The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-23
BUSINESS OUTLOOK
GENERALLY GOOD
WEATHER. NOT KIND FOR BUsI.
NEss-rARIFF BOARD REPORT
FAvoRABLY RECEIVED. ,


NEW YORK. Dec. 22.-Bradstreets
weekly review OF trade will tomor-
, row say in part:
While the weather has been not OF
the best for holiday shopping aud
country trade especially has boen re-
tarded, holiday influences have been
instrument In inducing a large vol
ume OF buying at retail, and early re-
ports OF volume OF this depaftm ent
of activity are generally a. favorable
as last year in most sections Least
satisfactory advices come from the
South, owing to low-priced cotton. The
, textile trade send better reports.
The report of the tariff board and
the ensuing executive recommends
tions have ben quite favorably re-
ceived. Good effects of the late seri-
Gus decline in cotton and cotton goods
are found in an enlargement for the
demand for certain varities of the
latter. with some advances in prices
OF leading makes. The iron and steel
trade continues to evince the cheer
fulness hitherto noted and 4 very
good trade has been done In steel
rails during the week. In general
wholesale trade, the tendency has been
TO quiet down as the year draws to
close. The boot and shoe trade
| sends irregular reports. The leather
trade Is strong. sole leather leading,
while fashion changes affect calls for
patent grades. The lumber trade
sends varying reports. The eastern
centers note fair activity, while from
the Pacific Northwest advices are Of
quiet trade. Commodity price move
ments are not greatly different. 1t
might be noted that holiday supplies,
especially poultry. are low In price.
cue to large supply. but butter and
eggs are much higher. The grain
markets show strikingly little change
Business failures for the week end
Ing December ~ were 29s, against
500 last week. and 271 a year ago.
Dun's Review.
X. 9. Dun's weekly review Of trade
VIII tomorrow say, In part:
The holiday retail trade has been
very satisfactory. and In some of the
cities In excess OF former years, re-
vealing noteworthy ability and will
ingness among consumers to spend
Wholesale operations are naturally
neid somewhat in check by the hoii-
day trade and b, the settlements in
cident to the closing Of the year, but
there Is no indicated change In the
| more favorable situation IN business,
which has been progressively manifest
during the past weeks. The expansion
In the iron and stcc! trade is main
tanned with Immediate and pIospec-
i've purchases OF rails and equipment
by the railroads III such volume as to
Indicate their preparation Cor larger
traffic. Railroad earnings in the first
two weeks of December incrcss ed ST.
per cent. over last year The tex
tile situation also continues to I'M
prove conservatively. but steadily, and
With new cotton mills opening and
others increasing output, the demand
for raw cotton makes that market
firm notwithstanding the fact that the
estimates for an unprecedentedly big
cotton crop seems to be actually I'M
Ger-estimated and that the Yield will
be even greater. WOODEN and worsted
goods are also in better demand.
Hides continue steady and leather very
firm. Further advance r. made in
copper. Dividend and interest dis
bursements in January will amount
to over $232.000.0 900, a large increase
over 1910, a result which Is all the
more notable In view of the restraints
recently put upon business. The fact
that these gains are made in SO many
important trades. Under conditions
not altogether suspicious for new en-
terprises goes to show how easy and
quick would be the recovery to full
productive apacity II condolences
were completely restored