OCR Text |
Show THE BUSINESS OUTLOOK. The circular issued by the mercantile mercan-tile agency of Dud, I3.ir.ow & Co., showing the number of failures in the United States aud Canada, during the first half of the present year, is not very inspiring. In the United Slates there were 5,S25 failures up to July 1st, 1S7S, as against 4,749 in tbe first six mouths of '77, and the increase of liabilities was even greater iu proportion, propor-tion, the sum aggregating nearly $131,000,000 in '78 to $90,60G,171 for the corresponding period of last year. The circular eaye: "Never before in an equal period, in the history of tho country, have business misfortunes been so numerous, or aggregatiog an amount of loss by bad debts eo great." Tbero are Borne poiuts, when conaid- ered, that give this gloomy outlook a somewhat lighter appearance. For instance, the repeal of the national bankrupt law, to tako effect on September Sep-tember 1st, hastened the timeof failure with many. All of such cases cannot legitimately be cons d ered as belonging belong-ing in the half year just closed. What the sum total of these would amount to cannot be told, but it is sufficient to considerably reduce the startling figure presented. There are, however, how-ever, few encouraging circumstances, or little that can be regarded as indicative in-dicative of a reviving prosperity. The tendency continues downward. Many thought the bottom had beta touched two years ago, but figures and facta tell too plainly that the end is notyet. |