Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-27
BUSINESS OF THE WEEK.
Report Thereon by the Leading
Commercial Agencies.

NEW YORK. March 26.-Bradstreet
tomorrow will say: While the week Is
not without favorable features, unfaVor-
able influences have been more numerous
The leading money markets show no I'M
provement Mercantile collections con-
tinue slow, and the volume of funds Is In
excess OF demands for discounts. Tne
tendency of investments to improve mas
temporarily disappeared under the IN
fiuencc Of the Supreme Courts anti
trust decision" which apparently threat
ems arrangements for the maintenance OF
railway rates. as well as railway traces
union activity. so far as it may AFFECT IN
terstaJe commerce.
quotations being lower for wheat, lndian
corn, oats, coffee, and cotton, ana lor Pig
iron and steel billets, on the outlook ioI
lower priced ore. Stormy weather, nlSh
water. and floods in the Ohio. Mississippi,
and Missouri River valleys, ana IN tne
country drained by the TRIBUTARY Slie'inS'
have interfered with interior trade.
The gradual increase in the nupoer oi
Industrial unions has resulted In some au-
vancements being made. The Staples
which are higher include WOOL. raw sugar,
wheat, flour, petroleum, linsteu OIL ai,r snr
turpentine. Prices are unchanged TOT
print-cloths, refined sugar, lard, ana porh,
The recent activity i'm ail-wOrks, ana tne
prospect of an increased tsrll. on ~. ,..
e-t...
chase American goods more freely. me
movement of cottons is not up 70 eNpec-
tations, and In some lines IS ulsappoi'isn ~,
ing The most noticeable improvement IN
trade Is confined TO dry goods, hardware,
leather. agricultural Implements ana
shoes. ~.
Bank clearlngs at seyenty-seyen Cities
throughout the United States are dlsapo
pointing the total being only SSoSWVW
for the week-6.6 per cent. less than iast
week and ID per cent. less than IN the
afrn
commercial mortality continues the ce-
cline shown In recent weeks, lhe to.t.
number of business failures throughou'
the United States being ~ I'M? ,7e weIn, en-
compared with 23l last week, ana 40 lhe
like week in 1896. -, A.
Messrs r. G. Dun & Co. viii say TO-
morrow, i'm their weekly review or traue'
Rarely have markets sustained such sur
prises as they have received OF late, win
so little loss Foreign conditions and Lon
don alarms, the collapse OF the iron-ore
combination. the destructive Hoods IN the
Mississippi Valley. and the decision Oh te
Supreme Court against railway assocla-
tions have been used to the utmost, Dut
not even in railroad stocks has the result
been important With confidence that pet
ter times and larger business are coming,
men are less disposed every day TO throw
away good investments, and the very fact
that the prices of products are low Is re-
garded as a guarantee against much iur
ther decline. In all industries, also, the
work gradually increases.
Cotton was helped upward an eighth by
the flood but has lost half the gam, al
though manufacturing Is more hopefui
Without change IN prices, goods were IN
better demand. and sales Of 100000 pieces
of print-cloths result i'm stronger tone
The final dissolution OF the Lake iron-ore
pool has been expected ever since the car
Observation-Disclosures deal. and insures low
prices for ore the coming year, though
orb nf
saba facilities for production have vastly
increased, and all the great steel-making
concerns have secured mines OF their own.
while the means of transportation have
cheap ore, hesitation about various pro-
ducts should diminish, and the demand Is
steadily increasing. Bars are still de-
moralZed and at the lowest point, but Tor
plates sheets, wire-rods. and wire and all
nails the demand is growing larger. The
demand for rails continues enough TO
strengthen prices, although some specula-
tive purchases are offered below the pres
ent prices Of mills. Increase IN coke pro-
duction appears. and more is assured by
the purchase Of works by the Cambria
Company and while quotations are un-
changed, outsiders are offering furnace at
Sl.7O per ton.
Speculation In wool has recorded larger
sales for four weeks than ever before,
&C. 6O5 030 pounds. against q .984.576 pounds
IN the same weeks of 1892. Much more
than half is for speculation, as nothing
like the full capacity OF the mills is EN-.
plOyed Americans have also bought
largely at London, 10000 bales already, II
is said. whore the market Is excited and
has advanced 10 to Is per cent. With heavy
supplies here. these large imports and
new wool coming In In May. there may be
found overloaded dealers Prices here are
still advancing. and Of many kinds have
risen 10 cents during the past month.
The wool manufacture is steadily increas-
ing. but cautiously, as II Is too early 10
anticipate results from changes which may
be made IN duties
The failures for the week have been 29l
in the United States. against 2j9 last year,
and 30 In Canada. against 20 last year.