The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-08
WHAT FAILURE FIGURES SHOW
Bradstreet's Draws Conclusions of a
Condition of Marvellous ProsneritX

/
| row will say: Statistics of failures point
! to continued trade improvement and to a
| still ebbing tide of business. Failure re-
| ports 70 rthe first and second quarters
! of the year left little to be desired show
| ing as they did, fewer failures than in
| any but the most favored years and
| liabilities the smallest for at least seven
teen years. Returns by months showed
failures and liabilities in June only about
half what they were in January, indi-
eating that failures were well down to the
minimum possible. when the fraction in
ordinary business life was considered.
The present report of business failures,
is, however, even better than any that
has gone before it in recent years and
the third quarter of the year 1899 appr1-
priately enough, shows the fewest fail
ures and smallest liabilities and the
smallest proportion of assets to liab.l-
ties of which there is any recent record.
AS indicative of this good showing being
representative Of existing conditions, it is
to be remarked that failures and liabili-
ties alike found their minimum this year
in September and corresponding totals
of previous years show that the month
just closed comes near to, if not actually
possessing, the record Of the smallest
business embarrassment and liabilities.
There were only POPS failures, involving
SIS. $50 965 in liabilities and $6,340,2S6 in
assets, in the third quarter of 1899, de-
crease of 16 per cent in number and of As
per cent in liabilities for the same guar
ter of last year, which. it is hardly neces-
n aI1 cd ~
business generally. Compared with the
second quarter of 1899 liabilities are IS FER
cent smaller. and compared with the first
three months of this year liabilities are
less than half as heavy. This tendency is
practically universal, though a slight in
crease in number and liabilities of fail
ures in the west over those in the second
quarter is noticeable Against this, how
ever, ii is to be recalled that compare
sons with year ago are satisfactory,
though business conditions last year in
the west and northwest were highly IA
vorabe Perhaps the most satisfactory
showing of all is that made by the south
ern states, which save at least apparent
" begun to share in the prosperity
earlier noted in other sections of the
country. Confirmation of reports from
time to time of improving southern trade
conditions. partly. of course, the result
of better cotton prices, is found in cur
rent failure returns. Growth in poHula-
ton and, consequently, in the number of
traders. is, apparently, mainly response |
BILE for the increased number Of failures
throughout the territories.
The total number of failures for the
nine months was only 7,075. falling off
of 20 per cent from last year. of Is per +
cent from 1897 and of Sc per cent from
1896. which year held the record for the /
most numerous nine months failures, eN- /
ceeding even the panic year 1893. As (
regards Liabilities. the total for the period |
under review-s65. $50, 2S7-is s. per cent |
smaller than it was last year. IS per cent /
smaller than in 1897, 81 per cent smaller /
than in 1896. so per cent smaller than in /
1874 the panic year; "A per cent smaller
than in 1892 and, in fact, is the smallest
aggregate of liabilities for the period /
mentioned that there is any record Of
Assets show even greater shrinkage. be-
ing A per cent less than last year less
than half what they were in 1887, 1888
NJ in 1894. only one-third Of those OF 1875
and only one-seventh Of what they were
in 1904. It is not strange. therefore, to
5,d that the percentage of assets to la
bilities is only II per cent this year.
against 81 last year. So in 1897, . in 1870
and % In 1928.