The San Francisco call., 1898-03-05
provide for public defense and business IS nov ing on with the assurance that 1t VIII not pc

provide for public defense and business IS nov ing with the assurance that II VIII ho' oe seriously disturbed
 In grain, cotton, meat products aho pc troleum the markets have been strong, with gradual increases In the demand TOT Hahu- factured products
 Failures in February have been snaiier than in any other month, except three oi te pe yious five nortbs rvith remarkable decreases in the failures for sloo 900 and over. though Tn number and amount the smaller failures sno" less change than might have peeh eNpeo'eu' " 1i dicating that in good times or oao a 'as proportion Is due to causes apar. iioiii 'ne general conditions of business The rauo or defaulted liabilities to payments through the Clearing houses Is but sl Il per SloV' lower rate than has appeared In the nrs' auai'ei " oI any year except 1880 and isei o, pre ~, an' pne eral improvement is the fact that payments through Clearing houses for the past "een nave sS Ssn Is per cent larger tnam acnative interests 17.6 per cent Compared with last year the gain has been 562 per cent for the week ana 15.S per cent for February. Production or pig iron Is the greatest ever known, some furnaces having started in the past month Dut besse iiier piilets are so scarce al SIicas ~ ,in ,. woThs are embarra ssed, ana ae cnSS & hs al plttsburg, including one ot zo,Uoo tons, nay stlifened the price so that BesseiheI pig ana local coke al Chicago are stronger tnan sihce November l. with gray forge unchanged at PUtsburg. Foundry at the East IS sIghtiy lower, basic pig having been offered Tn a sharp competition with about S10,- though Southern makers in Alabama and Tennessee, excepting two, nave agreed upon plan or saies through commission. The demand for nnished prod ucts covers work far ahead in plates struc- tural forms. sheets. pipes since the aoVance Tn oil, and rails with Chicago sale Tor cana dian road to Alaska, but bar IS weak with increasing use of steel and tin plates are quoted at s2 s5, against S4 for the same qual- ny Of foreign. Tin is stronger at l42c and lake copper at 11.S7c.
 Ihe strike in the cotton mills does not spread but helps to slightly better demand for goods. while in wool trade is slow in some ot the nner qualities. which have been much advahced Tn price, and in these, and other grades as well, cancellations have exceeded recorders, in dicating less distributing than was expected at the advanced prices. Wool has yielded 8 little, the average of 100 quotations by Coates Broth CTS for domestic being 2O.23c. against 20. 83o tebruary 1. and while yielding is thus far nalhly Tn Inferior qualities, stocks at least three years old are pressed for sale.
 wheat has grown stronger, exports continu- ing at a rate which threatens exhaustion os supply II the trade reports of farmers stocks are correct. From Atlantic, ports 2 426, 240 bushelS went out flour included). against SS6 4l6 last year and from Pacific ports sea- 99S, against 1859 bushels last year The price mas risen 1c but 1t is possible that the esti- mates or last years stocks though 50.O00, coo buShels In excess of the Government estimates, may prove too small. Corn has declined only Ae with exports of 4,74SSi3 bushels, agaInst 5,22l 7S5 last year.
 Failures for the past week have been 251 in the united States. against 246 last year, and 32 m Canada, against 59 last year.