Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-18
THE TRADE SHOWING.
Volume of Business the Greatest
Ever known.

NEW YORK. March 17.-Messrs. r. G.
Dun & Co.'S weekly review Of trade to-
morrow will say:
In business. this year cannot be COM
pared with any other. IL can be said
that thZpayments through the principal
clearin<houses for the past week have
been 5f4 per cent. greater than In lS2.
and i5.9 per cent. greater than In 1885. but
that exaggerates the gain in some
branches of business. while in others 1t
falls far short of the gain. Thus. the
February exports Of manufactured pro-
ducts have about doubled since 1892. Omit
ting clearngs az New York. where specu-
lation I'm stocks IS most active, payments
through the other principal clearing
houses for the same week show Increases
OF 3I.6 per cent. over 1882. and ri per
cent. over last year. but without regard
to such details. all realize that the volume
OF business i'm all branches is the great
est ever known The national prosperity
rests on more solid foundations. The eX-
ports of breadstuns, provisions. and cot
ton i'm February showed a decrease of So
000. 900, but other exports. mainly OF manu-
factured goods, were $l6 iO698 I'm value,
against s3l. 275S 1886 last year, and We're suf-
ficiently large 10 cover GO per cent. Of the
entire imports. The merchandise exports
exceeded imports for the month SS3,62i,l III.
the gold supply is increasing. and there
appears no occasion for monetary dis
turbance. The Treasury recorded its first
payment Of the s590CO000 for the Central
Pacific railroad, having previously re-
ceived sj90CO,0G0 for the Union Pacihc,
and over S6Oo0.OG0 for the Kansas Pacific.
IRON AND IT'S PRODUCTS.
Swiftly-rising quotations for iron ana
it's products would mislead If IL were not
kept In mind that more than nine-tenths
Of the iron manufacturing capacity is
engaged. and viii be until July or later
IN the execution of orders taken months
ago at low prices. If million tons OF
products go out this month. 10000 at such
prices as SIS to $50 for steel rails at which
the entire output of the Illinois Steel
Company for this year was sold some
time ago. It hardly indicates the true
character Of the iron business that less
than iOOC0) tons are going out at such
prices as S2G TO S2S per ton for steel rails,
made here for small lots this week. Be
lated buyers nov have TO pay fancy
prices to get orders accepted at all. With
drlwal or pOstponement OF business be-
cause OF high prices begins TO be a sig
nifcant feature. and much foreign busi-
ness is evidently lost, though there are
still sales for expOrt-3,J0O tons Of pipe for
South America. for example. and 5000
tons Of bridge material for Burmah. The
COnnelsyllle COke-W Works. with an out
put of 1920 tons weekly. and many
operating Sundays TO catch up with or
ders, have advanced prices 10 cents only.
WOOfs-COTTON-W -WHEAT-CORN.
Wool sales al the three chief markets
have been only 4.30JGO0 pounds. OF which
276l 800 were domestic. against j.07S. 200 In
Z xarlnf .
were domestic; but prices are soft. and
some dealers are said 10 have yielded as
much as 10 cents per pound. clean,
because nobody can guess what effect the
new combinations may have. Prices are
largely nominal. and yet there is some
what better demand for goods.
Nor has the strong demand for cotton
goods been helped by the weaker market
for cotton, which has fallen 10 6.& cents.
in spite OF a volume of reports about
the bad condition OF the late-picked pro-
duct The price of goods has strongly
advanced. and is held. but yet depends
on the price Of cotton.
The market which has lost most IS
that which has least statistical reason
TO lose. because no estimate Of wheat IN
farmers hands March lst would provide
more than about last years exports and
domestic demand 10 July lst. The actual
exports. -four included. from both coasts.
during the past two weeks. have been
795G.93S bushels against 7367S92 last year.
But such exports imply a foreign demand
which Is not unlikely 10 exceed last
years. and the corn exports are also
little larger than last years The west
ern receipts for the week have been
3,35O0OO bushels. against 25JI. CC6 last year.
Failures for the week have been ls9
ttn.rF nl4
year. and 30 in Canada, against q yast
n..l