The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-04
VOLUME Is GREATER.
Business In Better Condition
Than For a Year Past.
WHEAT PROSPECTS ARE BRIGHT.
The Iron Industry shows Encouraging
Features Demands For Higher
Wages Make Trouble.

New York. May 3-R @. Dun 4 Co.'S
review Of trade, which issues tomorrow.
VIII say: business begins in MAY in bat
Ter condition than a. any other tine since
the breakdown IN May. 1876 smaller in
volume than then. X i not shrinking. bur
charging. The chief obstacle 70 a more
complete recovery Is the anxiety OF many
20 pluck the fru.t before II IS ripe Hold
ers Of some staples have lifted them SO
far as 10 prevent their marketing: con-
sumption ~ materials in some branches
is checked by advances which cannot De
realized for finished products. and work
ers in some Industries are demanding
wages that cannot ~ paid out OF any
business. In spise OF labor troubles. the
outlook BFightens, money markets con
ffnue healthy. and with heavy sales of
railway bonds abroad the deficiency IN
public revenues. 742. so in Arril-Causes
10 apprehension. Demands for fun res
toration OF wages TO tue level az 1852 have
closed many WOODEN mills and threat
an 10 close others. The strike which
closed the iron furnaces at Newcastle.
Pa, has just ended without success. but
other strikes have stopped numerous
works about Pittsburg. Pocahontas coke
workers are on strike, and one is threat
eneVf by Alabama coal miners.
The speculative fever grows more SER
ioas. as is natural when business starts
up with prices AZ extremely low points
but by lifting wheat from &c 10 go. Az
iantic exports have been checked, and
-four included. have been only 1872 lsT
bushels. against s.ol7.e45 last year The
close was al ssizc Western receipts are
now larger than a year ago. and, except
In parts Of some states the promise for
the next yield is excellent. A sale % 2oe
90 tons by the Fair estate at San Fran
cisco loading thirty ships for Europe
Las Il Yssfz 4
plies. Enormous transactions in cotton
have been followed by a decMne from Z
TO 6-s1 cents, though peace in China was
represented as ensuring a greatly in
creased demand
The strike OF the Newcastle. Pa. fur
naces, now over. stiffened Bessemer pigs
so that S10S was quoted at PittsburG.
and the closing OF the Wheeling mill stiff
fened billeis, while Southern makers have
nomAnaly advanced their prices 50 they
have been made here under $40 for No. =
Additional contracts for structural work
here and al Chicago. sales of 700 rails at
least. a Better demand for wire and its
products and for plates and sheets. are
encouraging features this week. Wire
nails are a shade higher at So, and cut
nails al zoo by carload. are less demoral-
lied Consumption does not yet equal ca
pacity of works or output of pig, but i'm
proves Late in the week important
threatened serious disturbance Another
heavy decrease of II, e57 tons In the out
nut of coke makes the shrinkage nearly
~ per cent for TWO weeks. and furnaces
offered at <l.i0. Anthracite coal agents
agreed TO mine ONLY three days OF the
week. but prices are unchanged Window
glass makers have adopted new scale
for the two low brackets at SOC higher
than before.
The rise In prices of cotton goods con
tinues. The wooden year ends with the
"a suo1lplonb toI 'uAouY lsk ss9IId ls9Mot
Coates Brothers averaging 1871 cents
against Is % cents last year and = 40 cents
two years ago. Large sales at such
prices are natural, and IN April l1.S@.So
pounds domestic and 1855 700 foreign
were sold az the three chief markets,
against H. Ns3,55S domestic and I,i9a,i 100 Tor
eign last year The demand for wooden
goods does not Improve, and many can
ceHations are received. although sales
of wool indicate large consumption
The weeks failures arc 81 in the United
States. against 223 last year, and "a IN
Canada, against 81 last year
New York. May 3.-Bradstreet's Will say
tomorrow: The manifest Improvement in
many lines of general trade has resulted
in an increase of the volume OF business,
Notwithstanding the idleness OF 900
Rhode Island worsted operatives and
many Ia other industrial lines.
Exports OF wheat -four included as
wheat, from both coasts OF the United
States amount to 2555. $50 bushels. against
? 43l on bushels last week. t.179.o10 bushels
the week a year ago. $4,000 bushels
three years ago. and as compared with
a349. 90 bushels exported the first week in
May. tS9i This weeks outgoing is about
the average for months past The visible
supply in the United States May l was
81 sai 0sA bushels. smaller than at a like
date one and two years ago. For many
months totals have been largely in excess
Of ike figures either one or two years be-
fore. The decrease OF domestic stocks for
four months Is twice what Il was one
year ago. and 30 per cent. of What II was
IN 1Ss0.
Price movements retain the character
istics OF the preceding week. a long list
Of gains-wheat 2iS per cent. corn Ia per
cent. sugar ~, sole leather ,. Live cat
tie prices al Western centers are practi-
cally unchanged. as IS finished iron. coal.
pig iron and steel AZ Eastern markets
and all except inferior grades of wool.
Wool prices have been little easier with
lower prices paid Tor inferior grades at
the London sales. and domestic country
prices above a parity with those current
AZ leading markets. There IS only fair
business IN cotton goods and prices re-
main firm. No gain Is looked for untn
demand for fan supplies becomes general