The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-24
WEEKLY TRADE REVIEWS
Bradstreei's and Dun Review the Condition
Of Trade IN the Country.
PREVIOUS RECORDS tCLIPsEO IN VOLUME
c.,r SHIPMENTS Have Been Amor
mnIIy InrRe--Great Ac',ss
Iron and Kindred stocks

Ney York. December 23.-h. ". Du'
~ q wee,,,v Review of Tride will say
tomorrow: 1t is a year beyond para''e. 80
goes to its close with the biggest VOLUME
~ business ever seen. Enormous trans
,ctio,s at fins, stock exchange make some
difference, as do heavy railroad earninse'
but when all the transporting ana speou
luttve interests are eliminated tneie
stIl a much larger business Than IN any
other month OF any year. Last year 'ue
exrorts were in Volume greater tnan IN
any preysous month in The history oil the
foi,ot..y hu, tnis year the tnree weeAs
r4uonk shows an increase oil 20 per csnt'
against 8 per cent in imports, wnlen Wou.u
Indicate much more tnan SlV,VeV,oVV ga ga
cess Of exports this month. Inc pay ne .
through clearing houses have been ior t.ie
week 265 per cent greater imam last sod,
and l24 per cent greater than IN 49,, anu AZ
for the month li.s per cent larger .nah ~
1892 Until now no greater Noiuile y.
BUSINESS mas ever been done in the history
OF taas country than in tne closiDg ihon'n
Of this year. ,oc-
The shlpments of wheat have been $3.50
7O4 bushels. flour included, at Atlahlie
PORTS. against 3,6S9,32l last year, although
Wesetn receipts for three weeks nave
heen "a. 0SS. 5sl bushels against lO,Sos,sZe
| last year a fact which the believers IN
small crop may well consider. FROM "a
| cific ports the shipments nave Deeh LID,
| Oly bushels for TIE week. against 'oo,ooo
| bushels last year. Considering the enor-
| mons eyports from July l to date, exceed
| ing last years, one can only wonder tnat
| the outgo this year has been so large ana
| the price has risen during the week l IL
| cents Corn exports also have peen o,ozf,
| SAG bushels. against i,540, 6l3 last year, and
| for the month thus far 11.01213S, against
| /. S67. 407 last year. The price has al
yanced about S-S cents, but the contih-
| ued foreign demand Is ASTONISHING
| IL the cotton manufacturers take a ieaa'
! ipg place this year 1t is not merely because
| cotton As an eighth lower than a year ago,
nor because prospects for buyers are so
| good. The manufacture has been much
| expanded by increased demands, so tnat
| prices OF nearly all the goods quoted lin our
report have advanced more or less ana
there is feeling that with unreasonable
accumulation OF print cloths out OF me
way, there Is a brighter prospect LOT an
goods.
Sales of wool have been large, 1856, l0o
pounds, against 2S,ll5 200 pounds last year
| and ~ $50 900 pounds in the same weeks OF
1892, with small as we'll as large manufac-
| tuners buying very freely, which dndiceNee
a general improvement in the demand Tor
goods, although not enough as yet TO litt
prices.
The story of the iron manufacture 10 like
dream. With $4,000 tons OF Bessemer
mig sold at Plttsburg for $1,000 and gray
forge at $40, and Chicago sales limited
only by the capacity of the works, anu
Eastern sales so numerous and SO large
as TO raise the price 25 cents, there is
demand for finished products which IN
cludes at Philadelphia 1000 tons OF plates
for export to South America; 1000 tons al
Chicago where the works are crowded;
so, 900 tons steel rails by the Maryland Steel
company for Asiatc Russia; 100000 tons
for Australia against British bids at Pitts
burg, and about 900 tons domestic at the
East; $500 tons structural work at Chicago
and Pttsburg, and 5000 tons for car build
ers at Chicago, all the works being crowded
with heavy buying of sheets and wire rods
and sharp competition at the South In cot
ton ties a pending contract for 20,O00 tons
OF cast rlpe for Yokohama and sales Of
smaller quantities in each class too nu-
merous TO mention. Prices of Iron ant
steel products have not materially changed
although the tone is everywhere stronger
and for wire nails quotations have beer
advanced TO sl.30 at Pittsburg but this
country is beating the world III this In
dustry.
An This business is done with the full
belief that the next years demand will Ii
greater than before, especially in the .ror
| and steel business. The range OF prices j!
nearly 20 per cent lower than in 1897, IL
dicatiug an astonishing increase III the
quantity of products exchanged. How El-
Ioye will be able to pay more than $4,000,
0l0 due on merchandise account on Sep
TENDER and previous mcnths is Il queshcl
which the country can afford to conside
| nj its leisure and with comfort.
Failures for this week have been 25S
| against 292 in the United States last year
and 81 in Canada, against SO last year.