The herald., 1898-01-25

AHei uIiueT CDHSlubFdtlOH III special SeS-
sion. TO this end two extra steamers were
chartered. though only one brought any
considerable quantity. The fears about
the duty were not realized.
The total movement of China and Japan
tea TO San Francisco for the past four
calendar years compares as follows:
lesf' packages ........................4 .452 III
% %.so '23
.nso .29I 44S
Ao'' 332 0lS
San Francisco used to have an exclusive
hold on the tea trade of the United States
Via the Pacific coast. Now she has to con-
tend with four other ports, two in WASH
ington. one in Oregon and one in British
Columbia The last named line has been
fostered by a good subsidy.
"The metric system had few, il any,
friends in the United States twenty-five
years ago. but today all scientific men. and
In fact every man who knows Its sim
plicity and convenience, is an earnest
champion of the metric system of weights
and measures" remarks the American
Miller. THAT 1t will displace our pre-
ent collection of arbitrary nondescripts
long before another quarter century has
passed is certain. The rest of the civil
ized world long since recognized the labor
saving, error-preventng advantages of the
metric system and adopted It, and until
the English-speaking nations do likewise
they VIII be greatly handicapped in their
foreign trade
Tin-plate production in the United States
showed a striking increase in the last fis-
cal year. Statistics furnished by Special
Agent of the Treasury Aver put the pro-
duction of commercial tin and terne plates
at 4469S2,0G3 pounds. as compared with
oi,226621 pounds for the fiscal year pre-
ceding. This represents an increase of
over 40 per cent. Almost the entire bro
duction was made from sheets rolled in
the United states. OF the total output
about SS per cent belonged to the class of
Plates weighing lighter than So pounds per
l0O square feet. the proportion of this kind
Oh plates being slightly larger than for the
preceding year. The production of black
plates shows an increase of over 30 per
cent, as compared with the fiscal year pre-
cedlng, and the proportion of such plates
lighter than 63 pounds per 100 square feet
was S65 per cent as compared with II
per cent for the year before. The imports
showed an excess of 105, ,161, All pounds over
the exports. and this amount, added to that
OF the domestic production would seem to
indicate an approximate CONSUMPTION in
the United States of 552 143 534 pounds an
amount which the capacity Of the mills Is
more than sufficient to meet
y 4 r
At meeting of the directors of the Bos.
ton and Montana Mining company at Bos- |
ton on the 4th- a dividend of 50 per share |
was declared, aggregating $45OOOO paya- |
Die on February 18th. This dividend will |
swell the total dividend disbursements to |
H175.000. The copper mines of this co,1n- |
try have been on top for the past few |
years. and yet the average selling price of |
copper for the past two years has been |
about IL cents per pound.
4
The Engineering and Mining Journal has |
received the returns for December of the |
Witwatersrand mines of South Africa |
The amount is 3l0712 crude ounces. This
Is not only the largest output for any
month In 1897. but for any month I'm the |
preceding two years. 1t brings UP the
total for the year to 3034,675 ounces crude
gold, against 2,2S0,SS4 ounces in 1896 and |
R277,635 ounces in 1885, Reduced to ounces
Of fine gold, the record in ounces and value
of the same for the past three years has
been as follows:
Fine Ounces. Value
1895 .1,S5S,55O S3S 415. .22s
1896 ...................1.S47, 1923 3S1SS 800
1897 .....".."........24S 24SS.GO0 81 1886, 800
4 4 \
Including the dividend of 81, 100000 paid
by the Calumet and Hecla copper mine
~bn the Sd, twenty mines are down for div
ldends in January, aggregating 81. 1856 100,
and other mines are yet to be heard FROM
The Quincy copper mine will pay div
dend of $500, 900 on February 18TH
l.
The outlook of the real estate market
In the northern part of the state is outlined
by the Bulletin, which says AS the new
year grows so, apparently, does the pros
pect for a lively real estate market be-
come better. Inquiry during the week has
been quite the best that brokers have
experienced for some time past, and ac-
tual sales are almost more numerous In
lending buyers are gradually realizing that
prices are not likely to go any lower and
Are beginning to invest. AS In other
branches OF trade. so 1t is with real es-
tate. When the price is on the decline and
the market weak buyers hold off for still
ower prices, but as soon as the tide turns
TOR an advance, there is a rush to buy he
Fore prices stffen. The present time seems
10 be the turning point, and buvers are
waking up to the fact.
4 \
Stealing telephone service Is a new form,
bf msdemeanor in London. classed bv tho
Croydon police magistrate as a petit lar
eeny, and punished by him with a fine of
Ave shillings.
Mortgages, $1,000 and Over
A. w. Hultin to M. Eyarts-r.otA
blk G, Finney trt, yrs, II per oent a nm
J. 7. Parker ct al. to w. p. HAM
mond-Lot l, w. c. Dickinson,s auh