The age-herald., 1897-08-21
THERE'S NO CHECK
 IN IMPROVEMENT Say Dun and BradStFeet in Their Review
 of Trade. AN ERA OF CONFIDENCE Is Shown By the Marked Increase in
 Trade Movements. GREATEST GAIN IN AGRICULTURE Corn and Wheat Jumping Because of Heavy Export Orders Largest Cotton Crops
 Ever Known Predcted-lron
 and Steel improving.
AN ERA OF CONFIDENCE
GAIN IN AGRICULTURE

New York. Aug. 20.--R. G. Dun & Co.,. in their weekly review of trade tomor- row will say: Not for several years have the telegraphic reports from various cities in all parts of the country been as encouraging and shown as uniform an improvement as this week. The markets fairly represent the people whose conh- dence in the future is strong and in- creasing Nothing appears to check it. Rumors of injury to crops are not suffi- ciently strong to have much influence. The one temporary hindrance is the strike of the bituminous coal miners which interf res as yet a little with indus in a week. The demand for money im- proves, taking from New York to the in- terior about a half million more than was received during the week, and offerings of commercial loans are much larger in- cluding considerable iron and steel pa- per and the course of foreign exchange is generally interpreted as an indication that specie imports cannot be longer de- layed.
 The greatest gain has been for agri- cultural. Corn has advanced little in price, but is moving very largely, so that the last years surplus may soon be mar keted unless the new crop turns out bet ter than many now expect. Cotton de- clined an eighth because of an estimate promising the largest crop ever grown, but the dry goods market is decidedly improving and some of the large mills after a few weeks of suspension have resumed work. Other farm products are doing we'll also but wheat has advanced about 11%c for the week on actual trans actions, with heavy purchases for ex- port. The official estimate of yield is entirely -disregarded except as an ad- mission that the crop will be larger than that of last year. and it is commonly assumed that the yield will be 55O, ,o0o 900 bushels or more, though recent reports of injury indicating the possibility of a somewhat smaller outcome have helped the advances in prices
 Western receipts for the week were 3,S44,504 bushels, against S.974,775 bushels last year, and for three weeks 11,s4o 267 bushels. againsl. 1O.167,197 bushels last year, while Atlantic exports are about double last year, 3,7O5, ,2S7 bushels against 1.S0S.347 bushels last year. and for three weeks s.S19.s1S bushels. agains. 51O., ,es1 bushels last year, flour included as wheat for both years. It is well to notice that corn exports continue more tihan double last years in three weeks. S,Sl6.ei5 busll- els, against S,252,116 bushels last year.
 The dron and steel industry is pushing forward in spite of lhe still unsettled strike of bftuminous miners and the enormous purchase of ore at Cleveland and also of billets ail Pittsburg show the utmost confidence in the future Many ad- ditional establishments have begun work during the past week and while no ma terial changes in prices have occurred, the prices indicate fewer concessions 4 secure business and much stsadier tons. The demand for finished products has decidedly improved, especially in plate, sheets and bars and in railway suppli5s, particularly in car axles. The sales of ore alt Cleveland have amounted in two weeks to four or five hundred thousand tons. and billets sales reported at Pittsburg have been in three weeks about sOo.ooo tons.
 The old difficulty remains in the boot and shoe industry, deal:rs b ing unwilling