The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-02
GENERAL TRADE NOT so GOOD.
EXCELLENT SHOWING MADE FOR
THE YEARS FIRT QUARTER.

Quieting Down Due in Large Part to
the Danger of War-LittIe or No
Improvement in the Coarse Cotton
Goods Trade-Demand for Iron and
Steel Quieter-ExpOrt Trade at
New Orleans Checked by the War
Scare-FalIing on in Failures.
New York, April 1.-Bradstreets to-mor-
row win say: "a week of rather queter
general trade, and of smaller distribution,
due to easily explainable causes, closes
quarter which has been eminently salts
factory to nearly all branches of trade and
productive of unprecedented business in
many favored lines. The heavy foreign
demand for our products, particularly ag-
rcultural staples. and the active domestic
movement in most lines, are evidenced by
the heavily increased bank clearings re-
ported for the quarter, and the effect en-
the commercial mortality is favorably re-
Elected in a total, for the first three months
of 1898, of failures and of liabilities involv-
ed smaller than in the corresponding pc
Rod for four years past. Current demand
and distribution at the East have been
interfered with by the uncertainties grow
Ing out of our unsettled foreign relations.
Little or no improvement is found in
the coarse cotton goods trade, and print
cloths have marked new low record in
quotations of 1-16c for regular goods.
The anthracite coal trade is suffering
from the usual spring complaint, business
is inactive and prices are weak.
There is rather a quiet condition as
regards the new demand for iron and steel
at most markets, and some shading in
quotations is claimed but the business do
ing is on an immense scale.
Good weather ct the South favors an
early planting season, but business based
upon this has not been of such a volume
as to make up for the quoting In de-
mand noted at a number of coast cities
and at river points, wher high water is
limiting business to some extent.
Export trade at New Orleans is report
e6 checked by increased freight and In
surance rates, growing out of the present
unsettled foreign situation.
THE price situation is, on the whole,
quite encouraging this weeks, oats, flour,
print cloths and hides being the most
prominent among the decreases mentioned,
while wheat, corn, lard, coffee, cotton and
sugar are higher, and the list of staples
unchanged in price appears the most num-
erous.
Exports of wheat, flour included, are
smaller than for some weeks past, but
are much larger than in corresponding
periods of previous years aggregatng g.
5000 bushels, against 1896 900 bushels last
week. 2,464, 645 bushels in this week of last
year, 1888 927 bushels in 1896, 1858, 1888 BUSH
els in 1895 and 2.77S,15O bushels in 1894
Corn exports are on the other hand,
larger than for some weeks past, aggre-
eating 4,507, 722 bushels, against 4,496 EST
bushels last week, 4,97O127 bushels last
year, and $4,000 bushels In 1896.
Failure records as above intimated,
bear witness to the satisfactory conditions
ruling in commercial lines this year in
total for the quarter of 3,515 embarrass-
ments, involving liabilities of $36, $4,000, a
decrease in number from a year ago of
10 per cent. and from two years ago of %
per cent, while, as regards liabilities, there
is q falling off from last year of so per
cent, as compared with 1886, of over AZ
per cent.
Failures in the Dominion of Canada fer
the first quarter of 1898 number SIG, with
liabilities of So, 800, 600, a decrease Of "a per
cent. in number and of 20 per cent in la
bilities from one year ago."