The age-herald., 1898-01-15
WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE
Year Opened With Very Satis-
 factory Prospect.
STOCKS ADVANCE A LITTLE
All the Better That There Is No Wild tYc'te- ment in the Speculative Market-Wheat
 Curously Langulshing.

New York, Jan. 14-R. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review of trade will say in it's is sue tomorrow:
 The year has opened with a very satis- factory prospect It is all the better that there is no wild excitement in the speeu- lative markets, and while stocks advance a little, the grain yields a lttle The pay ment through principal clearing houses, not withstanding a decrease in New York, ow- ing to less activity in stocks, arc 26 per cent larger than In 1892 and 101 per cent. larger outside New York. Earnings of all railroads in the United States reporting for December, S43,3e4,275 indicates substan- tialy the same rate of increase, exceeding last year by 10.5 per cent, and the earn ings of 1892 for the same roads by Is per cent. Since 1892 was on the whole the most prosperous year thus far, comparisons indicate, notwithstanding the lowest prices ever known that the volume of business is larger and, in spite of some cutting Of rates, the earnings of railroads are larger than in the best year of past history. The wheat market has been curiously languish- ing Western receipts continue so heaVy that with the greatest accumulation or wheat at Chicago ever known, there IS ilt- tie encouragement for speculation. Receipts were 5,727, ,250 bushels for the two weeks, against 309S, ,66S bushels last year.
 Corn exports continue large, though equal to last years, amounting to 3,1366SS bush els. against 4,143 652 bushels for the week last year, and the price declined about A cent.
 Spot cotton is a sixteenth lower for mid ding uplands, mainly because of the stop mage of some mills by difficulty about wages. But nothing Is definitely known about the quantity of cotton yet coming forward. and one report of creditable char acter puts the years yield at 10,57O,2o0 bales, though results so far do not quite justify so large an estimate.
 The iron furnaces in blast January re- port an output of 226.6OS tons weekly against 226,O24 weekly December 1, when an increase of 12,4s1 tone in the unsold stocks held by furnaces.
 While this shows consumption 52h per cent larger than a year ago, there would be discouraging indications of consumption but for the fact that several furnaces were stopped for the holidays, and these, with several others, have started since January i. while the demand for finished products does not diminish.
 The Pennsylvania railroad has ordered one hundred tons steel rails, and new railroad in Maine 12,000 tons, and other or ders for cars railroad supplies plates, bars and structural material are unusually large for the season.
 The wooden manufacturers have been buy ing wool largely and for reasons not pub licly explained. It is evident that large orders have been taken by the leading mills and prices which they find satisfac- tory and the rush of small mills to buy wool has made most of the market during the past week although sales have declined about 40 per cent compared with the pre- vious week.
 But there Is decidedly a better demand for mems wear goods, and the makers look forward to a good season.
 The cotton manufacturers have been overloaded by excessive production, finding no increase in demand and no gain in prices.
 Failures for the past week have been 349 in the United States against 455 last week and 45 in Canada against Il last year.