The San Francisco call., 1901-11-11
OCTOBER A RECORD BREAKER

TRADE conditions last week continued fully as
hattering as at any time during the past four
Il or five years. 1t is surprising how the tide of
prosperity keeps up. There is no sign of a break
anywhere The country is full of money and enor-
nous explorations of capital carried through
with success which would have dazzied fnancers of
less than quarter of century ago. And the best Of
it is that they mainly legitimate enterprises de-
signed for permanence, with view to the payment
of good dividends for years to come, wholly nom
speculative and resulting lasting beneftto the
munites where they established. We have lately
had instance OF this in city in the pur-
chase of the Market street and other railroad sys
TENS by huge Eastern syndicate These vast inan-
cial operations could not be accomplished unless the
whole country highly prosperous
The weekly bank clearings reflected the general
condition of trade. The gain for the week was 284
per cent over the same week last year, and of the
eighty and more cities reporting their clearings only
four, and these small places, reported loss This
record is surprising, but it has happened more than
during the past several years The failures were
Ie against I6I for the week last year. but they
were generally unimportant.
The leading commercial staples, with one or two
exceptions, continue to make fine showing. 1t goes
without saying that the iron and steel trade is active
but it is still hampered by the scarcity of cars The
woolen mills are all engaged to their full capacity
and stocks of goods are so reduced that the manu-
acturers have lately been obliged to make heavy pur-
chases OF material The South is holding back its
cotton being led this course by the general bush
tendency in business all over the country The ap-
pearance of winter temperatures throughout the East
and West has stimulated clothing groceries and other
common lines of merchandise to such degree that
jobbers everywhere have increased their orders
over the world with larger buying at great market
centers. Hides and leather are quoted strong with
active markets, and so on down the whole list Of
staple goods, if provisions and dried fruit be ex-
cepted the two latter lines being queter and more
or less weak in all positions The shipping trade is
reported in fine condition, more high class vessels
being under construction than ever before while the
demand for vessels is still lively
The condition of trade in San Francisco ;s re-
ected by the showing of the export business of the
port during the month of October The volume ex-
ceeded that of September by over $3oooooo and that
Of October 1900 by $1,2ozooo the latter having pre-
viously been the record month"; while the figures last
month were 100000 the average of the psst
twelve months These figures tell the commercial
story of the port
The current rise in wheat is a good thing for this
State, for there is large supply of that grain here
and if it brings good prices the circulation of money
among the farmers and merchants will be increased
by millions. When wheat does well everything else
apt TO be prospectus, the outlook is bright The
other staples, such wool, hides, live stock wines
BEANS canned goods OF all kinds, etc, are quoted firm
and in steady outward movement the only lines show
ing dulness at the moment being provisions hops
and dried fruits The city and country banks renort
large funds hand, and solvent borrowers find No
difficulty in getting all the accommodation thew want
ct reasonable rates of interest The city and State
we're never in better commercial condition than thev
ere TO-DAY