The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-04-13
At A SNAIL'S PACE.
Progress in the Business World
is Slow.
Advance Continues but it is
Greatly Hampered.
ENLIVENED BY EASTER
Retail Trade Picks Up on That
Account.

NEW YORK, April 1s.-R. G. Dun &
Co.'s Weekly Review of Trade says:
Progress toward better business con-
tinues, but it is slow and meets many
obstacles. In speculative aspects and
in wholesale demand for goods, the
week shows improvement. Money
markets are undisturbed and little
more active. But among the
chief obstacles is the anxiety of
operatives to secure better wages, even
while many manufacturing works are
running without profit and others at
the risk of less. In a number of estab-
ishments better wages have been con-
coded, thus increasing the purchasing
power OF the people, but strikes have
largely Overbalaneed settlements, sew
eral ofimportance having thrown about
II, 900 workers out of employment this
week. Retail trade has improved
on the whole since March, as the APP
prOach of Easter brings more business,
but distribution to Individual consum-
ers still lags behind purchasers of job
bers and such demand for pro iucts as
springs from building and other in
vestments looking into the future.
Crop prospects will greatly feet the
course of trade for some months and
the government report had little infu-
ence to discourage. For consumers
the worst feature is the rapid advance
in meats.
For the first time in long period
prices of commo lit;es average a shade
higher than year ago and in Great
Britain also, owing to different causes,
a slight advance occurred in March.
On both sides of the ocean the lowest
level ever known may naturally be
followed by some rise. Cotton on both
sides is more buoyant than anything
else except meat and petroleum here,
crude oil having risen to S1sO, the
highest price for over seventeen years.
Nothing supports the advance of an
eighth in cotton the past week except
the impression that the next crop will
be short, for receipts are large and
about $50. 900 bales more than the
largest crop ever grown, have already
come into sight this year.
Wheat has yielded nearly cent, al
though Atlantic exports for two weeks
have been 3,7O6 CAB bushels, -four in
Guided, against 8, 500, 6Ss last year, with
western receipts only 2,Oss 4G7, against
4 1923, 434 last year. Receipts of corn
are about half and exports about a
fifth of last years. Decrease in receipts
of cattle are exaggerated, ESQ, 4o6 having
arrived at Chicago, against 7S9, SAB to
date last year, and the prevalent opin-
ion is that the western packers are
helping nature to some extent.
Sales of wool are particularly inter
esting, amounting for the week to
5000, 200 pounds, and for five weeks
previous to 25, e21, 200 against 25, PIT, s76
in the same weeks of 1892. In brief
sales are close to the quantity required
for full consummation and the long
delay in placing orders and the
Iateness of the season makes
larger than usual. No improvement
in prices appears, and domestic
wool does not respond to recent adj
vances in foreign markets. The low
price encourages manufacturers TO
compete much more vigorously with
the foreign goods of many kinds than
they had expected, and for the medium
and cheaper grades of goods they
have more than the usual de-
mand, because purchases of consumers
have for two years been comparative
ly small. The better goods fare not
SO well, foreign competition being
more effective, but there is good de-
mand for dress goods. In eottons con-
tinued strength appears, with further.
occasional advances of d cent and x
cent in print cloths and the aggregate is
fair. Many agents are sold well ahead.
Failures for the week were 2O7 in the
United States against 21s last year and
% in Canada, against IA last year.