Show I I THE COMMERCIAL REPORTS Holiday trade IS i reported at a Iilghcr level than ever and costly things are In brink demand Wholesale trade Is excellent throughout the country Dun reports holiday trade as exceeding I ex-ceeding the most sanguine expectations with retail well maintained and bettor grades of goods In brisk demand Wholesale conditions arc good In most parts Of the country The only ad verso feature Is the Inadequate fuel supply Railroad earnings for December Decem-ber thus far In the month exceed last years by 12 per cent and those of 1000 by 101 per cent The United States Steel corporation han absorbed many outside plants and railway rates have been advanced these being the leading events of the month Over five million tons of unfilled orders are on the books of the biggest Iron and steel conce nand n-and work Is being pushed as fast as supplies of fuel and material will permit per-mit Contracts for bridge work and track elevation arc freely offered by the railroads but accepted on condition that time for delivery Is waived Nail mills are sold up to the end of next year but orders continue to pour Inj and buyers are compelled to Import Prices on all staples are generally firm Failures for the week number 2G7 as against 265 last year Bradstreet icports wholesale trade quieting such activity as is noted being be-ing the forwarding of supplies needed to reinforce stocks of retailers depleted by what Is considered to be the most active holiday trade on record Cold weather has helped the sale of furs and heavy clothing Holiday buying Is for more expensive goods than ordinary l ordi-nary Drawbacks arc unsettled weather weath-er and bad roads In the South coal shortage In the East and railroad congestion con-gestion In the West But taken as a whole the mercantile community Is well content the year haG been a good one oolls l firm and woolen machinery machin-ery Is well employed Business failures fail-ures for the week number 225 as against 236 last week and 2C2 thlswoek last year Bank clearances have Increased as a whole 20 per cent outside of New York OC per cent there was a decrease de-crease of 3 per cent In New York Salt Lake City gets on the right side of the column this year with a gain of 119 per cent which makes up for some weeks of loss Locally the business conditions lire firstclass Cool weather stimulates trade while the abundant snowfall has made the most lively hopes for the best season next summer that we have hail for years |