Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-02-02

r. G. Dun & Co.'s Review for last
week saws: ''The lumber movement is
unusually large for the season, with
prices of low grades sharply advancing.
Railroad earnings and tonnage have
shown surprising gains. Treasury re
ceipts are gaining. Wool grows weaker,
because forced by speculation year
ago to prices which the market. for
goods could not sustain, and has been
much embarrassed in trying to sustain
ever since Western bankers begin to
advise speculative holders to sell. Goods
are in much greater demand because
prices fairly proportional to the re,
duction of about 10 per cent in wool
since a year ago have been made IN
important openings. The sales OF wool
are still small, manufacturers buying
at Philadelphia, where prices are yield.
ing, rather than at Boston, where great
efforts arc made to sustain them, but
the goods movement for heayyweights
10 still disappointing and comparatively
slow. Cotton is higher, 14c., and goods
have been strong. The receipts arc
light. though growers havo seen rise
of over cent per pound from inc
lowest point to tempt them. Wneat
has risen s cents, with much buying,
based on extraordinary exports from
Atlantic ports for the week, Hour in
cluded, 3,Sl3,3O1 bushels, against
3, 97l, 1888 last year; from Pacific ports,
81 go, aginst 1,1S0, 272 last year, and
from other ports, 462, 4o4. In four
weeks the exports from both coasts
have been 1863, 0ST bushels, against
16, Ills. 926 last year. Corn has advapceo
. cents, although exports have been
IL, 5l3. 800 bushels, against l3,06l, All
last year, and the surprising continu-
ance Of demand, equalling last year s
seems to have been forgotten. But
official trade returns show that this one
feature counts for millions in the year s
excess of merchandise exports.
Bradstreet's says that the apparently
steady rise in the tide of general bust
ness has been diversified this week by
an outburst of speculative interest in 9
number of staples, notably cotton ano
wheat, which heretofore have registered
steady gains on actual consumptive
| demand, rather than on the develop
mont of marked bullish speculation.
Exceptional industrial activity,
| particularly in the iron and steel trades,
| is another feature of note, and here,
too, price advances are all but general
| rejecting, so fur as can be seen, chiefly
| the urgency of consumers require
ments In the regular channels of dis
tributive trade conditions continue, II
| the main, satisfactory, the volume. o.
spring orders at most markets being
reported as larger than in any recently
preceding year at this time. Banl
clearings undoubtedly reflect vastly en-
larged speculation at New York, ant
notable increases also at smaller cities
The total for the week ending Thurs
day, for the first time in the country
history, has passed the two billion
dollar mark, aggregating for the weel
50, IA, III, 900, per cent larger thai
last weeks immense total, 67 per cen
larger than in this week n year ago
considerably more than double tn
totals reported in the corresponding
weeks OF 1894, 1895 and 1896, 56 pc
cent larger than the very heavy clear
ings of the corresponding week of 1879
and n per cont larger than in thi
week of 1892. Business failures ar
fewer in number, aggregatins 246
against 262 last week, 2SS in this weel
a year ago, 326 in 1897, 1888 in 1896 AM
3l2 in 1896"