The San Francisco call., 1898-12-24
DUN's REVIEW OF TRADE.

NEW YORK, Dec. 23.-R. G. Dun's Weekly Review of Trade will say in to-morrow's issue:
 It Is a year beyond all parallel, and goes to
 its close with the biggest volume of business ever seen. Enormous transactions at the StocK Exchange make some difference as also heavy railroad earnings but when all the transport ing and speculative interests are eliminated there Is still a much larger business than in any other month of any year. Last year the exports were in volume greater than in any previous month in the history of the country, but this year the three weeks reports show an increase of 25 per cent against per cent in imports, which would indicate much more than s70 coo. 900 excess of exports this month.
 The payments through clearing houses have been for the week 26.5 per cent greater than last year and 12.4 greater than in 1892. and for the month IFS per cent larger than in 1892. Until now no greater volume of business has ever been done in the history of this country than in the closing month of this year.
 Shipments of wheat have been S.2SS. 7oi bush els. flour included, at Atlantic ports. against 3.69S 32l last year, although Western receipts for three weeks have been 25. 0sS 5S1 bushels, against 10, ,30S, ,929 last year, fact which the believers in a small crop may well consider. From Pacific ports the shipments have been for the week 1,3l6,01s bushels, against s66,0oo exports from July l to date, exceeding last years one only wonder that the outgo this year has been so large and the price has risen during the week a cent and half
 Sales of wool have been large. e7,S66. 100 pounds, against 23, ,15, 200 pounds last year, and
 i.5S0, POO in the same week of 1892. with small as well as large manufacturers buying very freely, which indicates a general improvement in the demand for goods although not enough as yet to lift prices. The story of the iron manufacture is like dream. With 25. 900 tons of Bessemer pig sold at Pittsburg for sl0 50 and gray forge at s9 40 and Chicago sales lim- tied only by the capacity of the works, and Eastern sales so numerous and so large as to raise the price 25 cents, there Is demand for finished products which includes at Phila- delphia 4000 tons of plates for export to South America, 5000 tons at Chicago, where the works are crowded. s0,o0o tons of steel rails by the Maryland Steel Company for Asiatic Russia 8. coo tons for Australia, against British bids at Pittsburg, and about 10 600 tons of domestic at the East, e600 tons of structural work at building at Chicago, all the works there being crowded with heavy orders of sheets and wire rods, and sharp competition in the South on cotton ties, pending a contract for 20. 900 tons quantities in each class too numerous to men tion Prices Of iron and steel products have not materially changed although the tone is everywhere stronger, and for wire nails quota But this country is beating the world in this industry.
 All thrs business is done with full belief that the next years demand will be greater tally in the iron and steel business. that so little advance in price of finished products has been made. The range of prices is nearly eo per cent lower than in 1892, indicating an exchanged How Europe will be able to pay EC-e than SsS.soo. 00 due merchandise on scccUa- to- The month of December. besides The enormous balances due for November and p-sv1o2s months Is a question which the country can s@c-d 70 consider at its leisure and with cozto--
 2sz in the United States last year. and sI in Canada, against % last year.