-13
TIE WEEK IN TRADE.
IHe Ups ana Downs Have Nccn About
= EUual,

New York, March 12.-Bradstrcet's; to-
| morrow will say: igl
Continued activity III various indus
trlat INES, based OH All expanding con
sumptire demand. fairly steady prices
Tor staples. further Improvement in
dence that the volume OF business will
expand materially III the near future
constitute trade features or the week.
Industrial revival has been Offset in
instances by the closing of Factories ana
mills, and In others by continued opera
ton dependent upon paying reduced
wages. -
Offerings OF cotton goods have been
in excess OF demand, Notwithstanding
the curtailment of output Wool con-
iinues active and firm. The Central
West and Northwest report that distri-
button Of general merchandise inter
Tered with by floods and washOuts.
Sank clearlngs, as q. trade barometer,
point to a temporary check 10 the ten
dency to increase notes earlier in the
year, the weeks total, s926,0OO,OOo, being
Is per cent. less than last week anuI =
per cent. less than in the second week of
March, 1896.
feDrualy gross railway earnings tend
to improve, although comparisons; with
that month in 1896 stll favor last year.
Total earnings of l16 railroads for Feb
ruary this year aggregate S3i1G5 90I, !,
decrease OF seven-tenths Of cent from
the total for February. 1896. This is a
Deticr showing than In January or i'm
any month since September. The coal
ers trunk lines, ana the Southwestern
roads, all show gains In February Over,
year ago, whereas in January not one
group OF American roads showed an in
crease. Large gains by American roads
Is the feature Of February earnings.
business failures continue to decrease,
the total FOR the week being 227, against
lac IL. = ~
year ago
r. G. Dun & Co. will say tomorrow
in their weekly review OF trade:
II Is a curious Illustration Of human
nature. this continued dlscoura gement,
even while the Increase OF productive In
dustries and of legitimate business
steadily grows. No genuine or lasting
improvement could come otherwise than
slowly, and step by step, after such a
depression as the past four years, have
witnessed, and the most hopeful fea-
ture OF the situation is that the gain Is
so nearly devoid of elements which in
EolVe unSOununeSS and proja BILE reac-
ton. The money markets continue es-
pecially favorable to Industrial recovery
and there IS no such speculative cpl
demic as to lock UP an excessive share
of available capital.
Cotton is not active, and the agree
ment for the curtailment OF consump-
tion by many mills does not YET help
prices IN the least, nor the suspension OF
print cloth reports, and dealers so gene
rally hold back orders for other goods
that the tone Is weak. The speculation
In wool continues and sales for two
weeks have been 17,?03. 900 pounds,
whereas the largest previous sales for
the same period were I2,0176l6 pounds
in 1899.
Iron furnaces March 1st were produc-
ing l69,ass tons weekly. 1927 tons or 4
per cent. more, than February 1st and
although visible stocks have increa sed
S0,02A tons In four weeks. still more fur
races have started this month. The de-
mnnd for finished products still lags be-
hind the supply Of pig iron, except in the
great steel works, whose stocks are not
reported. but their orders without doubt
cover full production for several mon tbs.
The volume Of business shown by
clearings is but lis per cent. smaller
than last year. Failures for the past
week have been 2a6 In the United States,
against 300 last year, and 81 in Canada,
against 60 last year.