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Show BUSINESS, TRADE, AND FINANCE. Tho week has given us n heavy storm, one of tho best of tho season, and yesterday yes-terday brought on another. It looks as though we wore to be especially favored with a wet season, and a rise in the lake iJuch as has not been known for the past five years. But the frost of Thursday night did somo damage to the fruit, and tho cold storms will bo hard on the shorn sheep and tho now-born lamb3. But they will be excellent for tho ranges in generaL Tho shearing Beason Is in full activity. Tho fleeccB aro heavy, and the buyers aro keen. Although the price Is not at the top notch, there havo lecn a good many sales along tho twelve and a half and thirteen-cent .mark, and "tho railroad rail-road men aro rnoklng a strenuous canvass can-vass for tho transportation business of hauling tho wool East. Tho strlko reported re-ported among tho Wyoming shearers appears to bo rather local than general, and It has not appeared In Utah or Idaho. As wo have heretoforo explained, ex-plained, this city is the center for a vast area embraced In tho wool business, and probably something llko thrco million dollars has been and will be paid for fleeces the present season, from the banks in Salt Lake. The mines, 03 usual, are making a great record. They show a production richer than ever before, and will mako a higher mark in production than ever known in the State, this year. The smelters aro fully keeping up with tho demands upon them by the vast oro marketings, and show a most gratifying spirit of enterprise In enlargements and in adopting all the latest devices for efficiency and economy in the handling and treatment of ores. The railroad extensions are progressing progress-ing as favorably as one could wish. The San Pedro work Is being rushed with an energy that is cheerful to see, track being now laid eighty odd miles beyond Calientes, and when tho Moapa cut is completed, which will not take very long now, it will be speedily laid to Las Vegas. Tho company keeps contracts for grading and for bridges well ahead of the tracklayers, so that the very best results aro achieved. The Moffat road shows excellent forco and activity. 'It is well equipped for a summer campaign in Colorado, this side of tho Continental divide, that will bring it well along toward Green River. In this work it will uso tho temporary track over lho hill, pending Uio construction con-struction of the great tunnel. Within tho coming month it is expected that some of the contracts for construction from this end of tho line will be leU During the week, a rumor was afloat, which originated In Reno, that the Western Pacific was to be absorbed into the Southern Pacific system. This was promptly denied, as It was when tho same rumor started a short whilo back, and we bellevo that the rumor is wholly, unworthy of credence. Business throughout the State is In excellent form and promise. The abundant abun-dant precipitation, giving assurance of excellent crops, tho rich yield from the mines, and the encouraging prospects of railroads from southwest and from Denver, Den-ver, continue to assure plenty of money and a brisk trade. In this city, business has opened well for tho merchants. Demand is brisk with the oncoming of spring, and a largo proportion of tho transactions are for spot cosh. The banks havo an abundance abun-dance of money, and their clearances for the week showed the very gratifying increase of 22.G per cent, compared with tho corresponding week of last year. In the realty market, the transactions were brisk, and the demand is good, both for business property and for building lots. Many good sales aro reported. re-ported. Even moro encouraging is tho building activity. Everywhero one goes, ho saes dwellings going up, and tho taking out of permits for new structures, struc-tures, including business blocks, 13 generaL gen-eraL It is evidently going to bo a Bur-passlngly Bur-passlngly good Beason for building in Salt Lako City this year. In the country at large, the opening of tho building season. May 1st, has made a great preparatory demand for structural material, and there Is a prospect pros-pect now that this work will be very little Interfered with by strikes. Tho Iron and steel markets are quiet, awaiting await-ing tho complete settlement of the oro rates on the great lakes, and the outcome out-come of the Steel Corporation's effort to absorb tho Clairemont works. Not much revival in this trade is expected until the railroad buying begins In tho spring. Tho general crop situation Is backward, back-ward, a fortnight late is the seeding, and this retards demand and distribution. distribu-tion. But in tho South, on account of tho high prices realized on cotton, and the expectations of an enormous Increase In-crease in the yield because of tho largely large-ly increased acreage, sales and orders are considerably In excess of those of a year ago. Tho floods havo played an Important part in delaying transportation and preventing pre-venting distribution: the result of this, and of the political activity beginning to take tho center of the stage, has been to accentuate the tendency toward conservatism, con-servatism, nnd to retard the disposition for- risk and speculation, ,The railway earnings show a small falling off compared com-pared with the banner year of 1303, tills being wholly in freights, the poosengcr business bcbig unusually heavy. The bank clearances In New Tork wero but 13.3 per cent less for tho week Just closed than they were- in tho corresponding cor-responding week of lost year. In the bonkw of tho cities outside of New Tork the decronse was 13.6 per cent a total of about the same figure. Tho New Tork bank statement. Issued yesterday, showed a heavy Increaso in deposits, a small incrcaso in specie, in Burplus, nnd in extra bank deposits; .with smaller Increases In other Items; no decreaso was reported in any. This very favorable statement had been discounted, dis-counted, and made no Impression on the-markct. the-markct. Additional new high records were mode by the statement, the aggregate ag-gregate of loans (51,0-10,350,300) being in excess of all previous figures, as Is also tho deposit item of Sl.10ft.374.i00; the cash holdings of 5311.617,300 being also greater than any previous record. Tho stock market was extremely dull during tho week, tho litigation over tho Northern Securities distribution having a deterrent effect on speculation. Tho gold shipments abroad aro taking on increased proportions as tho time for tho payment on the French Canal company's com-pany's property approaches; 54,600,000 was ochedulcd for export to Paris yesterday, yes-terday, by three brokers, and these shipments will undoubtedly Increase until un-til the full forty millions ore paid. But on the other hand, thus far Japan seems to be sending gold to tho west coast about as fast as It Is sent away from the east coast ($1,465,000 yesterday and 53,000,000 the day before), and this, with our home production of about seven sev-en millions a month, will keep up our gold supply in full and increasing volume. |