The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-03-13
AN EXPANDING DEMAND
CAUSES CONTINUED ACTIyITY IN
YsRIOUs INDUsTRIdL LINES.
Goss Railway Earnings 1end to Improve
Pig Iron I'm Demand - Cotton
Higher, but Inactive.

NEW YORK, March H.-Bradstreets
tomorrow will say:
Continued activity in various Industrial
lines. based on an expanding consump-
tive demand, fairly steady prices for sta
nles further Improvement in railway
earnings and widespread confidence tnat
the volume Of business Will expand ma
terially in the near future. constitute
trade features Of the week.
Jobbcrs at Chicago and st. Louis do
not find the activity expected at TINS
time. but report a fairly steady request
by mail order and visiting buyers. IN
drsfrial revival has been offset IN IN
stances by the closing OF factories and
mills and ln Others by continued opera
ton. dependent upon paying reduced
wages.
Offerings Of cotton goods have been IN
excess OF demand, Notwithstanding the
curtallment Of output. Wool continues
active and firm in price, but manufac-
iurers are buying sparinsly IN addition
to requirements 10 meet present con-
tracts. The Central West and North
west report the distribution Of general
merchandise interiored with by floods
and washouts.
BANK CLEARINGS.
Bank clearings. as u trade barometer
point % a temporary check 20 the ten
dency to increase noted earlier in the
year. the weeks total, $-5V0w0, being
per cent. less than last week. and 2
pcr cent. less than ia the second week
of March. 1856.
February gross railway earnings tend
90 improve, although comparison with
that month IN 1895 stil favor last year.
Total earnings of ll6 railroads for Feb
ruary, this year. aggregated Sil65,sOl-
Ill decrease of scvcn-tenths OF one per
cent. from the total for February, 1886
This is a better showing than in jan
uary or I'm any month since September.
The coalcrs trunk lines. and the South
western roads all show gains IN February
over year ago. whereas, In January
not one group Of American roads showed
am increase. Large gains by Mexican
roads continue feature OF February
earnings.
business failures continue 20 decrease,
the total for the week being 20. against
262 last week, and - in the week a
yeas ago.
r.. @. DUN & co.
NEW YORK. March l2-R. y. Dun &
60. will say tomorrow in their weekly
review OF trade.
ID isa curious illustration Of human ma
turc. this continued discouragcmont. even
while the increase Of productive indus
tries and OF legitimate business steadily
grows 40 genuine or lasting improve
mont could come otherwise than slowly
and step by step, after such depression
as the past four years have witnessed,
and the most hopeful feature of the sit
uation IS that the gain IS 20 nearly de-
void Of elements which involve unsound-
ness and probable reaction. The money
markets continue especially favorable TO
industrial recovery. and there IS 10 such
speculative epidemic as 10 lock up an
excessive share of available capital
Cotton is not active. though "a sixteenth
hiehcr. for the curt8imcnt Of cOnsump-
ton by many mills does not yet help
prices I'm the least, nor the suspension OF
prmt-cloths reports and dealers so gem
orally hold back orders for other goods
that tho tone is weak. The speculation in
wool continues and sales for the two
weeks have been 100000 pounds where
as the largest previous sales for the same
period were 120l7C1G pounds in ls92 While
there IS much trade between dealers
manufacturers show by purchasing far
beyond their present wants the belief
that larger business is coming.
PIG IRON ~ DEMAND.
Iron furnaces March lst were producing
19IgsS tons weekly. 7.021 tons or 4 per cent
more than February lst and although
visible stocks have increased 390D tons
fin four weeks. still more furnaces have
started this month. The demand for fin
ishcd products stll lags behind the sup
ply of pig iron. except I'm the great steel
works. whose stocks are not reported
but their orders without doubt cover full
production for several months. Bessemcr
pig is shade lower. but no other change
I'm quotations appears. and there is grad
ual increase in the demand for plates
sheets. and an the wire family Of pro-
ducts. with the advent Of spring weather
and outdoor work much more business
is expected. The starting Of the Mary
land Rail Works under contract with the
Carnegie Company I'm order 20 make
shipments by water more cheaply, is sis-
nilc1nt.
THE volume OF business shown by clear
incs is but is per cent. smaller than
last year. Failures for the past week have
been 2-G Zoo the United Sites against 900
last year. aud CT IN Canada, agains. co