The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-29

# mors in Europe~and rumors of possl- ble war in this country business con tinues on an even keel and these ru- 1nors seem to have no appreciable eff feet outside of the investment market where they would naturally be felt first
 Enormous. exports continue, the . volume of domestic trade is steadily increasing and the sum total of com lnercial activity is only slightly less than a month ago. The difference is scarcely noticeable and applies to only a few lines. Demand for money is increasing and interest rates are slightly higher than a month ago.
 Bank Clearings during March at 162 cities aggregated 21 billion dollars compared with 14 billion dollars in March, last year.. Only 19 of the re- porting cities showed less 'clearings than year ago and total clearings for March were the largest of any monthly period ever recorded, all the losses being small and many of the gains being very large. New .clearings records for March were made by 126 cities and new records for any month, by A.
 There were 1.646 Business Failures in March compared with 1,982 in
 March, 1915, and the liabilities of the , March, 191, and the liabilities of. the failed concerns tota1ed IT million dol lars compared with 27 million dollars for the failures a year ago. Assets of the concerns failing in March aggre- gated over million dollars compared with Is millions last year, leaving net liabilities of g million dollars this year compared with 2 millions in March, 1915.
 Financing by corporations in March reached a total of 275 million dollars compared with only ' 3 millions last year. About 25. per cent. of the March total will be used in refunding opera tions an unusually small percentage. Securities maturing in May will total 72 million dollars compared with IT millions in May, 1915. April maturi- ties are aboutA50 million dollars. lsThe total Capitalization Of new and large corporations formed during March was 2e2. rfil1fon dollars com pared with 13O million dollars in March, 1915. Although somewhat be- low the February record of 421 mil- lion dollars, the March total neverthe- less denotes considerable activity along promotional lines.
 March sales of stocks on the New York Exchange were 15 million shares compared with 12 million shares in February and nearly million shares in March, 1915. Bond sales tota1ed 81 million dollars. in March compared with S5 million dollars in February and 63 millions in March, 1915. The average price of 62 selected stocks at the close of March was 101.56 com pared with 1O1.7 a month previous and 84.S5 year previous. The aver. age price of selected list of 35 bonds was 89.96 compared with STOP a month before and 84.72 at the close of March, 1915.
 Total money in circulation oh April was s,917 thousand dollars compar~ ed with S.926 thousand dollars on March 1 and 3.486 thousand dollars on April l, 1915. The circulation per cepita on April i was $38.41 compared with $3S.54 a month previous and $34.74 year previous, on A April 1, 1915. The population of the United States on April 1 was estimated at Iez,0O4,Ooo- persons compared with I0O,3O4,0Oe a year ago.
 March building reports are not yet quite complete, but for 149 cities, Building Operations in March reached total of g. million dollars compared with 72 millions a year ago, a gain of Is per cent, February building op- erations aggregated 60 million dollars, 161 cities having reported. The 149 cities included in the March report are about equally divided as to gains and losses in building compared with March, 1915, 78 showing increases and T showing decreases.
 z As in January, Lumber figures for February showed some increase in the visible supply of that commodity in this country. The lumber cut in Feb ruary (512 mills reportingj totaIed 844 million feet compared with TOP million feet in February, 1915, and February shipments were sos million Feet compared with I'll million feet In February last year. The February lumber cut was composed of 768 mil lion feet of soft woods and 76 million feet of hard woods compared with SAP million feet of soft woods and so million feet of hard woods cut in Feb ruary. 1915. The February shipments consisted of 737 million feet of soft woods and Fl million feet of hard woods which compare with Shipments of 668 million feet of soft woods and 4S million feet of hard woods in Feb ruary last year.
 Gross Earnings of 47z railroads during February were 268 million dol lars compared with 21o million dol lars in February. 1915, a gain of 2s per cent. and 1Net Earnings were 80 million dollars compared with 1 mill lion dollars in February of last year, a gain of 57 per cent. An examina ton of the February earnings report shows clearly how marked and widespread Is the country's industrial activity. gains being reported by all classes of roads and from all parts Of the conn try, in spite of unfavora bIe weather conditions in some sections. Prelim- mary reports show gross earnings in March of 7S million dollars compared with 61 millions iF March, 1915 an increase of 21 per cent. Here again 1 he gains are large and general Grain shipments over Western roads were somewhat larger than in March, 1915,