Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-03-12
DuN's coMMERciAL REVIEW.


DuN's coMMERciAL REVIEW.
Remarkable s6trength oe m Entire Wens
Of Life shown 81 R.Ilrosd sscurities-
The Volume Of Bu1aness Not Materially
Improvfn8, hut C0nxadonos IN tie Eu-
ture fGrowing-Rsview Of tho Various
Staples 81
NEW YoRK, March 7.-R. g. Dun 4
Co. say to-day:
Failures for the week have been 2sB
In the United States, against 334 last
year; and 6s in Canada, against s. last
year.
The Cuban resolutions and the APP
pointment OF receivers for the Bslti-
more & Ohio were events OF sufficient
Importance to affect almost any gem
uine market, especially for securi-
ties It therefore argues remarlar
BILE strength of conditions or
an entire want Of life and gen
uineness in the market that the
prices Of the 60. most active. railroad
stocks, which averaged $4o74 per
share February /, have never fallen
lower than 40. 80 nor risen above $50. 50
per share. The market is largely un-
der the control Of operators who cam
not afford to see it decline much, but
1t is also true that the vote on Cuba
and the receivership had both been
discounted. The strength of the mar
ket is largely due to more satisfactory
reports of railroad earnings.
The volume of business reflected by
clearinghouse exchanges Is not ma
terially improving, the weeks RETURNS
showing a gain of only 6.5 per cent.
over last year, and a decrease OF 17.6
per cent. in comparison with the same
week of 1893.
It must yet be broadly stated that
business appears to improve only in
prospect and in the confidence on
which future transactions may be
based, but not as yet in actual sales
accomplished. 1855
The Industries all report slightly
lower range of prices, except for iron
and steel products, and it is notewor-
thy that while combinations in struc-.
tural beams and wire and cut nails
are advancing, the quotation for Bes-
semer pig has fallen to $12. 40 at Pitts
burgh, and Southern No. 2 is offered
at S7.75, delivered at Birmingham, and
billets have sold at SIT at Pittsburgh.
The bar combination which raised
prices not long ago finds an increasing
part Of the business absorbed by out
side works. The demand for no class
of iron products is at this time brisk,
but large structural business is ex-
pected in the spring, and there is still
much hopefulness about railroad or
ders, as earnings continue to improve.
The reports of the boot and shoe in
terest are not, on the whole, more en-
couraging this week, shipments from
theseast being nearly 20 per cent. less
than last year; but there was no fur
ther decline in prices. No important
change appears in the leather market,
and hides are somewhat weaker.
Prices of wool have declined an aver
age of "a per cent. within the month
of February, presumably because of
the failure of the proposed tariff bill,
which included duties on WOOL AT
present the sales are the smallest re-
corded for years. There is no Improve
ment whatever in the demand for
wooden goods, and a number of estab-
lishments have closed or reduced work.
ing forces. @
Some further rednctions have been
made in prices Of cotton goods,
although it does not appear that the
concessions have thus far been sue
cessful in calling out new business.
Reports are frequent that many OF the
largest mills are about to stop produc-
ton for a time in order to give the
market opportunity to clear itself.
Speculation in breadstuffs has not
been particularly active, nor has the:
change in prices been important.
Western receipts of wheat were 2, 301,-
600 bushels, against i, s24, 900 for the
same week last year Atlantic exr
ports again fell behind those of last
year, amounting for the week to ], 541,-
600 bushels, -four included, against
1880, 600 last year. With continuing
large receipts, corn remains substan-
TALLY unchanged in price.
The cotton market has continued its
downward movement, spots having
fallen 3-16 again, and the May OPP
ton 20 points. Receips continue as
before, so large as to render quite in
admissible the lowest estimates of the
crop of 1895, and at the same time the
preparations for planting this year go.
on at such scale thatit is believed by
many conservative observers that the.
crop, with favorable weather, mag
proveone of the largest on record.