The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-12
GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT
INCREASED BUSINESS IN VOLUME,
BUT PRICES RISE SLOWLY.
Better Crop Prospects Help in Re-
viVal of Trade-WeekIy Reports by
Rradstreet and Dun & Co.

NEW YORK June 11.-R. G.. Dun & Co.'s
weekly review of trade tomorrow will say:
The gain in business continues, not with
out fluctuations, and at the best moderate,
but yet distinct. 1t is still in quantities
rather than prices although in some
branches an advance in prices appears, but
on the whole the number of hands en-
ployed, the volume of new orders and the
amount of work done are slowly increas-
ms. Prospects of good crops of wheat and
cotton help; growing demand from deal
ers whose stocks a gradually gaining con-
sumption depletes also helps, and in the
money and exchange market large buying
of American securities has an influence.
The annual report of cotton acreage by
the Financial Chronicle shows an increase
of 5S3 per cent in ali the States, and an
increase in every State in spite of the
floods, which, with no more favorable
weather than that of last year. would mean
a crop of nearly 900 bales. The market
is a sixteenth weaker, partly because some
Southern cotton mills are trying to limit
production. Neither cotton nor wooden
mills can expect other than waiting BUSH
ness with change of tariff impending, but
the demand for bleached goods is steady,
though moderate; for print cloths slightly
better, at 2.44c plus l per cent, and for
print goods, though not active Brown
goods are dull, though quotations are I'M
changed. Some large wooden mills are
preparing to increase output and have
bought heavily sales of foreign wool at
Boston alone having reached $4,000
pounds out of S,36S000 sold of all kinds at
the three chief markets. CARPET mills at
Philadelphia, which have just resumed
after long idleness, were also buyers, and
all are. now running nearly full time. A
somewhat better .eorder demand for wool
ems is reported, especially i'll medium and
high-priced goods and fancy worsteds
without change in prices
Iron furnaces in blast June ! reported
weekly output of $3.50 tons, against 17052S
May |, and in unsod stocks, exclusive of
the great steel companies, an increase of
l,613 tons for the month, to 1050, 252 tons
Yet when an accident sent one of the large
concerns into the market to buy quickly
% 600 to 10000 tons of pig. the price rose to
$500 for Bessemer ait Pttsburg, receding
afterwards to $9I5 with grey forge higher
at $S.25. The main fact is that production
OF pig has for some months been much in
excess of the demand in the manufact
of finished products. Failure to form the
rod trust caused wire nails to yield cents
The general demand for plates and sheets
was better, and for bars much larger East
and at Chicago with some large orders
taken at Pittsburg. Philadelphia reports
decided improvement in finished iron, with
fewer concessions, and Pittsburg large
structural orders, while apprehension OF
labor difficulties has induced much buying
at the West. The strike at Pittsburg ended
without success
Failures for the week have been 262 in
the United States, against 246 last year
and 81 in Canada, against q last year.