The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-05-08
BUSINESS IS IMPROVING.
Actual Sales Only Ten Per Cent BE.
hind April, 1892.
The SPECULATIVE BUSINESS SMALL
hut the volume of Legitimate Trad,
shows No Dccrcnsc-Numbcr of
Failures Decreased.

New York. May 7.-R. q. Dun & Co.
weekly review Of trade tomorrow will say:
Nearly all will be astonishcd TO learn that
actual sales In April by leading houses In
each line OF business In the principal cities
east Of the Rocky mountains average only
about 10 per cent less than In April. 1902.
the year OF the largest business hitherto,
and were 6.i per cent more than In tho
same month last year. Yet this Is the
summary of 375 reports. each covering
line OF business In one OF fourteen cities
They are especially encouraging In view of
the great fall OF prices during the five
years and with exceptional floods and
other retarding influences this year.
While speculative business In nearly all
lines is small and does not swell clearing
houac returns as in previous years, the vol
ume OF legitimate trade shows no CORE
spending decrease. and the fact liz one OF
the highest Importance In all business cal
culations.
Moreover. returns OF failures forN1Aprll
by branches of business given only by
the mercantile agency show a decrease in
humber, amount and average of liabilities
IN almost every branch oi trade and in
nearly all branches OF manufacture except
-. A. O.
ford mills for 81 $50, 73i make the total de-
faultcd liabilities for the month 80 per
cent larger than last year. go per cent
larger than In 1896 and 81 per cent larger
than 1884. The value OF reports tracing
failures TO particular lines OF business "
imp esslvely illustrated.
Crop prospects are little hcttor for cot
ton because of the passing OF floods aud
the Increase OF acreage elsewhere. aud for
spring wheat because the customary ac-
connts Of injury to winter wheat begin to
appear and stimulntc larger sowing OF
spring wheat than usual. The wheat mar
ket declined 2 cents until Tuesday and
then rose ! IL.
Liverpool specuations lifted cotton to
: 20. but IL has lost ll6 and tho consumr
ton In manufacture does not appear TO be
increasing The demand for cotton goods
hats not met expectations and neither the
prolonged curtaiment of production by
many mills, the large distribution OF busl-
ness since November nor the great auction
sale hGN.et sufficcd to reduce the surplus
OF goods Print cloths are again lower at
2.ii. the lowest point ever reached In
previous years, and though some kinds Of
goods have found sufficient demand 10 ad-
vance prices a little, the expectation Of
better prices and larger consumption in
the future sim seems to gush the mills 10
exceed present wants.
The same Is true OF wool manufactures
In many branches, for orders and sales
thus far do not call for as large produc-
tlon AK appears, Enough II Ia yet much
below the maximum. But the increas-
Ing demand has been encouraging. Sales
of wool at prices firm, but no longer ris-
ing. fan much below recent rccordS indi-
eating that spectators are growing less
sure OF early profits In view of enormous
supplies on hand. At the three chief mar
kets the snleH were s.027 800 pounds. Of
which 5,7si $50 were foreign. aud In five
weeks tho sales have been 1879. $50
pounds. against 23.S27,l00 In the same
weeks Of 1892. whrn the mills were well
employed.
Failures for the week have been 22l in
the United States against 2SS Inst year,
and thirty-slx in Canada. against twenty
four last year.