Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-03-26
DUN.s TRADE REVIEW.

A Slight Falling ON in Amount Of Fall
urcs for March. Otherwise . Dtscourag-
ing Report-The OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Inn
provement In Business Still Refuses to
situation.
New YoBk, March s1.-R. g. Dun &
Co. say to-day:
cover liabilities of IS, 100, 397, against
81, 81, All last year. Failures for the
week were col in the United States,
against 27s last year; and 40 in Canada,
against IS last year.
Movement toward bet ter things is
still the exception. There is better
business in shoes and small industries,
and there has been a squeezing of
short sellers in cotton, but the general
tendency of industries and prices is
not encouraging, and those who were
most hopeful a month ago are still
waiting, not SO hopefully, for the ex-
pected recovery.
distractions to recovery are not to
be sought primarily in the investment
or the money market, but in the in
dustria1 reaction after the unnatural
expan sion of demand and prices last
year.
1t is striking feet that the only
great industry which is now rapidly
gaining in business is the one in which
prices have been generally cut down
to last years lowest figures, and the
boot and shoe makers had a reason for
hesitation in the prices of leather,
which still average six per cent. higher
than year ago, though hides are 13
per cent. lower, having again declined
the past week about three per cent.
If the manufacturers get narrow
profits, or none, they are at least do
ing business which will keep most of
the works in operation.
The wooden mills have different con-
ditions, and with prices already re-
duced below last years lowest aver
age and wool two to three per cent.
higher than it was then, they are not
getting business to keep works in oper-
atioI.. Sales of wool were the smallest
in any week for years.
A sharp decline in the prices Of cot
ton goods is the comment of mills on
rising cotton. Goods now average
lower than since March, 1895, having
declined ~ per cent. for the week,
print cloths to 21a cents, which is only
d sixteenth above the lowest price on
record. The accumulation Of goods in
the face of slack and rapidly diminish
ing demand has brought the closing of
one of the largest mills and others are
considering.
The iron industry shows but a
slight average decline in prices, as
com binations still insist upon the
highest prices of last year, and the de-
mand is naturally curtailed. Quota
tions are deceptive, because lower
prices are constantly made to secure
business, but with ore and coke COM
bina,sions demanding high figures, hes
itation is inevitable. Minor metals
change little, but aluminium, by mis-
print quoted here enormously last
week, sells at so cents.
Speculation in cotton has caught
short sellers in trouble, and, just be-
cause they thought the prices must go
lower, the shorts are forced to put
them up. Such a rise may go on with
out regard to supply or demand, but
neither the government report of last
week, nor the fall in the goods nor the
closing of mills give reason to expect
more than speculative rise.
The market in wheat has been weak,
though rather stagnant, but the
weight of facts is felt, as western re-
ceipts for three weeks of March have
been $3.50, 4s1 bushels, against 5,624,-
929 last year. Atlantic exports, flour
included, show decrease, amounting
to 4, O4S, O64 bushels for three weeks,
against 5,O57, 100 last year.
The movement OF corn continues
very large, and prices have declined
one cent for cash.
A more trou blesome feature of the
situation is the st ringency in CONNER.
cial loans.