The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-01
REVIEW OF THE MARKETS.
coNDITION OF GENERAL TRADE
DURING THE PAST YEAR

business During the Past Week of a
holiday Characteristic Wholesale
MARKETS quiet Bat Steady-Cotton
vorlxet Remained Unchanged.
Snirits TurpentiRe at 4 Cent De-
cIinc-ROsiu Market Higher for
Medium and Lower for Pale
Gradcs-Statistics of the Markets.
Savannah, Dec. 31.-The year ended with
q fairly satisfactory trade i'm all depart
Ynents. excepting cotton. That market
gradually declined after the opening of the
session. Sept. l, and during the past month
reached the lowest notch. The price of
spot cotton at the close of the year was
: s-l6c. against csc at the close of 1896.
Sales of spots have not been large the
factors preferring to hold their stocks
rather than let them go at the unusual
and unexpected decline. For months
there has been an expected advance which
has been slow to materialize. The de-
mand has been good, especially for the
continent, and the exports have been
heavy. The movement to this port has
been greatly increased, being about 240,0lO
more than in the season of 1885, from Sept.
] to Dec. 81. The total increase for the
season, so far, at all of the ports has
been about 1000 bales. as against last
year. The percentage Of increased receipts
at Savannah have been greater than at
any other port.
Spirits turpentine has been in steady de-
mand throughout the year. Owing to the
expected shortage in the crop, buyers were
regularly in the market and the price was
advanced, on an average, to cents above
the range of the previous year The stock
on hand is said to be in the hands of one
exporting firm.
Rosin has been in good demand, espec-
tally the lower grades, but the range OF
Drices has been lower. The stock on hand
is less that it was at this time last year
and it is expected that at the end Of the
fiscal year, March 81, the stock will be
lower than it has been for many years, al
the close of the season.
The lumber trade has been quite active
and during the past few months the prices
have been steadier.
The latter part of the year just past has
been fairly active in the general whole
sale markets. The grocery business was
steady, the movement to the interior was
of full volume Hardware trade was entirely
satisfactory to dealers, and the volume Of
business was greatly increased during The
past three months. The dry goods bust
ness was satisfactory to most dealers. AL
though profits were small, the increase il
the movement helped to swell the returns
Collection were fairly good.
Altogether the year ends with a decided
increase in the volume of business done
in the different departments, as the banl
Hearings will show, these being abou
50, 100000 over 1896. The new year is expect
ed to open up with even brighter pros
poets for the future.
The Savannah Cotton Exchange will b.
closed Jan. l and also on Monday Jan. 3
No reports of the cotton will be received
on these days from Savannah, New York
New Orleans and Galveston. The Boar,
of Trade will be closed New Years day
but will open again on Monday.
The statistics below are for the weel
ending tonight, and are in comparison
with the same week last year.