Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-04-13


trade is even more marked this week
than last, says the current issue of
Bradstreets, 'testifyIng to the un-
favorable effect upon retail trade and
Indirectly upon iobbing distribution of
the cold, backward spring, and less
favorable wheat crop alyices. While
reports as to damage to winter wheat
are most numerous from the Southwest,
the influences of the backward season,
frost in the ground and other unfavor-
able conditions have tended to moderate
the hitherto very cheerful tone of adj
vices from the spring wheat States.
This, of course, is more particularly
true of retail trade, because the whole
some spring distribution was very
large. Other features of the week are
further quoting down Of the excite
ment in iron and steel, though here
lack of supplies and not lack of con-
sumptive demand is assigned as the
chief reason. A strike of iron ore
miners in the Lake Superior district
seems likely to complicate the ore
supply question. Strikes, involving in
| all $1,000 men, have been a feature of
the weeks operations. The boot and
shoe industry is notable among the
trades reporting improved conditions
this week. Improved jobbing demand
is coupled with advances at Eastern
markets, due, 1T is explained, to the
| higher price of sole leather and Other
material. Hides arc sympathetically
strong also. Lumber is feeling tho in
fluence of expanding spring demand al
many markets, and prices are very
strong. Raw sugar is in active do
mand from refiners, and higher, also,
in sympathy with European quotations
for beet sugar. Tho situation il
textiles is little changed. Cotton is
slightly lower on fuller crop movement
but manufactured goods are firm
though some speculative lots of gray
cottons havs been offered at conces
sions. Wool and woolens are rather
quiet, though fall orders for women!
wear goods are encouraging, and thu
raw product is steady, the view being
that the proposed goods combinations
have not gotten very large supplies o
wool. The situation as regards price
is still very favorable one, the list Q
staples advancing or remaining stead.
being by far the most numerous, whilt
bank cloarings statistics, railroad earn
ings and all other obtainable measure
OF trade progress point to. an immens
business, speculative and otherwise
having been done during the frs
quarter of tho year $780,"
Il. G. Dun g. Co. g Review for las
week says: "Failures in the frs
quarter Of 1899 were in number 2,772
against 3,6S7 last year, and the liabili
ties &27, 1852, OIL, against S32, GAG, sos,
decrease of III. per cent. Geographical
aspects make the return peculiar; witt
a slight increase of defaults in Ney
England, an increase Of Is per cent il
the Southeast and 20 per cent in tn
Central States, there was decrease G
nearly 20 per cent in the Pacific an
Southwestern States, IL per cent i
Western States and IS per cent in Mid
die States. No other year OF the twenty
four covered by Dun's quarterly report
has shown as small failures during ii
first quarter excepting 1880 and 1881
and no other except 1850 and 1886 4
, small liabilities per failure. Th
! average OF defaulted liabilities pc
firm in business, only S22. 10, is smalle
than in the first quarter of any yea
, except 1880, and the ratio of defaulte
liabilities to solvent payments throug
, clearinghouse, only 81. II per 81, 900,
+, also the lowest for the quarter eXcel
: in 1880 The volume and prosperity (
! business render small failures natura
! The crowding of vast realized prof
! for fresh Investment has not only lifte
j prices Of railroad stocks SO high thu
! the sixty most active have risen abot
= SIS per share and one goes back ov'
: the record sixteen years, to tho sprin
> of 1883, before finding an average ;
. high-but it has given confidence
: create during a single quarter now il
dustrial securities exceeding in walt
!, all railway, banking and industri
!. securities ever issued in any full ye;
4 prior to 1898. Time must judge no
a far each OF these represents industri
EARNING mower -