The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-02-03
BUSINESS OUTLOOK.
Gain Shown in Trade, Although
Progress Is Slow.
Conditions Indicate That the Wheels Are
on the Right Track and Moving In the
Right Direction = Effect of
Cold Weather.
New York. Jan. 30.-R. G. Dun x Co.,
in their weekly review of trade. saw:

New York. Jan. 30.-R. G. Dun & Co.,
in their weekly review of trade. say:
January has been month of disan
pointment. but OF real gain. Nearly every
body had promised himself a land of milk
and honey after New Years. and the slow
progress looks like standing still to men
In such a state OF mind Moreover there
are multitudes throughout the country
who have been taking large ventures in
advance OF or apart from their regular
business because they expected a rise In
prices But prices fail as yet TO bring
them profit. Wheat has declined severely.
cotton has scarcely risen enough TO pay
brokerage. wool holds steady In spite of
enormous buying. wooden goods hardly
change In price. iron and its products de-
cline. leather Is sluggish, hides are lower.
for some shoe manufacturers accept
shade lower prices. the average OF rail-
road stocks IS slightly lower than II was
December 81 and the advance In trust
stocks has been small To traders in such
properties the month has been disappoint.
Ing. Yet during the week the record shows
that ten iron works have started and only
two have stopped. 13 wooden mills have
started and nine more are about ready
to start, while three have stopped. Similar
things are seen In other Industries. and the
additional establishments are not starting
without some increase In orders received.
IL would do more harm than good to ex-
agRerate the Improvement. But study of
conditions governing business indicates
that the wheels are on the right track and
moving In the right direction. Men talked
OF a possible drain of gold a month ago,
but January has passed and the liquida-
ton OF foreign Indebtedness to this coun-
try seems farther off than ever Merchan-
disc exports from New York In January
have been about per cent. larger than last
year and imports Is per cent. smaller than
last year. when the excess of exports was
over $lS.OOO,O0O, while cotton exports from
other ports have also been larger The
month has not diminished but has In
creased the current balance due this coun
try. Money markets become more easy
and favora BILE TO expansion Of industries
and legitimate business.
Bradstreet's says;
There has been a falling of In general
trade. owing TO the heavy fall OF snow and
cold weather There is a moderate in
crease in the distribution OF heavy winter
goods, but commercial travellers very gen.
orally report that buyers are even more
conservative than earlier in the month.
and that wholesale trading In January. ex-
cept In lines specified is smaller than for
years Mercantile collections are inter-
rupted, and the Improvement looked for in
iron and steel is not in sight. The most ia
vorabie fea ture of the business week is the
sudden and sharp falling of in the total
number of business failures in the United
States. the aggregate being 326, as COM
pared with 429 last week, decrease of l03
The downward movement OF prices for
some of the more important staples con-
tinues conspicuous, notably for -four
wheat, oats, lard, coffee, petroleum, tur-
pcntine and tin plate. Quotations for In
dian corn, pork, sugar. cotton and print
cloths are practically unchanged. Con-
cessions have been made in prices for iron
and steel, yet quotations are nominally UNI
chauped "