Birmingham state herald., 1897-05-15
WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE As Given Out by Both Dun and
 BradStreet. Tx MERCHANDISE IMPORTS LS ! g Increased Ninety-four Per Cent Over the F Year Just Passed-As Whole the 2 Markets Are Steady.
:. MERCHANDISE IMPORTS

New York, May 14.-R. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review of trade tomorrow will say:
 Speeulators have enjoyed an advance in wheat, corn, cotton and some other products, though obliged 70 sell wool and sugar at lower figures in order to realize. Stocks have advanced I per s1o0 and truet stocks lost B, without enough de- mand to constitute a market. Imports of merchandise of S1S.3S2,0l9 for the week a New York alone are 94 per. cent. larger than year ago. making the increase 47 per cent. for the past six weeks, and have affected the exchange markets and held furher shipments of gold, which amount for the week to S2, 250, GOO, but are practically balanced by receipts from the interior and cause no serious apprehen- sion of financial disturbance Men feel that present conditions are only tenn porary. al h0ugh they tend to prevent im- mediate improvement in general trade ard hinder immediate investments. The government crop report estima tes the cotton acreage at per cen. less than last year, and is considered encouraging because so slight a decrease from the floods it may easily be made up. Prices have advanced an eighth on Liverpool speculation, With nothing here to war rant the rise The winter wheat report.
 
 297 ,000,000 bushels, is contrasted with state reports much better or much worse, but is distrusted mainly, as all depart ment estimates for years have been wide ly erroneous Western receipts continue large, 2219170 bushels against 1s70367 a year ago, and Atlantic expor;s also in- creased amounting for two weeks in May to 2,399, ,000 bushels, flour included, against 2,0S3,414 last year.
 Exports of corn are still large, 5,5S6,855 bughHlS for two weeks AR9inSt 2 nl4 1S1 last year, and in part accounts for the smaller demand in wheat.
 The output of pig iron for the week ending May 1 was 170,25S tons, against 173,279 tons April l, and the stocks un- sold, exclusive of those held by the great stieel making companies, increased only S,SOS tons. Several furnaces, especially those producing foundry iron, have stop ped production for this month, but no important changes appear in pig iron. which is quoted at $S.25 for gray forge a Pittsburg and S9.25 for Bessemer and SIP for No. l at New York, though only $1025 is asked for southern. Reduced southern rates here have not alered the market materially, and at Chicago also the local production has been decreased. The production is below the capacity of works in operation, and the award of the contract for the Montreal bridge, which is said to be at 90 cents for beams. against $1.55 demanded from consumers in this country, has oecasioned trouble in the Beam association, and there are reports that 1t has dissolved. Angles are re ported at 95 cents per 100 pounds, shade lower, and steel plates are quoted lower here than a Philadelphia.
 Copper is inactive, with large sales of lake at 1885 cents, and tin plates are quoted at 10 cents below prices fixed by the association and 15 cents below prices of some of the grades of foreign plales.
 Nothing new can be said of the cotton manufacture, which still lacks demand enough to lift print cloths above the low est pon, ever known, and prices of other grades of cotton do not improve. In gen. eral, the sales of cotton products are but moderate.
 Woolen goods are doing better than for weeks past, and vel there Is not enough demand to create enthusiasm or to raise prices, while there is great un- certainty regarding the future of the market. Sales of wool have sharply de- creased, and for the week barely exceed weeks consumption, while prices are weaker at eastern markets, according to some reports nearly for cent per pound at Philadelphia, and at the west the heavy buyers for speculation have begun to sell at some concessions wi.h good reason.
 Failures for the week were 264 in the United States, against PA last year, and 31 in Canada, against 39 last year.