The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-08-31
DUN'S COMMERCIAL REVIEW.

The Usual August Shrinkage Rather More
! Than Realized-Due to Unusual Activity
In ~July-Cereals Take "A Tumble Owing to
Failure OF Foreign Demand-CottO Ad-
vnnccs-wooI Sales-Successful Strikes
Add to Purchasing Power-Failures.
New YORK, Aug. 24.-R. G. Dun &
Co., in their weekly review of trade,
Issued to-day, say:
The volume of business shrinks, as
is usual in August, and the shrinkage
seems rather larger than usual be-
cause transactions in July were some
what inflated for that month. The
settlement of wages in the window
glass works foreshadows higher prices,
and the carpet workers about Phil a.
delphia, by proposing to accept higher
wages after Septe mber 16, broke the
ranks of the employers, so hat nearly
all consented to an advance of II per
cent. on Thursday. The strikes of
clothing workers progress every day
toward a season of better wages for
the employees.
The price of wheat has fallen 3%
cents during the week, recovering a
fraction on Thursday, in spite of all
efforts to hold back supplies from
farms and to encourage buying.
/ Wheat ought to go abroad freely at
present prices, but Atlantic exports,
flour included, have been only 1852
SOP bushels for the week, against
2,694, 764 last year, and for four weeks
only 4,3+S,6 32 bushels, against 10, $780,
i47 last year. Impressive stories of
short crops abroad have little weight
in the presence of such n record, and
the abstention for foreign purchasers
proves more effective than the with
holding of wheat by western farmers.
Naturally 57-cent wheat of the Pacific
coast still goes forward freely in place
Of Atlantic supplies.
Corn has also declined AZ cents,
while pork and lard, with accustomed
inconsistency, rise a shade as corr de-
clines.
Cotton has advanced a fraction to
7.75 cents. without any definite change
in crop prospects, and as usual the i'm
mense volume of stocks carried over,
in mills and commercial hands here
and abroad, about 5000. 600 bales
American, is by most traders not APP
preciated.
1t is a relief to urn to the great in
dustries, in which the enormous orders
placed some weeks or months ago
cause phenomenal activity for the
season. In iron, Notwithstanding
some uneasiLess because the output
has greatly increased, heavy pur-
chases by two leading companies have
advanced the price of Bessemer SO
cents and a new combination has
raised galvanized barbed wire to 81. so.
while combinations are being formed
in wire rods and common wire, and an
advance in prices is expected. Other
prices are unchanged, and the new
orders for iron and steel products are
not at present large.
In boots and shoes the shipments of
old orders again exceed those of any
previous year for the month thus far,
and yet almost in every branch the
new orders are very scanty. although
prices of boots and shoes, of leather
and also hides, are very firmly main
tanned.
In cotton goods the demand is rather
more active as the price of the raw
material advances, but otherwise the
business has not materially changed,
and the quotations for print cloths are
a shade lower then indicated a week
ago.
Sales of wool are again smaller than
in 1892, and for the month thus far
have been 16, SAT, 900 pounds, of which
9.121, 800 were domestic, against 49,
O72, $50 last year, of which 16,316,3 $40
were domestic, and %, 361, 400 in the
same week of 1892, of which 17.015, 900
were domestic. But the speculative
buyers still hold prices very stify, and
are supported by the strength in for
eign markets. No marked change APP
pears in the demand for wooden goods,
but there is increasing apprehension
shown by agents regarding the extern
sive sales of foreign woolens the pres
emit season.
Failures for two weeks of August
show liabilities amounting to So, 1921
597, of which 81, SIS. 372 were of manu-
featuring and 81, s97. 235 of trading
concerns. In the same week last year
the amount of liabilities cached about
IS, 4s9.415, of which 81, 5s4, 500 were OF
manufacturing and 81, $50, 374 were OF
trading concerns.
Failures for the week have been 222
in the United States against 234 last
year, and 43 in Canada against SO last
year.
o PEVENiIE-