Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-01
pRADsTREET AND DuN.
business Record of fsoO-outiook
for 1897.

Quiet ana this week proves "ic VT 'A.
dullest of the dull season. which followed
the fortnight Of revived demand early IN
November. The uneasiness last week
caused by the northwestern bank failures
Is continued by similar embarrassments
AT Chicago and Minneapolis These bank
failures seem to be the outcome Of con-
dltions originating i'm the banks, and not
to be due to the situation OF general
trade.
Unreasonable weather tho making OF
inventories, and the customary absence
Of demand IN wholesale lines have COM
hined to produce more than the usual
holiday dulnes5. More favorable re-
ports include heavy exports OF flour and
general merchandise from Tacoma 70
China and Japan, the receipt at Chicago
OF satisfactory amount of orders for
dry goods for spring delivery, and an in
creased total volume OF business In 1876
among ST. Louis shoe manufacturers and
| iobbers and i0bbers of dry goods, as
compared with 1875. Manufacturers or
woollen goods are buying raw material
/ only 10 cover orders received. Large
stocks of unso'd print-clOths continue TO
/ depress quotations and the merchants lh
/ leading staple lines at the larger dis
/ tributing centres DO not anticipate am
early Improvement I'm business.
The prices Of oats, petroleum, cotton
and print-cloths are lower, and buyers
Of western and southern brands OF pig
/ iron report "a cut of % cents ton. Prices
are uneaanged end comparatively firm
for -four pork, lard. sugar. anthracite
coal. and steel billets Since the break
I'm iron and steel prices, consumers APP
pear inclined to await Developments.
The list Of business failures throughout
the United States for the calendar year
1895 is, with oRe exception, the longest
/ since records o. this character nave
been compiled. 1t remains for the pane
year. 1892, to present larger total anu
for that year and for the year 1881. Whlch
was also visited by financial disaster
TO furnish larger aggregates Of liabiues
of those who failed I'm business.
The total number of failures during
1895 is l5Il2. an increase Of l6 per cent,
compared with 1895. I'm which year bust
ness ADVERTISEMENTS increased per
Ger cOntrasted with the year before.
In a. which was marked by extreme
depresslon i'm commercial and industria
circles. the total number or failures Tel.
of sharply fully is per cent from the
record in 1888, when the aggregate was
1556O-the largest total ever reported for
o. calendar year. During 1896 the aS-
create assets of those embarrassed in
~. ffe....,,. 30 ,,.bf..t,
lies in its contrast with the record OF a
year ago. when the proportion or ass
sets to liabilities was 50 per cent, ana
10 the exhibit for 159l, when the proper
ton was % per cent.
The extraordinarily heavy total Of bush
ness embarrassments in the panic year
Va 80 - s,l't,. cef of ro,rly
b l'o'" ~, 49, fe- m. lol7
one ''r ~ -, f,fif.,., l,,-i,,o
o.'''" '.'D...'' -. A. ,b,ilergaa
I"e past '"ol'c ,i.-- ...,1. g., ts4t
oiil5 ~ '"0 wa q5tg,-, AM ,,1
s it, 80. 100 '..-,- or xts oaonr
>V-''lO'o,O' nc ,-7i .-..',. ~ ,l.,..
p ol 80 o,... ,..,r o,o ~ f.,ilv q
9ioi'Diie ao1at .,r,,er than IN.
per Ve"',' t,-., -. e,caal..
l'"' 80 90 80 f,ri,,., tr,iar.
o"y ~ '-9 49, ~ 1co5
b" ,"0 t"''' 10 g., +bef
Arrests. a. ,-.'Ia s,t,,ria,. 1aru
o. "o-"'s ,, ~
~, ~. hem moro commercial fail
p ,eo. 49,, a., ans, nraciots YEA
e ui~' ' - q eo, ...,,frs, ~ tQ7 f.s
, oN0. ~ 800 ,,-elf-.t 70 .tort sa.- ao0D|
yo"i, ' s,-, ioe . i...+ ,.e.r On incr4as
'-'....-. -c ,t,,,,t 70 Nor conf and Al
ii '-D.tD0' o
I.Il.
e,t '.- -. 80 +bo vosr and &
,'ils' o'' i'..'''''5 ,5 t.,,st cor,r9nias n
pdlN9' lo,''.' "''0 49,, ma. .ctfo
'-' -, H., ,,rio,,s rlaces ir
! ~ 49,, ,--s,t If rorGdsnca and sew,
.', -. .,.bf.b nov. failed v,ill be er
a. f,,u i,,t tr. dfscloslr,
'D'1" ~ 80 f. ,,il.l,.-lro,.
va $50, g.. +.o .t,o-,nal State a
,,.,',,i'~ Lin. aft,r an e-cireI comics
~ -. 5ss,,ss has caused df-trus
, 4T1 sYspicion whore frequently it is uu
:, deserved There has been no m0netar
b. ,rsssnre TO cause trouble. nor have iu
e portant western products declined
. value There has evidently been 20
b iii.-,..i .s.ist,,,o. Given nv some Gducilr
i ''..,,'.,.,', a. er.o1latfvo operations. n
e - -, ..st,rn funds has rcsulto
To- -, tbo 0r.f alarm at two large fail
y -. S,d tbn r,onrv tbon sent has a
k ,-t,,,od 1,9uuros ofron grow more FL
e. ,,,o,,t os annual settlements approach
I'm mono OF tho industries has her
q baen activity the past week IIclila
f i,lnoss has b,eu intensified by the fai
(. ures and the efforts of great cOmhin.
s. tons 20 make new arrangements. Wit
ir,n coke wool cotton. and hides @
n somewhat lower. there IS almost nm
- versal confidence that business will SOC
20 become LARGE. and safer than hofor, I'd
f a long time. The cotton-mu HAY
y enormous stocks of unsoid goods
e some lines. the surplus of print-clotl
e being the largest ever known. and abo
I. a quarter OF years consumption. No
sales decreased q per cent. in the I'm
four months. and were smaller than Il
five wears: decreased 80 per cent. in q
u second four months, when new wool B"
coming forward. and were much q
smallest ever known except ln the pan
year oil lo'o' o"1 eiloi l,.oN1 1919 -
n 4y spec"i1 i've ''o'. ,,,,,,,, .,.,
II ting '"e lasI Ioui
m 10 lhal OF I~7l year ,,