Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-02
THE STATE OF TRADE
A RATHER QUIET WEEK, OWING
TO EAsrLY-ExPLAINED CAUSES.
4 HIGHLY SATISFACTORY QUARTER.
productive OF Unprecedented Bust
ness, Indeed, I'm Many Favored
Lines - Heavily Increased Bank
Observation-Disclosures Fewer.

NEW YORK. April 1.-Bradstreets to-
morrow will say: A week OF rather
ouieter general trade and OF smaller dis
tributlon. due to easily explainable GAUGES.
closes quarter which has been emf
nently satisfactory In nearly all branches
OF trade. and productive OF unprecedented
business i'm many favored lines. The
heavy foreign demand for our products.
particularly agricultural staples, and the
| active domestic movement In most lines,
| are evidenced by the heavily increased
| bank clearings reported for the quarter.
| and the effect OF the commercial mortality
| is favorably reflected in a total for the
| first three months of 1898, Of failures and :
OF liabilities involved smaller than In the
| corresponding period for four years past.
| Current demand and distribution at the
| East have been lnterfered with by the
| uncertainty growing cut Of orS unsettled
| foreign relations. Little or ~ Improve
| mont Is found In the coarse cotton-goodS
| trade. and print-cloths have marked a
| new low record in quotations or 2l-lt Tor
| regular goods The anthracite-coal uane
| Is suffering from the usual spring COM
| plaint. business Is inactive, and prices
| are weak There Is a rather more quiet
| condition as regards new demands Tor
| iron and steel al most markets, ana SONS
shading in quotations Is claimed out ,ho
| business doing is on an immense scaie.
Good weather at the South favors an
| early planting season, but business based
| ON this has not been of such volume as
TO make up for the quletins uenidnu
noted at a number OF coast cltles. hi.u
|
limiting business TO some extent. Export
trade al New Orleans is reported checkea
| by increased freight and INSURANCE raies'
growing out of the present unset,ieo tor-
| eign situation.
PRICES ENCOURAGING.
| Tho nrice situation Is. on the whole,
| ouite encoura cling this week. oats, nour,
| prnt-cloths. and hides being tne inos'
prominent among the decreases mehtlon-
| ed while wheat, corn, lard, conee, COT
ton. and sugar are higher, and the list
of staples unchanged in price appears
| the most numerous. ,, -
Exports of wheat hour included) are
| smaller than those for some weeks past
| hut are much larger than In correspond
ing periods of previous years assrsauis
S55OG64 bushels. against 3,StVv pusheis
| last week 2. 46i Gas bushels In this week
last year. 1,69S,e27 bushels In 1888, AscS@S
bushels in 1895, and 2.75Sl2o bushels IN
1894 Corn exports are, on ,he otner hann.
larger than foc some weeks past ags e re-
L OlslA
| bushels last week 4970.12I bushels last
year. and $4,000 bushels In 1870. faiiure
records, as above minated bear WITNESS
TO the satisfactory condltons ruins ~,
| commercial lines this year, I'm total ior
| the quarter of 3,5l5 embarraSsments' IN
volving liabH' dies of $5.lss.CO decrease
| I'm number from year ago OF 10 per
| cent, and from two years ago OF ~ yer
| cent while as regards liabhhes there Is
| n falling off from last year OF 50 per
\ cent, and. as compared with 1885, OF over
| ~ per cent. ca,.,, ,or
| the first quarter OF 1898 number 5lo Win
liabilities of $4,000. a decrease OF ~ per
| cent. in number. and OF 70 per cent IN
| liabilities from one year ago
FAILURES FEWER
Messrs r. q. Dun * CO.'S Weekly he-
| view OF Trade tomorrow VIII say IN
i | spite of foreign conditions since the as-
| strlction of the Maine, February ptn,
| the number of failures In three months
, | IS smaller than In the first quarter or
! any year since 1886; the ratio Or defaut-
| ed liabilities to payments tnroufh e'e@ Co.
/ that quarter since 1881: the average OF
D liabilities per firm In business mas p.e ~
r the smallest since 1880, and the avefaSe OF
? liabilities per failure has been lower than
r ever before In any quarter. TX ~ espe-
: cially significant that the failures ior
I less than 100000. without material de-
! crease in number, were ~ pee cent snhai-
/ Ter in trading. =,
The war-cIoud which many have In
' ferred would greatly increase commerciai
: disaster does not appear TO have had any
: | such effect as yet Rates Tor money
= have advanced, and the Der cent. which
. | used TO be the ruling rate In active times
g | again prevails which compels many
r | SPECTATORS to lquidate. But the imports
| OF gold go far to prevent any real anH-
4 iety. Moreover, although part OF the
2 | hypothecated exchange on Europe mas
e | been sold and ordered against ~ there
: was known to be aoS y S'g sDd 10 5no ooo
o | i'm other cities, against which gold Is iih,
a | bic 10 be imported because there ~ small
: | prospect OF any better settlement.
$ The outgo OF breadstuffs continues, AZ
Z lantic exports being 2,5l6,22O bushels, -four
V | included for the week, against 2ls5.,
: last year, and Pacific exports, otZ.if
t | bushels. 1920 last year. ana LOT the
n | past five weeks from both coasts the
s | EXPORTS have been l6.592.9i bushels
Il against S226, 256 last year. Meanwhfie
i corn exports have been for the wecE'
a 3767,029 bushels, against h2yl,o-l hst year
/ All the speculative movements ~ the
i West have been less influential than TINS
n heavy and continued buying OF grain
4 and western receipts begin to IAN on as
q IL supplies were no longer uni.hii n.'si.
l. Wheat has declined slightly. but corr
II | has advanced lac. for the week, anu na
= one imagines that the foreign troubles
lie can check the outgo. -, =,
,e Cotton has advanced l-sc. because %
!. | the idea that production may be reduced
? although receipts from plahlaiylS "a Nt .ss
- far have been greater by about Nov'
is | bales than in 1895. from the largest croL
ever raised. and while the mills are no"
nearly all active, the consumption does
not exceed the maximum.
The iron and steel market SHOWS nc
| decline. 80 . -, ,,,.oa
States against GO last year, ana ~ ~
Is Canada, against ~ last year
The Death of seidi.