The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-02
THE CONDITION OF TRADE
Heavy Foreign Demand for Agri-
cultural Products.
LARGER BANK ClEARINGS
Unsettled Foreign Relations HaveI Inter-
fered With Current Demand
and Distribution-Crop
Prospects.

New York, April l.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say A week of rather
quieter trade N smaller distribution,
due to easily explainable causes. closes
a quarter which has been eminently
satisfactory to nearly all branches of
trade and productive of an unprece-
dented business in many favored lines.
The heavy foreign demand for our pro-
ducts, particularly agricultural staples,
and the active domestic movement in
most lines, are evidenced by the heav-
lily increased bank clearings reported
for the quarter, and the effect on the
commercial mortality IL favorably re-
fiected in a total for the first three
months of 1898 of failures and of liza
bilities involved smaller than in the
corresponding period for our years
past.
Current demand and distribution at
h East have been interfered with by
the uncertainties growing out of our
unsettled foreign relations. This has
been particularly manifest In a most
pronounced indisposition on the part of
buyers to anticipate future wants. and
some cancellation of orders for wooden
goods are attributed directly to this
cause. Evidence Is not lacking. how
ever, that the stimulation to the wooden
goods industry growing GU of tariff
changes last year is responsible in
some measure for the unreadiness of
manufacturers to go ahead as conf
IDENTIFY now as they did a year & Lit
tie or no Improvement is found in the
coarse cotton goods trade, and prices
for cloths have marked a new record in
prices OF 2h for regular goods.
There is a rather more quiet condi-
ton as regards new demand for iron
and steel at most markets, and some
shading In quotations is claimed. but
the business doing is on an immense
scale. Good weather at the South ia
vors an early planting season. but bus
mess based upon this has not been OF
such a volume as to make up for the
auieting demand noted at a number Of
coast cities and at river points. where
high water is limiting business to some
extent. Export trade at New Orleans
is reported checked by increased freight
insurance rates, growing out of the
present unsettled foreign situation.
Freight rates are reported weaker on
the Pacific coast and trade is reported
quieter at most cities.
The outlook is for a very heavy crop
of wheat I'm the state OF Washington
this year. Boat building and iron man.
ufacturing are exported active I'm the
Pacific Northwest. The price situation
Is on the whole quite encouraging this
week, oats, -four. print clothes 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 I'M
changed in price appears the most num-
erous.
Exports of wheat flour inciuded) are
smaller han for some weeks past, but
are much larger han I'm corresponding
periods of previous years. a~ggregating
3,550.6 64 bushels. against $3.50. 900 bush
els last week; 2.464,6 45 bushels I'm his
week of last year; 1855. 1917 bushels In
1896; 1858. 933 bushels in 1895, and ATS
$50 bushels i'm 1894.
Failure records. as above intimated,
bear witness to the satisfactory condi-
tons ruling In. commercial lines this
year in a total for the quarter of 3,515
embarrassments, involving liabilities of
$36, 1875. 900, a decrease i'm lumber from
a year G of IL per cent, and from two
years ago of 22 per cent, while as re-
CARDS liabilities there is a falling Off
from last year of 80 per cent. and. as
compared with 1896. of over AZ per cent.
Failures in the Dominion OF Canada for
the first quarter of 1898 number SIC,
with liabilities of So. 800. 00o. a decrease
of "a per cent in number, and 20 per
cent In liabilities for one year ago.,