The Portland daily press., 1899-12-30
HEAVIEST EVER KNOWN.
Holiday Trade Greatest Country Has
Experienced.

tomorrow VIII say. Holfuey qniet ana
stock taking impaft an appearances Of
duilnsss to general distributive trade.
broken, however, by fair activity In re-
order business 10 fiii mp stocks deplsted
By the heaviest holiday trade thsf has
ever been experienced. Antieiration OF
spring trade wants. have given a more
than ordinarily solve appearance to busi-
ness In dry goods at New York. while In
Industrial lines the efforts Of m-nufsc-
turers to keep up with filed order books
Is resulting In unusually active opera
tions. Following the flnrry In money.
stocks and In some lines Of speculative
commodities, noted last week, has come
as was expected, q more cheerful tone
and frming up Of quotations 10 not'csd
In such staples as cotton and also In hold
ing products, coffee, copper tin and lead.
The failure Of cotton receipts to increase,
has been source Of strength In that
market. Aside from these failures prices
have displayed exceptional hrmness. The
strength Of textiles Is still failure. Al
though wool reosipts at Boston for the
year aggregate nearly double those Of
year ago, the stock held at the close of
the year ,s actually smaller than 1t was st
the end OF 1925. One Of the last OF the
manufactured textiles 90 feel the impetus
Of expanding demand. cotton thread, has
this week bssn advanced. Boot and shoe
statistics point TO an increase Of ship.
meuts from Boston OF 400, 900 oasss over
the preceding year.
In iron and steal ssasonahls quiet as re-
CARDS new business Ia observable, but un-
nbatsd activity on earlier booked orders
IN reported and pricss despite the great
advance Of this year and doubtless reflect
ing the large orders ahead, exceptionally
firm. raiu In strength of other metals
is feature calling for note this week.
Reports of the past years trade received
this week are very good. Chicago reports
business In all lines for the year rs 25 to
so per cent anead OF last year. Fewer un-
employed men ara reported at ira, city
than ever befors known. Colder weather
has helped seas o IA BILE goo is In the rorth-
west On the Pacific toa.t. reaction
from ant,-t o,iday retail aetlvity is ot.d
Trade rvroits Il ON the 10 tn are general
lly eooi. At the east dry goods are In
qooi demand at Nsw York, clothing
manufactu urers are we'll pleased w.tl the
years results and building Preparations
At Boston business Is quiet but ttsady
and the .t-enath OF textiles is specially
rotsble. Wool Ia ouiet, with the smallest
weeks sales rot d for IL o7tas past, bl t
prioes are firm and fuit asr adyauo, is
talked of.
Bank clea-ings for the week naturally
stova shrinknge IRON TIE enorm ous
tot Al OF last week. which holds the week
lv record for the year. aggrsgating ST.
by5. s75. s29 a decrease OF 28 per cent fiom
last week. hut a gain OF 13 per cent over
this week a year ago. Bank clearinss for
the year will break ali ree rds In a total
of $ls, 800, eco. cor, thhty-six per cent
eavier than last rear. business failures
for the week number 22O a. compared
with ais in this week year ago. For the
year failures are ths smallest in mum ber
for seventsen years past and, were It rot
for few heavy financial suspensions, In
Decem ber. Hsbil lea. which will exceed
toss OF 1892. sIiaLtly. voald have been
thu smallest for twelve years past
Though the years record Is not as yet
,o,npl,t, and thel as to asst { ; and
liabilities are still more or less vague, It
NAV te ,tatsd with a fair degree OF GER
tainty that the total number OF failures
wiilste al ont $3.50. a total smaller than
I'm the presiding year by sey.nteen per
cent.
As repards liabilities while the showing
ia not 90 good as expected there Is a rsa-
sonable hone of the aggregate not being
much In excess of IsO,(OO,O-0, which
would lie fifteen per cent less than In
1898. The rsturn of normal conditions is
indicated by the percentage Of assets
which may aggregate sl2.COo. 900 20 Iis-
biiities. being only 81. O as against 81 per
cent last wear. The percentage Of those
falling 10 thoss in business. too, will
sho W a marked shrinkage ami will he