Apart from the auctions little falls to be recorded so far as the piece goods market is coneened, unless it be that owing to the stagnation of the trade generally three foreign piece goods concerns Jare announced as being shortly.to close their offices here. Others are expected, to adopt the same policy' ate? on—a significant indication of the losses to which this branch of trade haz been subjected in resent' years and a doubt'as to the profits, making possibilities of the immediate" 4
So far as woollen piece goods are, concerned this is the off season, Aj there are no orders coming fare ward from dealers, It is intorestingy however, to note that at the hottest. period of the year woollen deliveries. have commenced in such heavy: arides as overcoatings, fleeces and dark style linings for overcoatings: 'These are being cleared' principally. for the northern trade, At the auctions generally lower: prices were realized, a reaction having set in after the wising. tendency which has been the case during the past three we While generally speaking there were fewer lorders, the lull is expected be be only: temporary. Ty game cases a better demand has been noted. from: Venetians from the northern ports, but it amounts to very little. slightly better movement of auction argo has been seen, but indent goods are not going into consumption readily.
Cotton, Yarn, Ete, Chinese Cotton—Except possibly for export the actual business. in Chinese cotton during the week has not been on a large scale, loca! mills purchasing—only" smalt quantities. Prices show little change, The local cotton crop is said to be making excellent progress in the present hot weather, and flowering nicely, but generally speaking reports from cther growing centres have not yer been received. Spot quotations ar as follows:—Tungchow 33.50: Shanghai 92: 82.60/88: Ningpo 31.60. Yesterday being settling day, the Chinese Cotton Goods "Exchange was closed. On Thursday a total of 84,800 piculs. was dealt in, the closing rates of the day being as follows:—August 22.75: September, no quotation: October 92.65: November 82.45: December 32.45.
'Yarn—On the local Exchange yarn has a firm tendency, and business continues moderate, although the industrial situation' is again turbed by strikes in three of the coal mills, Cloth has not maintained the same firm attitude which har been the case with yarn, and clear ances have fallen off. Spot quot tiang for yarn are as follows:—10' 124/186: 12's 182/189: 16's 198/149:
20's 142/164. Thuraday afternoon's losing quotations on the Chin Cotton Goods Exchange were: Augusi 141.00: September 148.90: October 144.60: November 145.10: December 148.60. Business done during the amounted to 15,300 bal silk j Local silk has experienced a very quiet market during. the week, and there has been practically nothing doing, with prices slightly Canton silk is quiet. There small demand from America at low but locally rates keep stoad Keomunt—arrivals 81,000 b/es sold 44,000, Ningchows-—arvivals 43,000 h/e: sold 18,000, Chunmess—arrivals 86,000 sti/e sold 26,000, Points—arrivals 47,000 h/e: sold 22,000.
Gunpower—arvivals '10,000 bye: sold 5,000, Country Chops—arrivals 7,800 hie: sold 4,700.
Business is very slack except for 'a small demand for good quality Sowinees and Pingsueys, owing to the recent fire where 30 many pack~ ages of these teas were destroyed.
The Russians are buying Hyson small quantities of Chunmet Early shipments of Chunmees to nforoeeo show a loss, it is understood,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.