Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-14
THE TREND OF TRADE. Dun and Bradstreet Coincide as to
 Present Conditions. A FAIR BUSINESS DONE Taking the Several Large Strikes Into Consideration.
 The Iron Market.

NEW YORK, July l3.-R. G. Dun & Co.'s weekly review tomorrow will say When circumstances are duly weighed the strength and sound ness of business in this country during the past two weeks are amazing, With the second city in the country in the hands of the lawless and murderous mobs, besides many other cities and towns, with railway traffic almost en- tirely stopped over the vast area between Toledo and the Pacific, with presidential proclamation declaring the existence of an insurrection and the passionate answ CT ordering 500, 900 men 10 stop work, with a prolonged strike of coal miners not fully ended in many states, and with differences between the house and senate on the tariff question so wide that duties affecting min ing and manufactures cannot be antici- pated, industries aud trades have never theless gone on with the sublime confi- dence that the people and their govern ment would soon restore order.
 The shrinkage of business and depression of values have been unexpectedly small, !, the failures relatively few and unimportant and there are even signs in some indus tries of actual progress toward recovery from previous troubles. 1t is good foundation for hope that firm and wise action by the government has been upheld by the loyal people, that order has been generally re- stored and the blockade of transportation has nearly ceased and that the wage earners have, in the main, refused to arrest indus- tries at the dictation of leaders.
 Cotton manufactures have reduced pro- ducti0u somewhat, though most of the mills continue to pile up goods, and the stock of print cloths is Is, ,000 pieces. Dullness is commonly ascrbed and partly due to the disturbed conditions at the west and south. The same cause affects woolen manufac. lures, but less directly, and their clothiers have post tponed orders so long that their efforts to get merely things they have act ual need of has greatly improved the tone. Orders are small, but in number show that fewer mills have closed since July 1 than was expected.
 The output of iron dropped from 1iO, 210 tons to 65,517 weekly in May, because of the miners strike, and only recovered to s5 ,950 tons July 1, and it is uncertain u whether it is larger now, for numerous western works have beea stopped bv the railroad blockade. Actual da eosssHi ifinpIion in June was larger by 05. 7s2fons than figures of production indicate. Unsold stocks havlSE-6eEn thus reduced, the Iron Age Reports production in the first half of 1894 as 2, 450 000 tons, against 2. .561 ,5S4 in the last half of 1893 and 2,769, 683 in the first half of last year. Stocks were reduced this year 264, 461 tons, but increased E05, 700 during the last half of 1893, so that actual increase in manufacture has been IA per cent larger than in the last half of 1893, though but 60 per cent of the ordinary capacity. Little can be judged from the present slack demand, as trade is so much interrupted but this has been 6 rather &C., tive week in orders at Chicago and eastern