Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-12
NAILS NEVER 50 LOW
As at Present, and Builders Hard
ware Depressed in Ali Lines.
REFRIGERATORS ARE IN DEMAND
The Sewer Pipe Trade Falls Below last
Years in Volume.
4 PROSPEROUS SEASON IN DRYGO0DS
OFFICE OF PIrTsBURG DISPATCH,
Tuesday, AUGUST IL

OFFICE OF PITTSBURG DISPATCH,
TUESDAY, August IL.
Builders hardware trade lost so much
ground during the strike thst there is no
longer a possibility of recovering the lost
ground. So far as our city trade is con-
cerned. the volume of business will fall rs
per cent below that of last year, with the
best possible fall trade.
In 1890 we had boom and in 1891 we had
a strike The effect of the lock between
contractors and iournevmen has been to cur
tail demand for everything in the line of
builders hardware. Prices. which were
thought to be at the bottom a year ago,
are a shade lower now than then.
II is doubtful il in the entire history OF the
nail trade prices have been as low as they
are this summer. The iohbing price OF cut
nails Is - per keg, and wire nails S2lu AT
Sis per Gcg ii is difficult to see where there
is any profit 10 the manufacturer Ihe
Wheeling nail mills are furnishing stock to
jObbcrs on basis of Sl.55 per key. The steel
which enters into keg of nails is worth
sl.S5 and the cost of cutting into nails, pack
ing, etc, is fully 80 cents per keg, so that
there is more profit in selling the steel than
there is in working it up into nails In lace
of this depression in the trade one OF the
Wheeling mills has recently increased lts
capacity to l.GGO0OO kegs a year, a capacity
beyond that OF any plant in this or any other
country.
Big Fail Trade.
Probabilities are for a big fall trade
in builders hardware. Dealers are
building high hopes on the immense
crops. which will bring prosperity to farm
ers The only articles in hardware lines
which show increased volume of trade over
last year are flv screens md refrlger8tors.
Every year shows increase in these lines.
Screens and refrigeratorS, which a few years
Hu,aF T.farrn n :
only by the few, are more and more coming
TO be regarded as necessities which the
many should eniov. 4 representative of
one OF our lea ding hardware a rms said: eve
have sold more goods in this line this season
than ever before. 4 home without screens
and rcfrigcrators will soon be the rule, in
stead OF the exception, as was the case
decade ago
Sewer Pipe and Fire Brick.
The same influences which have proved
adverse TO trade in lines of hardware have
been felt by dealers in sewer pipe. Said a
dealer in tins line yesterday: "The amount
OF sewer pipe l have handled this year is
more than 20 per cent less than the amount
handled at this time year ago. The fall is,
of course the best time for our tr1de. but
we have now no hope of catching up to the
amount of last years business. The only
article in our line that holds up well to last
year is paving fire brick: Demand in this
line is active. Many of our surrounding
towns are paving streets this season with
Ohio Valley fire brick, and we have had nice
orders from Braddock Butler, Mansfield
and Guecnshurg. There is now pending an
order for five or six million paving fire
brick from Roanoke, Virginia"
business in Drygoods.
Probably no other branch of business has
felt the summers depression so little as the
wholesale drygoods trade. Volume of busi
ness rs reported by jobbers shows an in
crease over last year. The trade is about as
free from speculative influences as any of
our great industries. Said member of one
OF our leading " wholesale dTygoods firms who
has been familiar with the trade for half
century: business is in a healthy condi-
tion. There has not been n month of this
wear that our volume of trade has not shown
an increase of 10 to Is per cent over the cor
responding month of last year. Prices are
close, but are about the same as they were
a wear ago at this time. Prospects are good
Tor an active fall trade. There is now no
longer doubt that more drygoods will be
cold this year by Pittsbur2 jobbers than
were sold any previous year"