The herald., 1896-05-02
COMMERCIAL CONDITIONS
Expert Observers Report on
State of Trade
RETAILERS FAIRLY ACTIVE
While Wholesale Lines Show Very Little
Improvement
Merchants In Staple Lines Look Forward
rA~ft %
RETAILERS FAIRLY ACTIVE
Merchants In Staple Lines Look Forward
With Confidence to Better Trade
During the Autumn
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
NEW YORK, May 1.-R. G. Dun & Co.'S
weekly review of trade tomorrow will
say: AS the season advances there is
| more business, but on the whole the
prevalent feeling is that the gain is less
than there was reason to expect. While
the retail trade has been active enough
to materially lessen stocks and obliga-
tons and thus prevent a great many
threatened embarrassments, it has not
yet brought new business to mills or
factories to prevent a decrease of un-
1lled orders and the closing of some
WORKS. substantially the same state
OF things exists in all the great indus
tries, Notwithstanding strong combina-
lions in some and evidence of made
ouate consumption appears in the fact
that the general range of prices for COM
modities. farm and mine as we'll as
manufactured products, is nearly one
per cent lower than it was April /, and
the lowest ever known, the decline since
october. 1892, being 167 per cent Wheat
declined 49s for cash. with better ac-
counts OF winter and rapid seeding of
spring. With only two months of the
crop year remaining there is little to
encourage higher prices. Silk weak
ened a little, owing to the overlooking
of Japanese dealers. Wool is weak, the
WOOL year closing With the greatest
quantity of wool on hand ever carried
at this season. Woolen goods have not
improved in demand and nannels
opened to Is per cent lower than last
year. Dress good. are helped by the
RESTRICTION OF foreign imports. but re-
ports snow that wool machinery is not
more than half employed. Seven cot
ton mills have ceased operations. in
c'udlng one large printing establish
ment. and stocks on hand still increase
lh9ugh for brown goods there has been
better legitimate demand and great
quantities of ginghams have been
moved by drives at prices low beyond
al precedent. The decrease in ship
ment of Woolen goods from Europe has
been quite marked. '-'''
Large purchases of lake ore by princi-
pal consumers, contracts securing con-
tloi OF low PHOSPHORUS ore, and lower
tfQi OIL low phosphorus ore and lower
COKE IN order to compete with Pocahon.
tas coke, are the main features in the
IRON industry. but the revival demand
IS yet deferred. Higher prices for nails
caused active buying for the week, but
large consumers decline to contract, as
ySet ior pars, and the rod combination
has fallen through.
structural products are good. but in
other branches the demand is less ac-
tive,
Failures for the United States in the
PAST Week we're 23S against 231 last year.
oIaI1S L 11if-EI - REPORT.
Bradstreets says there is relatively
less Improvement in general trade this
week, the present partaking of between
seasons character. Wholesale merch-
chants in staple lines in many instances
look ahead with confidence to autumn,
ana IN such departments as agricultural
implements. building materials and
hardware there is reported a moderate
revival
There is an Unexpectedly small num-
Der of strikes this season. In iron and
steel there are advances in prices for
special grades of pig iron, due to the out
PUT OF Lake Superior ores having been
practically taken up by few interests.
l he so-called steel trust is reported
to be extending its territory. Higher
quotations are announced for coffee cot
ton, petroleum and anthracite coal,
while print cloths and lumber are prac-
tically unchanged. Copper is easier and
wool sold at concessions. The most en-
oouraging feature of the wooden goods
market, from the point of view of the
domestic mills, is the higher cost of for
eign WOolens.