River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-01-03
TRADE REVIEW.
Dan & Co. Present Preliminary
Statement Of business Fall
ares for the Year.


New York. Dee ar G. Dun & Cc's
Weekly Review Of Trade SAYS while It
is not set possible 10 print accurate figures
of failures during the fun year 1850. pre-
limirary statement may be made that VIII
approximate the final result Detailed re-
turns for all but the last few Gays Of the
year have been compiled. and adding pro-
portionate amount for the time siill 10
elapse it appears that commercial failures
will number about 10 go, with liabilities OF
Sl3l 100000 OF this number 200 were IN
manufacturing for $40, 900, $500 in trad
ing for $50 00e 90, and $50 brokers, trans
porters ETC., not properly belongings IN
either of the other classes, for 81 zoo .o0o
Besides these strictly commercial defaults
there were 60 financial concerns with iia-
bilities OF S34 0Q0. swelling the total to
1880 in number and $l70,000.00O in amount.
This shows a large increase over the pre-
ceding year when all failures numbered
1888. and liabilities were Sl23, l32. 6a9. 1t
must not be forgotten, however, that 1899
was a year of exceptional prosperity in
business, and while trade was then stimu-
lated by rising prices the succeeding year
had to bear the bitter fruit of reaction. De-
spite these disasters, made unavoidable by
the very conditions that brought such
phenomenal record for 1899, it still will be
found that 1900 compares favorably with
other recent years.
80 general preparation had been made
by eastern business interests for squeeze
in money near the end Of the year that
the expected advance did not occur, ard
collections in the interior were so good that
banks made general complaint OF the
scarcity of mercantile paper offered for
discount. This outcome was particularly
encouraging, though business will need
more money after January /. Meanwhile a
good undertone has been continually IN evil
denoe founded upon the active distribu-
ton OF merchandise south and west. self
ers assuming an Indifferent attitude, eN-
cept in cotton goods and some branches
of silk. where the general Improvement
has been reflected TO comparatively small
degree. In both cotton and silk circles
better things are expected in January and
in no direction has reduction of working
forces in mills occurred. Some wage dif-
ferences have been adjusted. In this re-
spect the situation is unusually bright.
More talk of a general reduction in coke
and ch lper ore after navigation opens
might De calculated to unsettle quotations
of the finished products but iron and steel
continue the even tenor of their way. In
every department of this industry more
business is offered than can be accepted un-
less purchasers are willing TO give much time
for delivery. One large foreign contract
was lost on this account, and at many
points domestic operations are delayed by
inability to secure material Instead Of the
agitation for cheaper steel rails that was
so prevalent d short time ago, producers are
said to contemplate an advance
Bradstreets says: "A fitting close to a
year Of exceptional and in some respects
unprecedented activity is furnished by the
very general report of large holiday BUSH
ness in the past week. The best reports as
to this sort of trade come from the south
western section, but except in some parts
Of the spring wheat and lumber belt of
the northwest satisfactory advances are
quite general. Heavy weight clothing. too.
has been measurably helped for the same
reason, but despite good business in the
past two weeks the fur trade has APP
parently Jagged somewhat owing to mild
weather. In Wholesale trade business has
been of seasonabiy small proportions. but
reports from leading lines. such as iron ana
Steel shoes and leather lumber, glass and
spring dry goods have been encouraging,
chiefly Of course, as regards the Views en-
tertained as to the outlook rather than as
10 new business actually accomplished.
Stock taking is now in progress and details
as TO accomplished results probably will
be forthcoming soon after the close of the
year"