Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1898 — IN GENERAL [ARTICLE]

IN GENERAL

The Earl of Minto has been appointed governor general of Canada in succession of the Earl of Aberdeen. He is a liberal and retired from the army in 1870. Lieut. John Lind, quartermaster of the Twelfth Minnesota volunteers, now at Chickamauga, has formally accepted the nomination for Governor tendered him by the Democrats, silver Republicans and Populists. Travel to the Klondike by the so-called all-Canadian route, via Stickine river and Lake Teslin, has collapsed to such an extent that the Canadian Pacific Railway has abandoned Alaska transportation business and withdrawn its two ocean and four Stickine river steamers. The steamers Athelian and Tartar are tied up at Victoria and the river steamers at Wrangle. This marks the end of the efforts of the Canadian Pacific and the Dominion Government to establish an all-Canadian route, and leaves as the only successful Klondike routes those across the passes and via St. Michael, in American control. Bradstreet’s commercial report says: “Midsummer conditions still govern most lines of trade and manufacture, but the volume of business as indicated by bank clearings shows little decrease, and is evidently considerably in advance of previous years at this time. A feature in trade this week is the better demand reported for wool east and west, largely confined, it is true, to a few grades of wool. This appearance of activity has given a decidedly more hopeful tone to this business, which, however, is not yet reflected in the manufacturing branch. Indications that important developments may shortly be witnessed in the iron trade accumulate. This is partly the result of expected good orders from railroads for rails, of a large export business and of a good volume of small orders for various classes of steel. The statistical position of pig iron has been strengthened by the curtailment of production of an average of nearly 1,000,000 tons a month/since Jan. 1, but some shading, especially of southern iron prices, imparts an air of irregularity to the trade. Effects of the reported advance in prices by the Bessemer iron combination have not yet been measured, and the result of this announcement is awaited with interest. Dullness has been a feature of the cereal markets. Old w’heat supplies are rapidly decreasing, and the new crop movement, while in excess of last year, -does not reach the proportions expected. Another feature of the business situation is the active preparation making in the coast shipping trade for the large business with West Indian points w’hich is expected to develop as a result of military and naval operations.”