The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-11-03
DuN'S COMMERCIAL REVIEW.

Increasing Demand for Products Has
Called More Mills Into Operation. this
Week.
New YORK, Oct. l7.-R- G. Dun &
Co.'S weekly review of trade issued to-
day says:
Engrossing political excitement in
many of the states causes a natural
slackening in some kinds of business.
But on the whole business indications
are rather more favorable than they
were a week ago. Gold exports have
ceased, quite a number of mills have
gone into operation, and the demand
for products, if not equal to that OF
prosperous years, is better than it has
been most of the time this year. The
prices of farm products do not inn
prove much, and there are still some
strikes to resist reduction of wages, SO
that the purchasing power of the peo-
pie cannot have materially increased.
Cotton has sold at 5.s1 cents for mid
ding uplands, and the large receipts
at such low prices indicate clearly
that the crop will at least be close to
the largest, if not the largest ever
produced. The anticipated settlement
of difficulties at Fall River has not
been realized, and at present a good
many spindles and looms are idle.
But strikes are temporary; a more
lasting influence is the large accumu.
lation OF cotton in the worlds mar
kets, the stock of American in sight
now exceeding 21,0 900, 900 bales. 1t is
interesting that, in spite of the low
price of the principal southern crop,
manufacturers and wholesale dealers
report rather more improvement in
trade with the south than with any
other section.
Western wheat is a quarter lower,
and nothing appears to justify any i'm
portant change. Western receipts
have been 4,416,57t bushels, against
6,27G, 423 last year, and Atlantic ex-
ports only 5s4, 263 bushels, against l.
O66,6 egg last year. Corn is higher. with
out any very clear reason, and it is
noteworthy that at the same time pork
is IS cents lower; lard So cents per 100
pounds and hogs 40 cents lower. The
contrast indicates how little the pro-
vision market depends at present on
natural relations of supply and de-
mand.
Exports of domestic productsiat New
York for the last month show a de-
crease of So, 300, 900 in value, or more
than 10 per cent. At the same time
there appears ar increase of 3,4OO, 900
in imports at New York, or 16 per cent,
and as before the increase in other ar
ticles than sugar is even larger. The
comparison, however, is with a month
last year in which the excess of ex-
ports over imports was enormous. over
$50, 900. 900, SO that the changes re-
ported do not yet imply a contrary
balance.
The boot and shoe industry leads in
improvement, actual shipments from
the east being larger than in any pre-
viOus year, for four weeks 1856, O16
cases, against 227, 524 last year and 314.-
O22 in 1892. While the fall trade is
near an end, most of the eastern
makers of cheaper goods are crowded
with orders covering from one to three
months j n advance, but concerns MAX
ing goods of better grades have as a
rule little business a head.
In iron and steel the west shows
weakness, while eastern markets show
more encouragement. Nothing of con-
sequence is doing in rails, the delivery
for the year to October l being only
$40, 600 tons, much below the ordinary
requirements for renewals alone. In
structural work some moderate con-
tracts are reported, but bar iron is ex-
tremely dull, and it is stated that the
low prices reported last week-95 cents
for iron and 81 for steel-have been
shaded in some transactions. There is
a decline in wire, S1.90 being quoted
for galvanized barbed, and 500. so for
wire rods. The best feature is that
the heavy increase in the output of pig
does not seem to overload the market,
and yet there is rather less pressure to
sell than of late.
In textile industries the situation is
peculiar, and in many respects per-
picking. 1t is undeniable hat orders
for goods are on the whole diminish
ing, and retail trade does not yet
prompt such supplemental orders as
were expected, but a good many works
have found orders enough to start up
for a time, some having business for
several months.
The demand for wool is not as large
as it has been, and while prices have
scarcely changed for two weeks, sales
are but 4,304, go pounds, against 5,77S,-
$50 in 1899, and for four weeks 19,431,-
TAO pounds, against 25,T.44,75O in 1892.
Prices were put down before the new
tariff took effect, so that results of for
eign competition are felt mainly in re-
duccd sales of some domestic woods.
Almost nothing is doing in spring
woolens for mems wear. but manu-
f%acturers are more encouraged to be-
lieve that, rs to a large share of the
cheaper goods, they can meet any
prices that foreign mills may make.
1t is still, as it has been for some
months, a very encouraging fact that
the volume of commercial failures is
small. Reports for the three weeks of
October cover liabilities of S., 639, al,
of which S2,629,671 were of manufac-
turing and S2,957,567 of trading con-
Germs.
The failures during the past week
have been 231 in the United States
against 352 last year, and % in Canada