The San Francisco call., 1898-04-02

NEW YORK, April 1.-Bradstreet's to-mor
 row will say: A week of rather quieter trade
 and smaller distribution. due to easily expla
 able causes. closes quarter which has be eminently satisfactory to nearly all branches of trade and productive of an unprecedented
 business in many favored lines. The heavy for
 eign demand for our products. particularly agricultural staples and the active domestic
 movement in most lines. are evidenced by the
 heavily increased bank clearings reported for
 the quarter and the effect on the commercial
 mortality is favorably reflected in a total, for
 the first three months of 1898. of failures and
 of liabilities involved smaller than in the cor responding period for four years past Cur
 rent demand and the distribution at the East
 have been interfered with by the uncertainties
 growing out Of our unsettled foreign relations. This has been particularly manifest in most pronounced indisposition on the part Of buy
 CTS to anticipate future wants. and some can cellations of orders for woolen goods are at tributed directly to this cause Evidence is not lacking, however, that the stimulation to
 the wooen goods industry growing out of tariff
 changes last year is responsible in some meas ure for the unreadiness of manufacturers to
 go ahead confidently now they did year
 ago Little improvement Is found in the coarse cotton goods trade and prices for
 cloths have marked a new record in prices of 2isc for regular goods.
 There is rather more quiet condition as re- gards new demand for iron and steel at most markets, and some shading In quotations Is claimed. but the business doing is on an im- mense scale. Good weather at the South fa- vors early planting season. but business | ume as to make up for the quieting demand noted at number of coast cities and at rivei points, where high water is limiting business to some extent. Export trade at New Or leans is reported checked by increased freight insurance rates, growing out of the present unsettled foreign situation Freight rates reported weaker on the Pacific Coast and trade is rather quieter at most cities.
 The outlook is for very heavy crop of wheat in the State of Washington this year Boat building and iron manufacturing are re- ported active in the Pacific Northwest. The price situation Is, on the whole. quite en- couraging this week. oats. four. print cloths and hides being the most uroninent 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 numerous
 Exports of wheat flour included) are smaller than for some weeks past, but are much larger than in corresponding periods Of previous years, aggregating 3550. s64 bushels, against 3sss. GOO bushels last week; 2464 645 bushels in
 s5 s33 bushels in 1895, and ITS 150 bushels in 1894.
 Failure records, above fntiuated, bear witness to the satisfactory conditions ruling in commercial lines this year in total for the quarter of 3515 enibarrassments. involving lia- bfiftfes of S36, 19S. Goo, a decrease in number from a year ago of 13 per cent and from two years ago of 9 per cent. while regards ia- l hifties there is falling off from last year of 30 per cent, and compared with 1896 of over l 42 cent.
 1 Failures in the Dominion of Canada for the l quarter of 1898 number SIS. with liabilities of B 500 coo, a decrease of 24 per cent in number | and 20 per cent in liabilities from one year