The true northerner., 1899-03-22
VOLUME Of TRADE large.
Activity In All Lines of Business Is
Reported from All Portions
of the Country.
MERCHANDISE EXPORTS LEAD IMPORTS.
Payments Through the Clearing
Houses Are Immense - National
Prosperity Rests ON Solid Founda-
tions-Exports Exceed Imports
Activity I'm JObbing Lines.

New York March 1s.-R. G. Dun & Co 3
Weekly Review OF Trade says: I'm busi-
ness. this year cannot be compared with any
other. IL can be said that payments
through the principal clearing houses for
the past week have been 57.4 per cent.
greater than in 1892 and 45.9 per cent great
er than In 1898. but that exaggerates the
gain In some branches OF business, while
In others IL falls far short of the gain.
Thus the February exports of manufac-
tured products have about doubled since
1892 Omitting New York clearings, where
speculation in stocks is most active, pay
ments through the other principal clear
Ing houses for the same week show Increase
of T.6 per cent. over 1892, and 27.1 per cent.
over last year. But without regard 10 such
details all realize that the volume of busi-
ness in most branches is the greatest ever
known.
Solid Foundations.
THE national prosperity rests on more
solid foundations. The exports of bread
stuffs, provisions, cotton and oil in Feb
'd.Sry showed a decrease of $6,OOO,OOO but
other exportS mainly manufactured. were
$50, 406.943 in Solue against $3l,215.S96 last
year, and were sufficiently large TO cover
60 per cent. of she entire imports. The
merchandise expirts exceeded imports for
the month So. .624 III. the gold supply in
creasing, and there appears no occasion for
monetary disturbance. The treasury re-
corded its first payment OF the $4,000. 900
for the Central P.cifc railroad, having
previously received 81 ,OO0, 900 for the Union
Pacific and over Sc. 10000 for the Kansas
Pacific
Iron II yoducts.
Swiftly rising quotations for iron and
its products would Iiislead If It were not
kept in mind that mo 'e than nine-tenths OF
The iron manufacturing capacity is engaged.
and will be until July or later. in the exc
cution of orders taken months ago at low
prices. III million tons of products go out
this month. s00.0 at such prices as SIS TO
80 for steel rails, at which the entire out
put of the Illinois Steel company for this
year was sold some time ago. II hardly In
dictates the true character of the iron busi-
ness that less than 100. 600 tons are going out
at such prices S26 TO S2S per ton for steel
rails made here for small lots this week.
Belated buyers now have to pay fancy
prices to get orders accepted at all. With
drawal postponement of business be-
cause of high prices begins to be a sig
ntficant feature, and much foreign business
is evidently lost.
Failures for the week have been 1S9 in
the United States. against 20S last year, and
20 In Canada. against u last year"
Bradstreet's Review.
Bradstreet's says: IAN activity which in
some directions represents the continuance
OF pre-existing conditions and I'm others re-
fleets a special impulse communicated by
the near approach of spring forms the lead
ing note Of this weeks trade advices. In
the iron and steel industries activity con-
tinues undated. the upward tendency OF
prices being strikingly maintained and the
eagerness Of consumers to take the product
remaining unchanged. The more springlike
weather has induced greater keenness in
the demand for seasonable goods and from
most sections of the country come reports
of a marked activity in jobbing lines having
TO do with dry goods millinery and foot
wear The cereals weakened during the
week. probably in sympathy with wheat,
which experienced a marked drop on
Thursday. in part as the result OF heavy
liquidation in Chicago and in part owing
to reports of the break of the drought in
California and better news from other
wheat-growing sections"