Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-12
FLOWERS OF SPRING
Have q Great Deal to Do With the
Trade of the Country.
BUSINESS LOOKING BRIGHTER.
Negotiations for Large Orders Of Iron and
Steel Products.
GENERAL TRADE SHOWS IMPROVEMENT

rsPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPAroH.t
NEW YORK, April 11.-Special kilograms
to Bradstreet's show that owing to more
prevalent spring weather and improvement
in the condition of country roads, there has
been noticeable gain in the demand from
interior merchants. This influence has been
the more conspicuous at Boston. Chicago,
Memphis, St. Paul, Omaha, Kansas City,
st. Louis, New Orleans, and to some extent
at Pittsburg. Fears of further damage from
overfows along the Mississippi are subsid-
ing. Mercantile collections generally are
unsatisfactory, though signs of improvement
are noted.
Earnings of the 129 railroad companies for
March aggregate s31, ,004, ,479, gain over
March of last year of 81 per cent. This is
smaller than any monthly increase since
last summer. The reduced overland cotton
movement and floods at the South have re-
duced the earnings of roads in the Missis-
sippi Valley. The heavy movement of crops
West and Northwest does not Quite offset the
effect of rate cutting in that section. Earn
ings of 127 companies for the first quarter of
the year aggregate $50. .359, 800, gain over
last year of 1913 per cent.
WHEAT FIRMER.
Exports of wheat (and flour as wheaD the
past week have equaled 2,083 719 bushels,
against l, ,226, 073 bushels in the like week
of 1889 and !, ,521, S96 bushels last week.
Wheat has shown marked firmness on un-
favorable weather conditions and reports of
falling off in condition in the winter-sown
crop, and prices have advanced 3@3% cents
An unusual amount of negotiation has
been in progress during the week in reference
to iron and steel products tor immediate as
we'll as remote deliveries, but this has not yet
arrested the downward tendency in prices.
Actual transactions have been of limited
proportions. The total weekly output of
pig iron during March has been reduced
about a, 900 or 5000 tons. This is taken as
an encouraging element In the situation.
Eastern drygoods commission men report
a slightly better recorder demand from West
ern jobbers. There is considerable distri-
button OF spring dress goods through price
concessions Prices in the regular way are
firm except as to bleached cotton, which
favors buyers, and print cloths are 1-16@1sc
higher.
TRADE IMPROVING.
R. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review says:
With larger tonnage in motion than in any
volume of currency in circulation, larger
payments through clearing houses by
nearly 10 per cent, larger imports and ex-
ports, and larger domestic production in ag-
riculture, in iron and steel, leather and boot
and shoe manufacture, the country has en-
tered upon the second quarter. of
the year with great nopefulness.
Trade throughout the country seems
gradually improving. Yet there are
unfavorable symptoms which do not disap-
pear, but grow more distinct and threaten
ing. The iron industry has advanced too
rapidly-the expected setback has begun.
Furnaces in blast April 1 were of 1851
tons weekly output, against 0,091 March
estimated at 6, $50, ,000 and stocks on hanH
are accumulating. Prices are lower, South
ern No. being offered at SIT 30 and S1S.
while bids of S33 are sought for steel rails.
BAR IRON BETTER.
The business in bar iron is better, with no
change in price; plates are moving at very
unsatisfactory prices, and structural iron is
not as active as makers wish. Coal is still
stagnant, the output for the quarter having
been 66S, ,032 tons, or nearly 10 per cent less
than last years, with accumulating stocks
unsold Copper has been steady at 14Hc,
bid.
The speculative markets have been more
active, with higher range of prices on the
whole. Sales of wheat heretofore have
reached 74,000,000 bushels, and
the price has advanced 2Ac.
though exports have been only about
equal to last years for the week on account
of more definite reports of injury. Corn is
also half cent stronger, with sales for the
week of II 900, 0O0 bushels, and oats nearly
1 cent higher. Pork and lard are steady,
but hogs 20 cents per 100 pounds dearer.
Coffee for speculation mas advanced one
fourth, and the high prices have checked
actual consumption. Petroleum has de-
clIned 1ss cents with small sales, but sugar
has been firmly held. The average of all
than week ago, some manufactured
products having declined.
CHEERFUL REPORTS.
Reports from other cities are more gener-
ally favorable than is usual. Boston nnds
improvement in wool and leather, and
do mestic trade active in boots and shoes,
cotton goods and lumber, and in other build
ing materials. Philadelphia notes few sales
OF wool, and prices are less firm and a good
trade in chemicals, liquors and leaf tobacco.
Chicago grain receipts are still large, dry
goods sales show slight increase with good
payments, and there are liberal orders Tor
boots and shoes. st. Louis again reports
the Southern district somewhat damaged by
floods, and collections are rather less salts
factory. At Pittsburg there is better feel
ing among iron manufacturers; at Cleve-
land an improvement in drygoods and hard
ware; at Detroit slow improvement and
manufacturers busy, and at other Western
cities a general improvement and satisfac-
tory volume of trade. At the South, out
side of the direct effect of the floods, trade is
good and less time is asked than usual, good
crops and high prices having swelled the
cash surplus of dealers.
MONEY GENERALLY EASY.
The monetary situation is not threatened.
Interior markets are generally easier at
Kansas City and Milwaukee, with more
demands. At Cleveland the demand is such
as to cause some stiingency. Complaints OF
slow collections are distinctly less frequent.
1t is not to be overlooked that the West and
South have been drawing from last year
enormously for products sold, while
the purchasing of goods is not
much more than in other years.
Thus the east-bound tonnage for the
past five weeks from Chicago has
been 442, 464 tons against 296, ,713 last year,
but in quantities or values shipped West
ward, no such increase is discoveraDle.
The business failures occurring through
out the country number 209, as compared
with q total of 2O6 last week. For the cor
respouding week of last year the figures