The Western enterprise., 1900-01-06
RECORD BREAKER.

NJ Brad.treeI's Review of the
fOl11orfuI Business Year just Closed.
VIZ W. York. Dec. 29.-Rarely have
nine commercial and financial
aas or predictions found such ade-
w realization as they did during
'rO Certainly nothink like the wide
.ood and general upward movement
roIues. alike of staples and of Sc
..;sos such as occurred during the
oar could have been foreseen.
linked with an immense business
"A record breaking production in
,-,v all lines of business and indus
!, except, perhaps, in some products
.bp agricultural interests, there was
4 IN il an advance of staple values,
N .bor Of which alone would have made
!. rpar notable and combined to have
.,,vad to establish the year as a
.ord breaker and set up new stand
,ds The volume of domestic and of
b,pign trade alike was the largest
.ror recorded. and the bank clearings,
,,apcting immense business expansion,
active speculation in stocks and enor-
IONS new industrial tiOatings, far sur
,,sspd all previous records. Prices, as
result, primarily of the stimulation
roceedng from supply and demand
ambitions, scored probably the great
+ 81 advance in any single year and
nught the general level of staple
nlues to the highest point reached for
more than eight years past. Failure
satisfies point to the smallest number
ppOrted for seventeen years past.
these results have come to pass in the
sce Of a considerably lessened pro-
tuction Of wheat, and an immense
.hning off in the yield of cotton.
In Industrial affairs the year has
een one Of enormous expansion. Ger
|ainly nothing like the general advance
wages of industrial employees has
een Witnessed for many years, and
Ibis has been accomplished with Il MIL
mum of friction.
The close Of the year finds order
books filled for from three to six
months ahead in nearly all lines. Dis
Eibutive trade was naturally of i'm
Iense volume throughout the year,
hOugh mild weather at the close tend
b to modify the satisfaction with
Fhich retail trade in winter fabrics
Fas regarded This was. however.
artly compensated for by holiday
hsincsS surprising all previous rec
Hds.
Notwithstanding smaller exports of
Egicultura! pc~1ucts during the calen-
bar year breadstuffs shipments being
y per cent smaller, cattle and hogs ex-
ports y per cent. less, and cotton ship
atnt owing to the short crop, at least
u per cent. less, there was such an ex-
|snSiOn in our manufactured exports
Pat the entire export trade of the year
FIJI considerably exceed that of the
N calendar year, which was the
|aTieSt recorded, and will make the
eaf no less notable in the line of for
/ N exports little less than $1,2SO,OOO.-
n an aggregate of which, if reached.
Ill mark a gain of 3 per cent. over
record total of 1898.
Imports have naturally shown a
AAed revival, and if the gain for the
even months is maintained for the
plIh OF December, total a little be-
r SSO0,000,0OO may be expected.
Icl would guarantee a total foreign
Ae well in excess of $1,000, 600 900.
amount it might be remarked, never
pure eQuaIed. AS to exports, it is to
noted that nearly one-third Of all
u manufactured products, a pro-
%lOn never before reached; and, as
imports the heavy increase in raw
'uuc'S intended for manufacture
dN testimony to the activity of do
@uc industry. The apparent trade
-'lce IN our favor, though not as
~! as IN 1898, will still aggregate
el0FmOus sum.