Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-01
LIGHT HIDES LOWER.
The Deadlock Between Tanners and
Hide Dealers Broken
By CONCESSIONS TO THE FORMER
Wholesale Dry Goods Trade Experiences No
Summer Dizziness.
GENERAL .QUIETNEss IN PRODUCE

OFFICE OF THE PTTSBURG DIsPATCH,
SATURDAY. August 80. 1890.
The deadlock between tanners and dealers
in light hides, noted in this column a week
ago, has eliminated in favor of the tanners
as far as Boston markets are concerned.
Dealers have made concessions within few
days ami price of light hides is now Ae
lower than the highest point touched in the
early part Of August In this market and
Chicago, the weakness is not SO marked as
in Boston, but it is plain that a reaction to
the recent squirt is here and the extent of it
is one of the uncertainties which now per-
plex the dealers and tanners alike. 1t is
hardly probable that prices will go as low
as they were last spring when buff hides
sold as low as 81 to 4c per h.. The present
price is ne. The change in heavy steer
hides was not nearly SO great. The lowest
price in this line was 713c, and present
price is Sc per lb. The break in the light
tanners and dealers weeks ago has come at an
opportune time. Better to come now than
when fall hides are to the front. The season
for summer hides is now about over.
Arepresentative of one of the leading Allie
gheny ranneries said: II look for still further
decline in light hides. but hardly think they
will drift so low as they were few months ago.
There will undoubtedly be great rush OF light
hides to the market the coming fall, for the
reason that it will be expensive to feed cattle
and farmers will be disposed to unload. We
had a scarce year in 1885 and found that there
was an extraordinary run of light hides to our
markets. Farmers found 1t more advantageous
to kill off their half-grown steers than to feed
them, and hence the supply Of light hides ex-
ceeded demand that season. The situation this
year is much the same and look for heavy
run OF hides the coming fall"
Wholesale Drygoods.
One of our foremost drygoods merchants had
this to say of this trade recently: This sum-
mer has been exceptional in our line Of busi-
ness in that there has been no Iull. All through
the heated term trade held up, and all hands
were kept busy. We have never before handled
the same amount of goods in the month of
August as we have done this August. As to
prices, there is no essential change from last
year. The outlook for a big fall trade is all
that could be desired. feel confident that the
year 1890 will show the best record as to volume
of trade in drygoods Pittsburg has ever known.
Margins are close. and 1t is necessary to handle
large amounts of goods in order to win these
days. The jobber who handled 81, ,000, 600 worth
of dryg0ods in war times did not handle one
fourth the amount which that amount of
money represents to-day. In those old days
profits were much larger, but then money was
not nearly SO valuable in its purchasing power.
do not sigh for the good old days, for. IN my
basis than it is right now. To be sure, it takes
hustlinc, and all hands are kept busy, but goods
are in demand and margins are good enough
for q healthy trade"
In Produce Lines.
The week and month now near their goal
have developed no new features in lines of gen.
eral produce. Trade has been rather quiet the
past few days. The greatest activity has been
in high grade dairy products There has been
difficulty in securing a suficiency of Ohio
cheese to meet demands of trade.
The speculative business has entered into
the trade. and producers have become very
firm in their ideas as to future values. In New
York and Chicago the make of Ohio cheese of
late has been-gathered in as fast as it was on
the market. There is little doubt that higher
level of prices will be reached in the next
week.
Choice grades of creamery butter also show
an upward tendency, and prices are to &c per
pound higher than at this time last week. The
sharp advance in creamery butter has devel-
oped strong demand for oleo, which is now
openly sold in our markets without any fear of
law. The supply OF vegetables the past week
has been in excess of demand. and markets
are not so strong. Cabbage. tomatoes. melons
and tomatoesIali show a downward drift. The
volume Of produce trade this week has fallen
below that of last and outside of dairy prod
ucts markets are lower than for some weeks
past in lines Of country produce.