Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-04
THE STATE OF TRADE.
Bra6's treet' 3.

BraGstreet's.
! A week of rather quieter general trace
ard Of smaller distribution, due TO easily
explainabe causes, closes a quarter winch
has been emirently satisfactory TO nearly
all branches of trade ard productive OF
an unprecedented business in many faEor-
ed lines The heavy foreign demand TOT
our products, particularly agricup,ural
staples, ana the active come/ tic move
ment in most itnes ire evidenced by the
heavily increased bank clearings reported
for the quarter. and the effect on the
commercial mortality is favorabiy re-
flected in a total. for the first three
months of 1895 Of failures and OF Haplh-
ties involved smaller than in the cor
responding period for four wears past
Current demand and distribution at the
east have been nterfered with by the UNI
certainties growing out of our unsettled
foreign relations. This has been parucu-
larly manifest I'M the more pronounced
indispostion on the part Of buyers to
anticipate future wants, and some can
cellations of orders for wooden goods are
attributed directly to this cause Evl-
dence IS not lacking, however. that the
stimulation to the wooden goods industry
growing out of tariff changes last year IS
responsible in some measure for the un-
readiness of manufacturers to go ahead
as confidently row as they did year
ago. Little or no improvement is found
in the coarse cotton goods trade, ard
print cloths have marked g. new low
record in quotations of 1-16c for regular
goods. The anthracite coal trade is SUI
feriHg from the usual spring complaint,
business is inactive and prices are weak.
There is rather more quiet condition
as regards new demands for iron and
steel at most markets, and SONG sEadlng
in quotations Is claimed but the business
Going is on am immense scale. Features
of the business at the west this week
are the heavy volume Of pig iron ship
ments and sales of steel rails to be ship
ped to the klondike and Honolulu. Cen
III N, 10 W.
been checked this week by heavy rains
colder weather. bad roads and swollen
rivers. The previous good business done
however, leads trade circles to regard this
dinlinuition of business with equanimity
Foreign complications have caused some
unea siness, but are asserted not to have
as yet restricted general distribution
which, founded primarily upon the pros
perity Of the agricultural classes, is
viewed with confidence as regards the
future. Frost is reported dong some
carnage to fruit in the west but advices
from Missouri are that the wheat crop
has been uninjured and that the condition
is very high. Good weather at the south
favors an early planting season, but bust
ness based upon this has not been of such
q volume as to make up for the quieting
in demand noted at rumber of coast
cities and at river points, where high
water is limiting business to some eX-
tent Export trade at New Orleans is re-
ported checked by increased freight and
insurance rates, growing out of the pres
ent unsettled foreign SITUATION. Few
signs are visible of the decrease in cotton
acreage which is generally predicted
about this time of the year. The southern
iron trade fs very active and the naval
stores market is firm. At the northwest
seeding is reported, we'll advanced. and
the temporary check to business by
stormy weather has not been sufficient to
reduce business below that OF last year.
Freight rates are reported weaker on the
Pacific coast, ard trade is rather quieter
at most cities. The outlook is for a heavy
crop of wheat in the State of Washington
this year Boat building and iron manu-
featuring are reported active in the
Pacific northwest. The price si- 'lation is,
or the whole encourag ing this week.
oats flour. print cloths and hides being
mentioned while wheat corn, lard. coffee.
cotton and sugar are higher. and the list
of staples unchanged in. price appears
the most numerous. lblD9H g ~tJ
Failure records. az above intima ted,
bear witness to the satisfactory conditions
ruling in commercial lines this year in
total for the quarter Of 3.515 embar-
easements. Involving lila bilities of $36 1885,
600 decrease in number from a year
ago of 13 per cent, and from two years
ago OF % per cert, while as regards liza
wear of 20 per cent. ana as compared
with 1886 Of over AZ per cent. Both as re-
CARDS number liabilities and assets in
viewed, in fact the first quarter of this
wear makes a more favorable compa rison
than the corresponding three months for
at least four years past 1t is necessary
to go back to 1928 to find a total number
of failures smaller than those reported
this year.