Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-09-03
GAIN IS STEADY.
General Business Conditions Are
Most Gratifying.
NO SIGNS OF REACTION ARE SHOWN
Prices of Grain Advance, Money Mar
ket Shows Great Confidence,
While Many Industries Have
Started UP.

New York, Aug. 2s.-R. G. Dun & Co.,
in their weekly review of trade, say:
Speculative markets have had their
turns Of reaction, but business has none
this season, gaining with steadiness
which is most gratifying. The starting Of
works, increase in hands employed, ad-
vance In wages and in prices Of products
and the heavy movement Of crops are
facts before which all speculative influ-
ences have to bow. The weeks dispatches
mention 16 iron works which have started
against one closing; Is wooden works
started, and SO in many other branches,
while many more works have increased
force and many are preparing to resume,
and some have increased wages While
these things continue-with grain rising
and going abroad in enormous quantities.
money markets have reason for bounding
confidence, and speculative markets for
strength. Crop prospects are contradic-
tory, as usual at such time, but 1t is note
worthy that none of them indicate any
thing less than an ample supply of the great
staple.
Wheat n Cent Lower.
Wheat rose over six cents Saturday
nearly eight cents, advanced four cents
and then declined sharply, closing one cent
lower for the week. That some harm was
done to spring wheat in three states ap-
pears, but no accounts entitled to respect
indicate damage reducing the yield below
54o. 100000 bushels, which would be 250OO,-
600 larger than any other crop except that
of 1891. In spite of great lack of cars, wheat
receipts were 4,349,594 bushels for the week,
and for four weeks 15,5S9,GS1 bushels,
against l,S96,947 last year, and Atlantic
| exports, flour included, though somewhat
checked by higher prices, were s,56S,369 for
| the week, against 2,2O7.5l6 last year, and for
four weeks, 13,3S7,6S7 bushels, against $780,
III last year.
Corn, Cotton and Wool.
Receipts of corn bear strong testimony
| to the seriousness of foreign needs, being
| $780, IA bushels for the week, against 2,S13-
| 919 last year, and Atlantic exports in four
weeks have been 1Q,466,47S bushels, against
| 5.617,11O last year The price rose 11sc for
| the week.
Sympathy with other markets, rather
| than reports of injury, which capable au-
| thorities deem not important, accounts for
| the advance of three-siXteenths in cotton.
| But the mills are resuming work with a
| rush, and will require heavy supplies of ma
| terial to meet the large demand for goods,
which has advanced the prices of many.
| A general replenishment of stocks by deal
ers will call for heavy additional supplies
THE wool market also reflects greater
strength and further advance in some
| grades the heavy buying of woolens, which
| has SET 1llduS IIllilS at WOTh nlSQ MT ana DAY,
| and caused makers of many grades to
withdraw them entirely from the order
market.
| The Iron Industry.
"At last demand has so far overtaker
capacity Of iron works that prices are
| growing stronger. Bessemer and gray
| forge are rs cents higher at Pittsburgh. and
| pig in eastern markets as much stronger
| because rebates and concessions are
stopped. The advance In iron and steel
prices averages 81 per cent. for the week.
Failures for the week have been 223 in
the United States, against 2sS last year
| and "a in Canada, against SO last year.
From Br0dStreet's Point of View.
Bradstreet's says:
"The general trade situation continues te
improve, and aside from the unnecessaril,
| prolonged strike of the soft coal miners
| there Is little in sight to cloud the outlook
| The feature of the week is the advance ir
prices of almost all leading staples, be.
ginning with an upward movement all
| along the line In iron and steel. Steel bill.
lets are now 81. 50 above lowest figures, bars
| $1.50; rods, three dollars, and plates, one
dollar. Bessemer pig iron Is up rs cents
and foundry like amount. Southern iron!
are very strong on continued active ex
port movement. Lead, too, and soft Goa
are higher, as Is wheat, Notwithstanding
one or two reactions. Bradstreet's point!
out that the statistics position Of whea
Is the strongest known since the United
States became a considerable exporter, ans
that its price, as well as that of bread, Il
likely to materially exceed the presen
| weeks advances.
Following that for wheat, prices ar,
higher for flour, corn. oats, lard, potatoes
butter, eggs, beans, cheese, leaf tobacco
wool and live stock. Advances for leather
hides, lumber and linseed oil are also re
ported. Cotton. which is up three-six
teenths cent reports the smallest world
| stock for seven years past at this period
an improved tone and higher prices for thu
manufactured product. In spite of crol
damage, the tendency of estimates is to
ward the largest total yield on record
but with probabilities favoring much bet
ter prices than those obtained for tn,
crop of 1S94-5. Advances are being asket
for recorders OF wooden goods at mills, blu
print cloths. petroleum and sugar are un
changed for the week, while pork is re
ported slightly lower than week ago. NJ
such general or pronounced upward move
ment of prices of nearly all leading staples
has been witnessed within week for man,