Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-30
In HARDWARE LINES
Pittsburg'S Volume of Trade Beyond
That of All Former Seasons.
LITTLE GAIN TO MANUFACTURERS.
Factories for the Production of Light
Weight Hardware Goods
NOW A CRYING WANT OF THIS CITY
OFFICE OF PI1TsRURG DIsPATCHl
TUESDAY Anril % 1890. (


TUESDAY. April 29, 1890 I
The iobbing hardware trade was never
better in this city, so far as volume of busi-
ness is concerned, than it is at this time.
All ware that pertains to this season of the
wear is moving out with unwonted activity.
The heaviest demand is for agricultural
implements. In the early part of the season
there was a general apprehension among
jobbers that this would be poor season for
refrigerators, owing to the great scarcity of
the ice crop. Retailers at first ordered spar
ingly fearing a light trade These fears
have passed groundless. Refrigerators are
every year coming to be more regarded as
a necessity instead of luxury. Dealers
who were conservative in their views a
month or two ago, and ordered sparingly,
have of late found it necessary 20 duplicate
orders. A leading jobber of hardware said to-
day that orders already on his books assured
larger volume of trade in refrigerators for this
season than for any former season. There IS
also a greater demand for lawn mowers than in
any previous season. Hardware merchants
report that all hands are hustling to fill orders.
From the manufacturers standpoint trade
not altogether lovely. Prices of all iron and
steel products are down to hard pan, and in
rome lines even below. Nails can hardly be
produced at profit at present prices which
are SOC per keg below rates of last fall, when
there was boom. But steel nails are jobbed
at & per keg, and there are rumors that even
this low price is being shaded by some who are
over anxious to sell.
The Situation at Present.
There are but two of our nail mills in opera
tion. namely. the Shoenberger and that Of
Chess, Cook Co., and these are operating in
small way simply to meet local trade. Manu-
facturers of cut nails are by no means anxious
for orders for it is question if they can come
cut even at present cost of raw materials 1t
is doubtful IL any department of the great iron
and steel industry has suffered so much from
competition and depressed trade as the cut nail
department.
higheE point reached last fall. The present
jobbing rate is g. 50 per keg against IS 10, which
was reached within six months. The nail
makers would find it to their interest to shut
down. were it not for the fact that idle mills
depreciate so fast and that it is even better to
run at slight loss than to retire from their field
The aiority are no doubt run at this time in
the hope that the tide must turn before long
In the meantime the weaklings will be forced
TO the wall, and we will have practical de-
monstrations of Darwin's theory as TO the sur
vival of the fttest.
Barbed wire has declined from &c to 31%c per
pound within few months.
Piusburg's Fnme Abroad.
As an illustration of Pittsburgs reputation
as great hardware center one of our leading
merchants received within day or two letter
from the new State of Washington, ordering
some special articles in hardware lines which,
the correspondent said, he had tried in vain to
obtain from Western cities, but knew that
Pittsburg merchants would have them in stock
Though our city has made great progress of
late years in the manufacture of hardware
goods, there is still room Tor even greater ad-
Vances. Our productions in this line are
confined ostly to heavy weight articles on
which there is the least profit PiTtsburg iron
and steel travel in great quantity to the far East
10 return again In the shape of finished pro-
ducts of light weight. These things ought not
so to be. In the old time we had our novelty
works, but they had their day and ceased to be-
There are multitude of household implements
ans light hardware which could be produced in
this city cheaper than any place on the conti-
nent for which We now only furnish the raw
material
Every company organized to work up the raw |
material into finished products is contribution |
TO the prosperity and wealth of Pittsburg. The |
more the merrier.