Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-25
TEE STATE OF TRADE.
Heavy Holiday Busincss-Larsest In
Five Years.


NEW YORK, December 2i-Bradstreet
tomorrow will say: Quietness in whole
sale lines, but pronounced and notaoie
activity I'm the retail trade, have been
Che salient features Of this weeks trade
situation. The price changes, when are
numerous. are largely In an upward dl-
rection. and the year draws TO close
with business as a whole fully equalnhS'
and I'm many instances SURPRISING "a
pectation A noticeable feature mas peeh
the unanimity with which the trade re-
ports from all the country, with lew eA-
ceptions, point to very heaVy hoHuay
| trade. in nearly all cases comparing Ia
vorably with recently preceding YEAR,
The reports are that the stocks Of these
| Goods have been heavily reduced. Par
| ticularly prominent in the matter OF
| good retail trade i'm the West are chi
| caeo ST Louis, and Kansas city. Al
| the south New Orleans retailers report
! their reaping a harvest, and the DeceIh-
hor trade as larger than usual. Similar
w good reports come from Nashville, Sa-
vanuab. and Memphis, but collections and
business there would be larger were II not
for the low price Of cotton. -
| In the Northwest colder weather mas
improved the demand for seasonable
Goods and this. combined with the usual
holiday business, has resulted in a. good
| total trade. with specially good reports
| from Milwaukee ST. Paul, and Omaha'
| At the East seasonable conditions pre-
| vail wholesale trade being aquiet, ana
! ,olido,, business active. No improvement
is noted in cotton goods, and wage re-
auctions seem imminent. Good business
has been done in boots and SHOES ana
! sbinnents are far ahead Of last year
! The Pacific Coast retail trade IS actlVe'
and Klondfke boomers are gathering III
| tho cities of Washington and oregon.
proof that the unsettled condition OF
the wheat situation affects the export
business in that cereal Is furnished Dy
Inc dpures of shipments this week from
/ 10th coasts Of the United States and
Canada. The total exports reported TO
Rradstreets aggregate Giour included as
wheat 4757 $50 bushels, as against f0Vi'V,J
bushels last week, and 6'266'VO pusheiS
t,co weeks ago. They also compare with
o',Dorts of III 600 bushels in this week
last year, S,f570OO bushels III 1870 anu j.
$4,000 bushels I'm 1894
indian corn exports for the week are
4 SO on bushels. against 4,lz9,Sls bushels
last week 2,468OOO this week a year ago
and 1900 bushels in 1888 ,
Conmercial failures in the United
states remain about normal. The total
for this week amounts TO ~, as com
pared with 2S3 in the previous week ana
are smaller than the total in 1879 Wheh
g16 were reported. There were thirly
business failures reported in the Douilh-
ion this week, against torty-lhree las'
week.
DUNS REVIEW.
Ntessrs r. c.. Dun q Co.'S Weekly Re-
viavv of Trade tomorrow Will say: Inc
weekly reports show a remarkably large
holiday trade at many points the largest
Gov five wears. Moreover. at the season
when wholesale business usually shrihks'
tho pressure of demands for immedlate
delivery. which results from unpreceoeh'-
ed distribution TO consumers, Keeps many
establishments at work, that usually pc
Gin their yearly resting spell someWha-
earlier. .,1 Coz
Instead of declining, the demand LOT
nroducts shows an unexpected lIlci =
in several important brahches' toIeis"
trade continues satisfactory, even u, -
narison with the remarkable record OF
- 400 when exports exceeded SIhV"'-
eoo in december. The bank failures az
philadelphia, due 10 individual operations
+. oo,,eed no disturbance, and the CONNER
4 c,al failures for the month have been iea'
tbon half last years 10 the same ua'e.
n,ho outgoing food of grain Is no
checked by Chicago speculation thous'
! more corn than wheat has been mosl a.,5
Wheat exports flour included as WIZ
have been 6es,321 bushels Tor the W. W..
a@ainst s,56S 500 the previous week. an
,' sas a4s a year ago. and in four weeks To-,
zee s' cox bushels. against 9Css5S7 last year
While While corn exports for the week nav ,a.
been 454O.S2S bushels, against i.Sial To-
: year. and in four weeks 4'i-0'i'i' ''s''''
:, $4,000 last year ,s ~, =,
y last years corn movement was py ~
Il the greatest ever known, and TINS year
wheat movement for the half year near
: ended has been close to the maximum y. =. ~
!, ported in 1891. Wheat mas Va,aen n ' a,,e
u closing cents higher for the Week are
Sel,,,eries of surprising magnitude n
Chicago, and corn closes nearly a cen
,t''her cotton has also been movln
lareeIy and has risen sixteenth.
cotton goods have further oecrneu :
the prices OF bleached' whieh i''s' ~