The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-31

value sf pFedure exrorss. has Decemasr
Hxns mach h~yaaS Navenber.
comes wiz e asmaaa ga .sr sssss.ssasss .sa
ether neesssarsss never before equsas1
Expofsx OF catsaa have been over .saS.oN
pss s sos Ssr = .s sesss 3. .s s.,s e Nc
S.aAonss1 s-assnsass Expe~ss es areAassufEs
have been in yaIsar tzSs SIS - IN eleven
n ne. e. = and nevsr nAxa been a. isrse %
NY otssr year. ExFvrss 81 wkea< for fh<s
wear lacking a day or two. have heen
-lAs- esssayss. flonr lasssssesi. slightly
sxssessa .. eng By = $50 81 . sSss asa 8
by lss sssssssu Ia iSgs. The he avses: exYssrts
OF beth grains Ard ncur m any previous.
yeas were SsUa.Eso bushels smaller, only
- 81 n in May. the sixaess anosAsicn with
years, $50. 50 that the average tsr shs
slightly in ass1. bat sss hishsss since isSx
TAs IsvsNxsber average has been a1iy -
cents, . censs below that OF lsst year.
but ne years average b % cents. the hixn-
The triumph In finance aas been larxely
due TO Industrial progress. Tia outpus OF
Isig iron has aesn about ISts&Asse tors. tho
greatest yes reached in any year BY -
tain ever reached by &Sassa tons Yet
the consumption in manufacture has been
sssls larger IN spite or net exports OF pig.
in ten nseashs Ia. oeN tons. Experts Of Iron
$I.e445&S in value against imports OF ia.
$751;
Prices shown for the year In the tahls
OF comparisons have been unusually steady.
varying net 5 per cent. from the lowest
To the highest ana for finished products
not per cent. Textile industries have
been retarded by big prices of wool and
abnorFnaiiy low prices OF cotton. both de-
sesTiag purchases. In shree yaesssas cotton
reached al cents, tho lowest price for
nfty years. the greatest Yield ever knawn
being followed by receipts since September
SaI,te bales Larger than sast year
greatly. Toward the close recovery cana
with accounts OF some destruction by
STERN. and The price -eacfed iE s-ents.
giving strong impulse 10 thc usanafac-
ture. so the takiaxs by Northern and
southern spinnefs in The calendar yeaf
have been 2.42s 10 bales. a little greater
than any previous crop year. Goods we're
reduced in price per cent. to the middle
OF November. but have risen per cent.
and closed al the highest point for the
year. In spite OF enormous stocks held.
Wool was so lifted that buying both OF
woo! and Of goods was checked early in the
year. hut a slow decline began In February.
Sales have been onsy asi,24i.l3t pounds at
the three chief nsarkstS so that the mills
have probably usess less than a fun years
supply and the sock of goods was also
excessive year ago.
Failures in the United States fer the
week were - and in Canada - total, g-i,
against 80 last week. ~ the preceding
week and 4ls the corresponding week last
year. OF which 3S5 were In the United
States and ri in Canada. OF the failures
In the United States "a have liabilities ex-
ceeing S.eda and It's liabilities less than
Sssa"0 Fer fcur weeks OF December, tctai
liabilities Of Arms were sll,6s5 .605 against
SIC, S6S,sss last year.
Bradsareet's Review.
Brsdstrsets tomorrow will say:
Holiday quiet In general demand snd
sustained activity In Industrial lines. par
ticnlarly IRON and steel. large shipments of
goods on orders, liberal eereai exports. and
specially heavy dealings in speculative
markets. are the features calling for not
al y mention In the closing week of the
yen. tarmness In price Is likewise an en-
eotfaging feature N most staples.
Wheat. though showing a reaction, 10
higher on the week on large export GEAR
ance, and other cereals are in sympathy.
Fig iron demand grows and prices for
this product and for steel rails. steel bill
let's. plates and wire rods are higher on the
week, while theNyolnrue Of foreign demand
for even finished metal products apparently
increases as the year draws 10 It's cons.u-
son
conclsejy stated. the reports received az
to the years business In ali sections OF the
country point 10 an unprecedented volume
OF domestic and export trade. which 10 re-
hsated in hank csearances that break the
high record Of lSz. The general Level OF
prices OF staple securities al the close of
y
Ave years past. Railroad earnings exceed
all previous years. and finally there Was
smaller number Of failures and lower IA.
, nllis.es man reported IN any year for at
in the country at large have been achieved.
too. Notwithstanding the outbreak and CON-
oiusion Of foreign war. and In spite also
Of unszvosat.e conditions in SOME indus
tries, notably textile manufacturing.
which. combined wf.h unfavorabie
weather early in the year. and the lowest
i,ricea for cotton on record. exercised an
anfavorahle influence But the close OF
the year finds an Improvement even In
those directions, and returns rs to retstl
trade and particularly holiday business
are strik.ngiy good In all sections
The best reports as TO dissribu;ty. trade
naturally come from the grain growing ssc-
tons Of the country which were the nrs;
= met an Enforcement resulting from
free foreign demand for our cereals but In
iications are not wanting that this Inn
provement IL gradually permeating
throughout the entire business community,
arfd eottpscsi with the unprecedented ex-
port trade III manufactured goods and the
fact that We are selling s. worth abroad for
every dollars worth we buy, renders pos
siiahs the gains reported In distributivs
trade over iss5. ranging from 10 20 10 per
cent. with likewise coed exports from The
manufacturing ceEftrs. excepting the tex
tile in1Hsirfcs alrcaey mentioned. The OK.
port trsas for the country for the year
as above index ted. Ia TIE heaviest ever
Known. ard VIII probably exceed 81. 80 &c.
90 in value. thus h<sing nearly double The
Imports.
our export trade III manufactured gooda
IL must be- observed. - the heaviest ever
known and for the first time i'm our coisn-
try's history, exceeded the value Of ls.-
Ioits OF similar gos ia.
There We're ft.esS failures IN TIE United
States In lSss. Involving liabilities Of ti4i-
1ssfl5 decrease from 1881 I'm nprnber az
II. per cent, and in liabilities of ~ pef
cert Compared with rss ard iss5 the prs
portion OF decrease Shown Is even lsrger
As compared with fSs~ failures w%rs fewer
by y ser cs~sf. and iIassiqfes smaller by -
per cent. Dccreascs are also shown when
compared with 1881 Il veat of large trade
but of numerous ard costly failures: but
compared with 1872. there is arr increase
RI own Of - per cent IN number and ~ per
cent. In Ifs blisfiss. The tendency Of failures
toward the normal In illustrated by The fact
that Tire percentages Of assets 10 liabilities
x the sfcalifst reported since M ard sse
annual death ratA-that In IN. percentage
OF traders falling % those In btisiness~ts
likewise the smallest reported since ss1e
latter year. sssing only i.s per cent. against
l-ss In isgs. La in 1886. ard Leo in YsS2 Tn
satisfactory conditions in textile Mnes and
some large failures of kefJxA and other
financial concerns account for the exp4.s-
ssssa In liabilities shown In those sactlon~