The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-01-09
A RECORD BREAKER.
A Portion of Brad.treet's Review of TIN
Wonderful Business Year just Closed.


New York, Dec. 29.-Rarely have
sanguine commercial and financial
hopes or predictions found such ade-
quate realization as they did during
1899. Certainly nothink like the wide
spread and general upward movement
of values, alike of staples and of Sc
curities, such as occurred during the
year, could have been foreseen.
Linked with an immense business
and a record breaking production in
nearly all lines of business and indus
try, except, perhaps, in some products
of the agricultural interests, there was
with it an advance of staple values
either of which alone would have made
the year notable and combined to have
served to establish the year as n
record breaker and set up new stand
ards. The volume of domestic and of
foreign trade alike was the largest
ever recorded, and the bank clearings,
rejecting immense business expansion,
active speculation in stocks and enor-
nous new industrial fioatings, far sur
a result, primarily, of the stimulation
proceeding from supply and demand
conditions, scored probably the great
est advance in any single year and
brought the general level of staple
values to the highest point reached for
more than eight years past. Failure
statistics point to the smallest number
reported for seventeen years past.
These results have come to pass in the
face of a considerably lessened pro
duction of wheat, and an immense
falling off in the yield of cotton.
In industrial affairs the year has
been one of enormous expansion. Ger
tainly nothing like the general advance
in wages of Industrial employees has
been witnessed for many years, and
imum of friction.
The close of the year finds order
books filled for from three to six
months ahead in nearly all lines. Dis
tributive trade was naturally of i'm
mense volume throughout the year,
though mild weather at the close tend
ed to modify the satisfaction with
which retail trade in winter fabrics
was regarded. This was, however,
partly compensated for by n holiday
business surprising all previous rec
ords.
Notwithstanding smaller exports of
agricultural pS>ducts during the calen-
dar year, breadstuffs shipments being
15 per cent smaller, cattle and hogs ex-
ports IL per cent less, and cotton ship
ment, owing to the short crop, at least
Is per cent. less, there vas such an OK
pansion IN our manufactured exports
that the entire export trade of the year
will considerably exceed that of the
last calendar year, which was the
heaviest recorded, and will make the
year no less notable in the line of for
eign exports little less than 81 $50, ,0O0,-
600, an aggregate of which, If reached,
will mark n gain of 3 per cent. over
the record total of 1898.
Imports have naturally shown
marked revival, and If the gain for the
eleven months is maintained for the
month OF December, total II little be-
low SSoo,0O0,O00 may be expected,
which would guarantee n total foreign
trade well in excess of $1,000, 900, 900,
an amount, it might be remarked, never
before equaled. As to exports, it is to
be noted that nearly one-third of all
are of manufactured products, n pro-
duction never before reached; and, as
to imports, the heavy increase in raw
products intended for manufacture
bears testimony to the activity of do
mestic industry. The apparent trade
balance in our favor, though not as
heavy as in 1898, will still aggregate
an enormous sum.