The herald., 1898-04-23
Bradstreet's Report

brauSCrecC 1sopoAI
NEW YORK, April 22.-Bradstreets TO-
morrow will say:
| General trade and speculation this week
have exhibited most of the characteristics
(which have become .popularly assoclateo -
with the near approach OF hostilltles: w ME
| there is reported a further quieting OF
ldIstributive trade in some lines at the east
and south, traceable almost directly to an
ticipated warlike conditions, there Is
lack of regularity, even IN the reports trott' .t
lnow that the uncertainty so long preVali-
| ing has been dispelled, trade conditions are
being shaped to the new order OF thinSs;
There is, consequently. greatly increased
activity in many special lines at the sea-
board, accompanied by excited markets
and heavy price advances. Wnile trace IN
the interior sympathizes to certain 3, eX,
tent with this price movement, there Is sun
a perceptibly good trade reported entirely
outside of this, which serves to prove that
the prospect of war has not had nearly as
much effect inland as IT has on tne coast
| In commercial lines this week much In
terest and activity has been manifested IN
the speculative and actual demand 1or
Heading staples. such as wheat, corn, oats,
flour coffee sugar, most pork products ana
cotton. A reflection of this active demand.
| which had it's rise, so far as wheat ana
cotton are concerned, among foreign puy-
ers who wish to anticipate any possible IN
terruption of supplies. is found in the move
ment of prices, which for the first time for
many weeks past. shows general upward
tendency.
are directly traceable to war influences,
marking. as they do. either desire on the
part of the domestic buyers to protect
themselves against any possible interrupt
| ton of supplies or the anticipated levy OF
taxes to meet the increased outlays OF the
government. Careful search among the
quotations for staple products fails to re-
veal any important declines in prices. out
side of a fractional marking down ofr;eel
billetS at some markets.
The check to export trade at some ports,
notably at the south. is reflected In tenn
and -four The total shipments of wheat
| (four included) this week aggregate 3,223,-
1O6 bushels. against 4.525, 1902 bushels last
week. 1854 ,sss bushels IN this soV week year
| There were 224 business failures In the
United States this week, against 251 last
| week. 215 in this week year ago, and 24o
| in 1896
Business failures in Canada for the week
number is, against q last week, % in this
| week a year ago. and 81 in 1896.
Financial Review
Bradstreet's Financial Review tomorrow
will say:
Bradstreet's has for some time past not
hesitated to point out the unfavorable ef-
fects of the prevailing uncertainty as to
our foreign relations upon the general busi-
ness of the country. There has been some
disposition apparent of late, however, to
IdttrlDute COnSlQeTaDl6 more u tIlc rear
of impending hostilities than seems proper.
Reports have been given in the press of a
large volume of cancellations in different
lines Of trade. all due. 1t Is claimed, to the
| fear of strained relations.
Special and widespread inquiry fails to
show anything like the reported volume
of cancellations in different kinds OF trade
at various cities, with the sole exception of
the woolen goods industry. And even here
the cause of the depression, while primarily
given as disturbed condition of our foreign
relations, has been by some observers at
tributed, and we believe to some extent
properly. to the natural reaction following
the activity which was feature of WOOL
en- goods manufacturing one year ago.
These cancellations were reported as said
to have come chiefly from wholesale cloth
ing manufacturers, and the percentage
given of Cancelled orders has been placed
as high as so to rs per cent. A number Of
mills, however are said to have shut down
and the evil of overstocking is thought to
have been largely averted. Careful in
quiry, while showing considerable por-
ton Of the cancellations to have been due
fully 50 per cent of them have been due
to clothing houses giving larger orders than
they really required, in the hope that the
market would continue to advance. AS the
the orders have been simply Cancelled, and
the above reasons have been assigned.
Dun's Review
NEW YORK. April pr. G. Dun &
Co.'S Weekly Review Of Trade will say
tomorrow:
The war is no longer to be avoided, and
business is somewhat contracted by bank
ers' apprehensions. There Is no excuse
except lack of nerve for declines in rail-
way stocks, when earnings have been IA, 8
per cent larger than last year for the first
half of April, and 4.S per cent larger than
in 1892, with railway tonnage eastbound
from Chicago about 10 per cent larger
than in 1892 Neither are clearing house
transactions gloomy. The weeks paw
ments were 1876 per cent larger than last
year, and 6.3 per cent larger than in 1892.
In no aspect can the wheat market be
considered without finding just occasion for
material advance in prices, which has
been 725 per cent for the week. The ex-
ports from the Atlantic coast ports have
been 3,104 1909 bushels (four included),
against 1892 last year. and from Pacific
coast ports 435,686 bushels, against So 1920
last year, making for the three weeks Of
April 1883, ,492 bushels from Atlantic ports,
against 3,5S8,170 bushels last year, and from
Pacific ports 2.529, ,62S bushels against No.
ST. for the same weeks last year. The ex-
ports of corn during the same three weeks
have been II .340,1 1888 bushels, against 10, OIL
181 bushels last year, which is strong evil
dence that the demand for wheat is in NO
sense fictitious. With 10000 tons Bessemer
iron sold at Pittsburg for SO 40, and with
dealings in gray forge unchanged, and
sales of 30 900 tons to crawheel makers alone
at Chicago. and 10, 900 tons at eastern works
Of Pennsylvania, with some at the south
for pipe manufacturers, the enormous pro-