The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-19
WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE
VAR REPORTS FAIL TO CHECK ON- WARD CURRENT OF BUSINESS.

Orders for More Than S25, ,5OO, ,000 in Gold
 From Europe Have Blocked Any Drift
 Toward Stringency in Rates for Money.
 New York, March 18.-R. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review of trade will say: Neither peace nor war reports have changed the onward current of busi- ness. Orders for more than $25, 900 gold from Europe have blocked any drift toward stringency in rates for money, and treasury receipts of about any question about the currency, while exports of products have continued at a rate considerably increased, and the demand for products of the great in- dustries shows steady expansion. | The backbone o fthe situation is the excess of merchandise exports, again more than $41, 100000 in February, with an increase of $2,600000 in miscella- neous products, $210O,000 in provisions, $4,50O000 in cotton, and S7,0O0,oO0 in ] breadstuffs, compared with last year, and 15,100,000 in all products.
 Wheat also moves in spite of all speculation. Atlantic exports, flour | included, have been $1,S24,5 569 bushels against $1,253,99O last year, and from Pacific ports 1,371,s26 bushels against 268,505 last year, making for three weeks from both coasts 10,659,125 bush l els against 4,5SS441 last year. Nothing yet appears in all foreign returns to indicate that anything less than the utmost this country can spare in grain will be required by foreign countries before September. Wool shows no change in quotations, though eastern markets are extremely dull, and the | indifference of manufacturers has made transactions only 2062, 300 pounds against 10391, 300 for the corresponding period last year and 5,0SS,200 for the | corresponding week of 1892 The Lon don market is rather high, and holders in the interior are expecting material advance in prices.
 k Little encouragement appears in the market for cotton goods, with print cloths a sixteenth lower than a week ago, and standard grades undersold by many of less note. The demand is large, but not large enough. In woolen goods, on the contrary, the ma terial advance in prices has raised the only obstacle to increased transactions, and somewhat frequent cancellations indicate that dealers have been disap- pointed in their distribution. The small yielding in wool may result in a l +o,, &o,, ,,, Y,a manufacture continues. The boot and shoe manufacture have chosen the op- posite policy, has secured by far the largest orders ever known at this sea- son through concessions which leave scarcely any profit for the works, but insure active operations for a half year or more to the establishments produc- ing most heavily. Leather is slightly weaker, and hides at Chicago average little lower in prices.
 Bessemer pig and grey forge are both slightly stronger at Pittsburg, the pro- posed combination of valley furnaces helping, but pig Is not changed in price elsewhere, nor are finished products at any point, excepting wire nails, which are five cents per keg l W6dker, dIlu Slecl TdllS WHICH dIe Sditl to be sold at S17.50 at the east by some establishments.
 Railroad earnings continue 7.9 per cent. larger than last year and '. per cent. larger than in 1892, while Chicago eastbound tonnage is very much the largest ever recorded, and bank clear ings for the month were 42.S per cent. larger than last year.
 Failures for the week have been POS in the United States against 216 last year and AS in Canada against 50 last year.