The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-12
BUSINESS is NO BRIGHTER.
THE HEAVY SALES OF RAILS THE
WEEKS BEST FEATURES.

Mills Promised Work For Months to
Come as Consequence-Prices in
the Print Cloth Market Firmer Ow-
ing to the Recent Sale of 100000
Pieces-RaiIrOad Earnings Contin-
ne Unsatisfactory.
New York. Feb. u.-Bradstreets Satur-
day viii say: THE more favorable fea-
lures of the business week include sales
of 10000 tons Of steel rails on the collapse
Of the pool. which promises work for the
mills for months to come: the advance in
the price of print cloths, following the
sale of $4,000 pieces from accumulated
stocks and the starting W OF number
Of important metal and other industrial
establishments throughout the eastern
and middle states
The recent reduction in the prices of
steel billets Of s. a ton, while rails were
reduced only 50. foreshadowed another cut
in rail prices, or the breaking up of the
pool The latter finds prices from s. TO 50
lower than last week. One effect will be
TO stimulate exports of rails, the demand
for domestic Bessemer pig iron and for
ore, and the consumption of iron and steel
generally. There Is a moderate increase
IN the demand for pig iron at Pittsburg,
and purchases have been made by St
Louis stove makers.
Considerable activity is reported in
nemlock leather, for which the price is
higher, and American purchases of wool
bales, the heaviest total at any one such
sale since the speculative buying there by
Americans prior to the going into effect
OF the Mckinney tariff.
Memphis reports revived interest in
shoes and clothing, and Birmingham and
Jacksonville, a moderate increase in the
volume of trade as spring approaches. AT
Louisville collections have improved, and
orders for spring goods a St Louis have
increased. Chicago dry goods jobbers re-
port only a moderate gain, but at St.
Paul sales of dry goods, shoes, groceries,
hardware, drugs, and millinery are the
most encouraging for any week thus far
this year.
At most other, among the more import
ant western and central western cities,
trade remains quiet and unchanged, with
ntttle prospect Tor an early Improvement.
Omaha reports business dull, and at Gal
weston, where distribution of merchandise
has been fairly active, the reverse is now
true Trade is dun and unsatisfactory at
Cleveland, and Charleston advises that
collections are falling behind.
THE movement in prices is on the
whole, favorable. January gross railway
earnings reflect the smaller trade in that
month than in January, 1896 while show
ing the effect of reduced grain tonnage
Every group of American roads shows a
falling off from January year ago. In
creases in January are few and small, the
largest beng only slightly IN excess OF
$4,000 while seventeen systems show de-
creases of that amount. The total earn
ingS of ia railroad companies in January
aggregate $3i,5S9,SH. a falling off of SIS
per cent from year ago The Mexican
roads gained 1873 per cent. in January
over year ago.
ing railroads for the calendar year 1896
show striking similarity in volume to
those in 1895. The total gross receipts of
for 1896, a falling off of only about $1,000
900, or 70 of ] per cent from 1895, while net
earnings aggregate 1920, 742, a decrease
of nine-tenths of per cent. from the pro-
ceding year