The San Francisco call., 1898-01-01
DUNs. REVIEW. OF. TRADE. :.I.i.

!. NEW YORK Dee: ai.-R,. G. Dun & CO $ Weekly Review of Trade will say: =. =: :: ' Failures for :; the: year, which closed last night have been smaller. than in any other year since 1892, in number. smaller than in any year except in. 1895. and in average liabilities per failure smaller than in; any other year during the last twenty three except four The aggregate of all failures. commercial: and banking: was $lso. .eooooo of which s25. 500 900 was in banking. = :c.' :. =: :;
 In 1S,3e0 commercial failures the amount. Of liabilities was sI5s sCo, coo, of which sSs 900 900 was in manufacturins and S73 700 900 in trading.
 with ,sl2, 100. 900 in. brokerage and other com
 mercal lines: -; =. .+ -..:::+-e F The average of liabilities per failure was only s11 5ss. and ia 1892 only si1.e25 burt only three years in the past twenty three: were rivals loSs. with sn:5s5i lSS9. with sl1. ss1, and 1885, l: with sll. .07S 5, ::.:- =: :. A new: year: opens with conditions radically different from those which prevailed a wear ago::@Great financial dstrust existed then: but has passed away. After whole; year or free dom from disturbance or alarm. in which the country has paid heavy foreign. indebtedress. . taken and paid millions for stocks sent from . abroad; and accumulated credits sagainst othar credits, represented 6y merchandise balances more than S320. O0000 in its favor for The fSast nve months with deferred exchanges: for: more than sZ0, coo. O00 held by New York banks alone while the great Industries have been pusbins their way into foreign markets with unpre2 longer a matter of anxiety.- More than half a million men: in a few States, according to of hStal IeOpLls5 are employed. now who idle 3 year ago. and the general advance in wages for those employed has gone far to restore the Of business through clearing :hoiises for ths week; 14.2 per cent larger than in lSg2 has i For the month been ca per cent larger than in that year,. and in. many industrial. branches surpassed all: records: .:'. -''
 The iron industry has been greatly encour- aged py increased demand during: the past few weeks, and while the slight Improvement in pigireh at Pittsburg. has been niaintajTied 0fItr known, the new w-contracts for finished products have. been unusual for the season. They in= cIude yO 600 tons steel rails te one Eastern mill 12;0o0 tons structural work for improvemeffs ai New York; alone, with large operations at Chi demand for notwithstanding materials generally and especially for sheets. = Minor metals have been rather weak. with tin at IS O6 cents and while lead is quoted at 372h cents and: sneitey at 3.s5 cents. The best .Bessener full. weight tin plates are selling at ss.o5. against $40 for pears. though the shipments: were the Ia rgest for any week this year
 The cotton industry Is halted by the ouastion Of wages, although general reduction now seems probable. The manufacturers have been buying largely of material for worsted goods and their. purchases have stimulated buying by wool manufacturers, that the wool ma F. kets are stronger though without changes in
 After the great excitement at Chicago wheat still goes out of the country as largely as be- fore, from Atlantic ports, 3.73O 7so bushels flour included. against 1.542.54O last year, and from Pacific ports LIP e25 bushels
 In four weeks the Atlantic exports, four in- cluded. have been 5.060, ,04f bushels against s.5OO,lel last year. Heavy Western receipts are only refecting temporary conditions in the Chicago market But the extraordinary ex- ports of corn, IA. 40i. .s05 bushels against Q 4s1 S5S bushels in the four weeks last year. show how sorely foreign markets are pushed by the increasing demand for breadstuffs. Wheat has declined B of a cent with the Chicago market, and corn has meanwhile advanced % cent.
 Failures for the week have been se5 in the United States, against 430 last year. and 21 in Canada, against g last year.