Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-03-28
DUN'S TRADE REVIEW.


Grow More Distinct-Speculative Adj
| vances Unreliable. but Money is in Bet-
| ter Demand, Domestic Trade Gains a
| Little and the Force of Hands at Work
| Increases-Orher Factors.
New YORK, March 23-R G. Dun &
Co. s weekly review of trade, issued to-
day, says:
Indications of improvement in bust
| ness grow more distinct. The most
obtrusive of them. the speculative ad-
vance in cotton and in stocks, is the
least reliable, nor can either of these
be said to reflect actual improvement
in business conditions. Railroad earn
ings are scarcely better, and the spec
ulation is largely based on expectation
of more effective monopoly on coal
| and some other products. London was
buying largely. but is as likely to sell
on any rise. Cotton does not rise be-
| cause there is more demand for goods
| but there is more demand for goods be-
| cause cotton is dearer.
More valuable indications are that
| the volume Of domestic trade gains a
| little, money is in much better legiti-
| mate demand, and the force of hands
| at work gradually increases in some
| Industries, and in others is restricted
| only by strikes, which are presumably
temporary. The threatened strike of
coke workers has been avoided by an
| advance of Is per cent. in wages, and
| the strike in building trades here has
been ended, the men returning to
work.
The rise in cotton to 6.31 cents still
seems to have scarcely any contact
J., fro %
but had very substantial basis, never
theless, if, as some maintain, more
cotton had been sold in this country
for future delivery than could be pro-
duced here until another crop comes.
American stocks were last Friday
1,345, OPS bales, against 1,154,7OO last
year, with the general expectation
that something over zoe, 900 bales will
yet come forward, while foreign
stocks of American are 600, 900 bales
greater than at date after the great
crop of 1891. Receipts continue large
and the movement has really no other
basis than belief that the next crop
will be small.
The rise in wheat, which started
with the report of wheat in farmers
hands, has been followed by reaction.
so that prices are lower than they were
prior to that report, having fallen 214
cents for the week. Western receipts
are 1,9sS,214 bushels, against 1858, 1881
last year, and for three weeks were
practically equal to last years, while
Atlantic exports are small. Corn has
not followed, but after a rise to 515s
holds the price of a week ago, receipts
being about a third Of last years and
exports insignificant. Pork has de-
clined % cents per barrel, and lard 10
cents per 100 pounds.
The advance in wages of coke work
ars raises the cost of fuel for a large
proportion of the iron manu- facturers,
but as yet does not affect prices of iron
or it's products, as no increase in de-
mand appears. Possibly it is hoped
that larger buying will soon be
prompted by the idea that pig and all
products will be rendered more costly,
though the large excess of production
and producing capacity stands in the
way. One sale of 10000 tons steel
rails; one cast pipe contract for 5000
tons, and a bridge and five building
contracts aggregating nearly 5000
tons. are reported this week; but pig
the east and at Pittsburgh, and no
change of consequence is noted in the
demand for finished products.
Lead is weak er, with heavy sales,
2 500 tons to domestic, and 1.5OO to for
eign takers at 3.O5 to cents; but
large sales of tin plate are reported,
with prices a shade stronger.
Shipments of boots and shoes from
Boston for three weeks have been 242,-
42s cases, against 207, 302 last year, and
PAT, 100 in 1898, and some important Or
ders at the advance in prices have
started several other blishments
at about half their capacity.
The rise in cotton has stimulated
buying of cotton and given confidence
to agents. Heavy transactions and
some advances in price appear in
southern coarse goods, but not as yet
in the finer. Strikes in textile mills
grow more numerous, especially in
wooden mills, which have orders
enough to run full time, operatives
apparently assuming that there must
be realizing profits; but margins are
so scanty that advance in wages is for
most works impossible.
Sales of wool gradually decrease,
and for the week are smaller than last
year, AHA, 900 pounds, against 4,33S,-
500 For the three weeks of March,
sales indicate about 20 per cent. of q
full consumption.
The volume of business through the
clearinghouse gains a little, being
14.1 per cent. larger than last year for
the week, but %. per cent. less than
in 1893 Most of the increase is at
New York, and here and elsewhere
partly due to active speculation.
Liabilities in failures for the first
two weeks of March were, for the first
time in more than a year, larger than
a year ago, s7.372.471, against S4,s35,-
14O last year, 81 ,672, $50 being of manu-
featuring concerns, against S2,33O.257
last year, and S2,674,917 of trading
concerns against s2,446,0ss last year.
But collections are on the whole re-
ported quite satisfactory.
Failures during the past week have |
been 27s in the United States, against |
IA last year; and IS in Canada, against |
so last year.
nhAcEo0IIc OhN,H