Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-01-26

r. G. Dun a. Co. IS Review for last
week says: 1.-THE volume of payments
through clearing houses is extraordin-
AIRY, 42.7 per cent larger than last year,
96.9 per cent larger than in 1897, and
51.5 per cent larger than in 1892, even
the transactions outside of New York
showing gain over 1892 of A. per
cent. Speculation at New York, there
fore, cannot be tho main cause of gain.
Difficulties between. holders of material
and manufacturers continue to hinder
some industries, and in some may
prove seriously embarrassing, but the
activity Is, on the whole, unsurpassed
hitherto, and the volume of traffic is
beyond all expectations. More gold is
coming, 81, $50, 600 at San Francisco,
and a little direct from Europe for the
week, and the debt of other countries
to this is rapidly increasing. Nobody
has explained how it is to be settled,
and the decline in European bank
rates appears to indicate a strong
desire to limit the indebtedness. Fail
ures for two weeks of the year have
been So, 623, 200, against "a, 455, 6S5 last
year, SS, 407, 254 in 1897, and Sl2, 53S, :
SIT in 1896. Failures for the week
have been $40 in the United States,
against 374 last year, and 32 in Canada,
against 50 last year.
Bradstreet's issue of Saturday says :
''The continued strength of staple
values, accumulated this week by
further advances in iron and steel and
other metals, in cotton at the South
and in lumber at some Western points,
has undoubtedly added to the con-
fidence with which the outlook for the
ensuing year is regarded. That this
confidence has fair basis in fact will
be gathered from the reports received
from the iron and cotton goods trades,
the firmness in cotton goods being OF
considerable interest. in view of the
depression ruling throughout the larger
part of last year. The iron trade stu
alton remains, as for some time past, u
feature of absorbing interest. Large
as the production of pig iron is, eager
buyers are found apparently for every
ton offered. Most furnaces are reported
booked ahead on orders. Little change
is reported in the market for cereals,
and the market for cash wheat still
reflects the commanding position held
by the United States as suppliersof the
worlds wheat. There is peroeptible
improvement in the demand for dry
goods, particularly cotton fabrics a
New York and Boston, where late adj
vances are firmly held. There is also
more doing in dress woolens at those
markets. Reports from the mems veal
trade show little gain, however, and q
number of makes of heavy woolens ars
opening below last year's prices. Ad
vices as to general distributive trade
are quite favorable and spring orders
are reported coming in in good volumi
at such centres as Chicago, st. Louis
the Upper Mississippi Valley, and Al
larger Eastern centres, with the ex
oeption of Philadelphia, and even here
an improved tone is manifested. Wheat
| including flour, shipments for the weel
aggregated 5,198,671 bushels, agains
5,647,0 OIL bushels last week, 3, 726, 06.
bushels in corresponding week of 1898
2,916, FOG bushels in 1897, 3,849, ri
bushels in 1896, and 2,s40. $50 bushel'
IN 1895. Corn exports for the weel
aggregate 1928, 19l bushels, agains
3, 297, 072 bushels last week, 3, 4S6, II:
bushels in this week u year ago
8, $40, 1923 bushels in 1897, 3, 1872, 36i
bushels in 1895, and sos, 500 bushels il
| 1895.