The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-04-20
DUN'S COMMERCIAL REVIEW.

stdcles-Ine approach OF Easter BrlnR'
More Activity to the Retail Trade. and
Prices of Commodities Average a Shade
higher.
NEW YORK, April 13.-R. G.. Dun &
Co.'S weekly review of trade, issued to-
day, says:
Progress toward better business con
tinues, but it IS slow and meets many
obstacles. In speculative as in whole
| sale, demand for goods show improve.
ment. Money markets are undis.
turbed, with a little more demand,
Among the chief obstacles is the
anxiety Of operatives to secure better
wages, even while many works are
running without profit and others al
the risk of loss. In a number OF
establishments better wages have been
conceded, thus increasing the purchas.
ing power of the people; but strikes
have largely Overbalanced settlements,
several of Importance having thrown
about Il, 900 workers out of employ
ment this week.
For the first time in a long period.
prices of commodities average Il shade
HlSh1 NA1 " gNHI 49, NV "a
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 natur-
ally be followed by some rise. Cotton
is on both sides more buoyant than
anything else except meats and pc
troleum here, crude oil having risen to
S1 Gn tho hirhaSt nriaa fn- nrar cauAn-
teen 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 150, 900 bales more than the larg-
est crop ever grown have already come
into sight this year.
Wheat has yielded nearly l cent,
although Atlantic exports for two
weeks have been 3,706, 643, bushels.
flour included. against $500, 6SS last
year, with western receipts of only
2,5SS, 467, against 4,223,4 34 last year.
Receipts of corn are about half and
exports about one-fourth of last years.
Decrease in receipts of cattle are ex-
aggerated, G59, 400 having arrived at
Chicago, against 7S9, 543 to date last
year, and the prevalent opinion is that
western packers are helping nature to
some extent.
Domestic trade, shown by payments
through clearinghouse, is rs per
cent. larger than last year, but 2O.2
per cent. smaller than in 1898. About
this time a few years ago retail bust
ness began to drop off and mills to
close, but half the difference in the
volume of business is due to the fall in
prices. Railroad earnings for the first
week of April show an increase of less
than l per cent. over last year, and re-
turns covering $50, 1862 within the
United States, for March, were 12.1
per cent. less than in 1893, while our
returns covering $40, 961 sos for Febru-
airy are 1871 per cent. less than in 1898.
Tonnage from Chicago the first week
of April vas 3l,3G1 smaller than last
year, but a slight increase is seen at
other points. The last weei- for eX-
ports was especially good, showing an
increase of IS per cent, but March re-
turns for the principal products show
a decrease of S5,253,4S1, or lis per
cent, against an increase of 10 per
cent. in imports at New York.
The output of pig iron April l was
15S, 132 tons weekly, practically the
same as March l, with a decrease of
1,OsO tons in unsold stocks during the
month. Doubtless heavy stocks were
taken up by manufacturers in antici-
patton of a strike in coke works, but
the apparent consumption is larger
than at any other time for some
months, and only a sixth less than
March, 1892. Bessemer iron has ad-
vanced a little further, to SlO.95 at
Pittsburgh, but there is no change
which varies the prices of finished
goods; and while the demand con-
tinues good for structural forms and u
little better for bar, the marked de-
crease in demand for wire, owing to
the scant purchases of farmers for
fencing, affects the outlook. 1t seems
probable that pig iron must recede I'M
less a larger demand for finished prod
nets is soon developed.
The shoe manufacture continues to
lead all industries with shipments of
20 per cent. larger in number of
cases than 4 year ago, though not in
value, while orders have been more
liberal at advanced prices.
Sales of wool are particularly inter
amounting, for the week, to
6, O3O. 200 pounds. and for five weeks
previous, to 25,G21, 200, against 25,277,-
576 in the same weeks of 1892. In
brief, sales are close to the quantity re-
CURED for a full consumption, and the
long delay in placing orders and the
of the season makes proper
ton of mills at work larger than
usual.
Stocks show scarcely any change for
the week, though the report of the
and the failure of the coal
to agree were u~nfavorable.
The business, even with a little buy
ing by London, is tame and narrow.
is easier, and supplies are again
from the interior. while foreign
exchange has been at exporting point.
More commercial paper is now offer
ing, principally dry goods, though the
amount is not large.
Failures for the first four days of
April showed liabilities of 81, 1Ss, 523.
Of which S445, $40 were of manufacture
ing, and S742,6s3 trading concerns.