The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-29
HOPE LINGERS YET
BUT NoGEEBRAL BUSINESS CHANGE
FOB THE BETTER

Trade Logically Backward Because of Lack
Of Demand for the Products of Great
Indust-ies-strike Complications Make
Less Than the ordinary FIsure-Ur-
ward Flight Of wheat-cotton weaker
TEXTILE Goods Market Disappointing
Special Lines Demanded in Iron Prod
ucts-Braastreet's Review.
New York, Feb. 2s.-R. G. Dun & Cos
Weekly Review of Ttrade. which issues
tomorrow. viii say:
In some quarters business gains at
the west, rather than at the east, but
there is no general change for the bet
ter, although hopefulness still predomi7
mates. The want of sufficient demand
for the products of great industries still
retards actual improvement Strikes of
some Importance In garment making
and kindred lines affect trade in Chi
cago and Baltimore. but there was few
er labor difficulties than usual, as exist
ing conditions warn wage earners that
controversies at this time are unwise.
Wheat has taken fight upward, adj
vancing 81 cents for cash and 2ss cents
for May, with rumors of foreign sup
plies as the only basis. Estimates of
wheat in farmers hands are lower than
last year, but still indicate, with visit
bic stocks, a supply much beyond prob
able needs. Western receipts nave been
2,351, 1873 bushels, against 1,699,759 last
year, and for four weeks of February
10, 700, 104, against 4,910, 446 last year. In
the presence of such receipts, Atlantic
exports Of 7,043, SIT bushels, flour includ-
ed, against 6, O06, 21S for the same weeks
last year, have no real weight, but a
larger movement hereafter is expected.
Cotton has been weaker, with only
fair receipts, the important decline in
goods having much influence.
The market for textile goods Is disap-
pointing. Material reduction in cottons
have not brought out the needed de-
mand and the further decline in brown
sheetings this week to Az cents cores
ponds with reports that mills of some
Importance may prefer to arrest produc-
ton for a time unless demand improves.
1T is not to be forgotten that the mills
cent NOR for goods than a year ago,
WA4AAC 10y 4AAS 20 III N<CA4L 4A1OAC AOA W.
ton.
Wooden goods are receiving consider
able orders for spring, but business for
the future does not mend. Clay worst
ers are again shade lower. The range
for all woolens is scarcely / per cent
higher than a. year ago, although wool
Is more than z per cent higher and a
good many mills are closing of reducing
time. Prices are still unchanged, as the
demands of foreign manufacturers for
the American market keep prices up
abroad.
The feature in iron has been the large
demand for wrought and cast pipe; 200
miles of wrought have been taken for
the Standard Oil company, and some
for other companies, with $50 miles.
wanted for Russia, while New York
contracts for $500 tons cast pipe have
been placed at the lowest prices ever
known, $3.50 to s17.65 per ton. Large
orders for structural work are received
at Chicag oand expected at the east as
building plans are unusually large, but
sheets sell slowly and rails very little,
though bar is fairly active, with many
orders coming for cars. Iron quotations
average 2 per cent lower for the week,
because of the drop in Bessemer at
to $3.50 and in Greyforge to
s10.75. "a
Failures for the week have been 27S
n the United States, against $50 last
year, and So in Canada, against SO last
year.
TRADE REVIEW.
New York, Feb. 2S.-Bradstreet's to-
will say:
ChangeaIble and, at times, unseason-
able weather has continued to unfavor-
ably influence the distribution of gen
sral merchandise. Relatively the most
active movement has been of shoes,
groceries, dry goods, millinery and
light hardware but, on the whole, the
merchandise movement has not mater
ally improved. Jubbers at larger west
srn centers do not anticipate a heavy
spring trade, as the outlook is for re-
alters carrying over larger stocks than
expected.
The price movement of leading staples
S more Favorable, with advances for
wheat Indian corn, oats, copper, leath-
r and turpentine. Firm or steady
prices are noted for wheat, -four, COT
ee, sugar, steelrails, lumber, coal and
lides, while reactions appear in quota
ions for pork and lard, cotton and
,rint cloths, petroleum, Bessemer pig
IO1fs Sbccl b4AGhS e4A4 SOAhS 6AoG@S ~
southern pig.
Exports OF wheat, -four Included as
wheat, from both coasts Of the United
states this week showed marked fall
ng off, not only from the total one
week ago, which was $4,000 bushels,
tut as compared withs corresponding
otals for concluding weeks in Februs-
Try, In four preceding years. One yea',
Lgo the weeks exports amounted to q
IS, 900 bushels, and two years ago 1T
vas 2,972, 90; IN 1888 1t was 3.251, 900 arId
n 1892 1t was 2.90S, 900 bushels.
The falling off in the total number Of
business failures throughout the Unit /
d States O. week ago Is continued, the
otaI being 271, compared with 276 last
week, ga IN the corresponding week OF
895. 20 In the fourth week of February
S94, III in 1893 and 247 In 1892.