Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-16
Situation in Trade.
Glance Over the Weeks Traf.
fic Developments.
A FEW THINGS THAT DID NOT OCCUR

Business Slowly Improving-He avy Fall in
the Price of Copper-Iron Manufacture.
In the Dumps-PrOspects of Lower Price,
for Wheat-Situation in the Raflw ay De
Partment-The Money Market Not an
Exciting TOpic-The Failures.
New YORK, March 18-R. G. Dun & Co IS
weekly review Of the trade says: The past
week has been free from exciting events, and
the news has been mostly negative War
with Germany has not begun at Apia, the
copper syndicate has not been suddenly re
constructed, the March report of the agri
cultural department does not foreshadow a
famine in wheat. The new administration
has not suddenly disturbed the finances, and
the consent of Commissioner Walker to
serve as executive of the Interstate associa-
ton has not lifted prices of stocks Business
is still comparatively quiet, but slowly i'm.
proving, and the great strike of the weavers
at Fall River is not expected to last long
enough to disturb trade
The great fall in the price of copper, from
about ESQ to ESQ per ton at London, appears
to have come to stay, and consumers in this
country are looking for much lower prices
when contracts run out in June
The monthly report of iron furnaces in
blast, contrary to general expectation, shows
a slight increase in February, the output
reaching l49, IT'S tons weekly March l, against
about los, 500 last year. The persistent over
production has not affected prices during the
past week, and they remain unchanged but
there are fewer signs of a disposition to buy
beyond immediate needs While holders
hope that prices are at bedrock, consumers
urge that the demand for finished products
is scanty. The market for bar iron is pro-
nounced the poorest for manyiyears; the de-
mand for car-building and skelp iron has
fallen off to almost nothing, and while there
Is more demand for plate iron, and the move
ment of pipe is fair for the season, structural
iron is gloomy, nails show no Improvement
and are demoralized, and steel rails are
quoted at S27. So
The government report showing 1l2, COO
600 bushels of wheat in farmers' hands is re-
garded by operators as an argument for
lower prices. With the visible supply-S2, =
OOO,OO bushels-there is thus in sight about
81, 100000 bushels more than will be required
for food and seed until July /, and there is
btSluco u large SUCK OH Ule EdClIlc coast, III
country elevators, and in the hands of trad
ers not included in the visibly supply, and
probably more than the ordinary stock of
-four ON hand, the winter having been open
When it is considered that the ordinary stock
OF -four would probably exceed $4,000 900
bushels Of wheat, and that last years exports
of wheat and flour, March l TO July /, cover
but 2S,0o0,O 600 bushels, the prospect of scar
city seems remote. The price has fallen 4
cents for the week, with sales of IS, 600, 600
bushels here. Corn is cent lower and oats
4 cent. Pork products are unchanged
The stock market has been weak and prices
have declined an average of 81 per share
The consent OF Commissioner Walker to
manage the Interstate association does not
outweigh the fact that rates are again being
cut, and part of the roads deemed essential
to the success of the plan have not vet as
sented The traffic returns continue fairly
ahead of last years, however, and the root of
the difficulty is still dissatisfaction of inves-
tors with the manner in which CORPORATIONS
have been managed
The reports from the interior this week al
most uniformly indicate some Improvement
in business, though the complaint of slow col
lectIons Is about general as before At
Philadelphia the caution of dry goods BUYERS,
the scanty purchases of wool by spinners and
the hesitation of iron consumers are especial
ly noted, but there is Improvement in leather.
liquors, groceries and cattle
Money at all interior markets remains in
ample supply, while at Milwaukee, Detroit
and a few MINOR points improvement in the
demand is observed. The treasury has taken
in during the week only 500 900 more than
it paid out, and no change in financial
policy Is announced. On the whole.
while the improvement in trade is slow and
narrow, it is clearly helped By the failure of
wheat and copper speculations, and by the
movement of prices toward a lower level
For the week the decline in average prices of
commodities has been nearly half of per
cent, and since March l about three-fourths
Of per cent
The business failures during the last seven
days number for the United States 223, and
for Canada IS, or total of POL as compared
with a total of Isl last week, and 232 the
week previous to the last. For the week OF
last year corresponding the figures were Dps,
made up of 2J2 in the United States and 26
in the dominion of Canada