Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-17
DUN'S AND BRADSTREET'S
)it-
Prices of Commodities Still Show a Very
Decided Failing Off,
IRON FURNACESl8tSUMING OPERATIONS
Cheaper Frcights In Part Responsible for
the Present Activlty-statc OF Trade
Affected by the Springlike
WeatherEBusiness Failures.

NEW YORK, March 16.-R. G. Dun &
Co.'S Weekly Trade Review says: Prices of
commodities are this week, on the whole,
the lowest Of which there is any record,
having declined 1.2 per cent in March and
averaging 11.3 per cent lower than a year
ago, so that more than a third Of the in
crease in the volume Of all payments is due
to the decline in prices of things con-
sumed. Six more iron furnaces have gone
into blast this month. in part because prices
of finished products are a shade lower, and
further contracts have thus been secured.
Pittsburg gets the lions share and has most
of its works in operation, cheaper freights
having helped this week, with lower wages
and coke, and contracts for Mesaba ore at
S2.25. The Illinois Steel works are about
to resume in part. having secured orders
for rails, but at the east rails are inactive
and deliveries everywhere are the lowest
for many years. Cheapness of material
and labor stimulates the erection of many
buildings, both east and west.
In women's dress goods, it is judged from
sales of wool, the business is about three
fourths of the usual magnitude, serges
being in better demand; but in mems goods
not more than a quarter of the usual orders
for fall trade have yet been received. The
demand is so large that sales of wool again
exceed last year, 4,351, 700 pounds for the
week, against 3,94S, 200 last year, and for the
month thus far the increase has been about
/ 300, 600 pounds, though in February the
decrease was 21.3 per cent. Cotton goods
are generally steady. The volume of bust
ness represented by all clearings this week
is 31.2 per cent less than a year ago, and at
all cities outside New York 21.4 per cent
less, against IA per cent last week.
Railroad earnings make a better COmDIr-
ison. falling but 1916 per cent below last
year for the first week of March, against
1871 per cent in February, but the gain is in
part because the trunk lines have cut rates
and secured, for the first week in a long
time, a larger eastbound movement than was
recorded a year ago. The westbound move
ment is also larger in dry goods and gro
ceries.
Speculation in products is somewhat tame,
though pork and lard have declined sharply,
while corn is held steadily, with receipts 40
per cent larger than a year ago. Wheat has
been depressed by the department report
that A, O00, 900 bushels remained in farmers
hands on March /, indicating very great
errors in estimates of yield, or else a heavy
decrease in consumption. Cotton has de-
clined a shade and estimate of the crop are
about $500, coo bales, in place Of 6,400, 900
bales reported not long ago.
Failures for the first week of March were
few, with liabilities thus far reported of
only 2,O25 ,3SS, of which $S16, 2S4 were of
manufacturing and 81, 161, go of trading con-
Germs. Owing to large deferred statements
received too late for us last week, the ag-
gregate of liabilities for February have been
raised to ST., 1895, GO. The number of fail
ures this week is 264 in the United States,
against 100 last year, and ~fifty-fve in Can
ada, against thirty last year. The absence
of important embarrassments is still most
encouraging. tN'.