The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-24
A WONDERFUL YEAR.
Biggest Volume Of Business Done in
History of United States.


Promise That Next Years DemandslWill
BE Even Larger--Europe's Big Bali
ance Coming to Us.
New York, December %. -R. g. Dun &
Co. IS weekly review of trade tomorrow
will say:
1t is year beyond parallel and goes to
it's close with the biggest volume OF bust
ness ever seen. Enormous transactions at
the stock exchange make some difference
and heavy railroad earnings, but when
all the transporting and speculative in
terests are eliminated there is still a
much larger business than in other
months of any year. Last year the ex-
ports were in volu me greater than in any
previous month in the history. of the
country but this year the three weeks re-
port shows an increase of 25 per cent
against per cent in imports, which
would indicate much more than $40, ,000..
600 excess of exports this month. Until
now no greater volume of business has
ever been done in the history of this
country than in the closing month of this
year. ,
which has been so strong this week and
for weeks before that none could lose ex-
cept the sellers.
Shipments Of wheat have been 4.285 .704
bushels. flour included, at Atlantic ports,
gainst 1903. .321 last year, although
Western receipts for three weeks have
been 25,0ss. 58l bushels against 1903, 9se
last year.
Corn exports also has been 1894, s3e
bushels against 4, $40, ,6l3 last year, and
for the month thus far lob, 1873 against
10, 667, 407 last year.
The story Of iron is like dream. With
25, 600 tons bessemer pig sold az Pittsburg
for So go and grey forge at $40 and
Chicago sales limited only by the capacity
of the works, and eastern sales SO
numerous and SO large as to rise the price
25 cents, there Is demand for finished
products which includes at Philadelphia
1000 tons OF plates for export to South
America, 5000 tons at Chicago wh ere
works are crowded. $4,000 TONS steel rails
by the Maryland Steel company for
Asiatic Russia; IS, 900 tons for Australia
against British bids at Pittsbnrg and
about II, 900 tons domestic at the east.
$500 tons structural work at Chicago and
Pittsburg and 5000 tons for car builders
at Chicago, all the works there being
crowded, with heavy buying of sheets
and wire rods, and sharp competition at
the south In cotton ties, a pending con-
tract for 10000 tons cats pipe for Yoko'
homa.
All this business is with full belief that
the next years demand will be greater
than ever before and it is creditable.
especially in the iron and steel business,
that SO little advance in prices Of finished
products has been made. The range of
prices is nearly 20 per cent lower than in
1899, indicating an astonishing increase
in the quantity of products exchanged.
How Europe will be able to pay mora
than $75, ,0U0, 900 due on merchandise ao-
count for the month Of December, besides
the enormous balances due for Novem-
Der and previous months, is q question
which the country can afford to consider
at it's leisur and with comfort
Failures for the month thus far have
been in amount So, 2,e3,, manufacturing
50. 672, 700, and trading S5 016,59S. Fail.
ures for the week have been 25s against
292 in the United States last year and 81
in Canada against 80 last year.