Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-08-10
BETTER DAYS DAWN
Commercial Agencies Agrae That
Times Are Improving.
REPORTS ARE VERY GRATIFYING.
July Shows Fewer Failures Than Any
Month Since 1S02-yolume of BUSH
ness for the Month Showsn
Big Increase.

I
in their weekly review of trade, say:
-Four years ago, August 5, $685. the first
number of Dun's Review was issued. with
failures in that month amounting to over
$6OOOO,00O while in the month just closed
failures have been only S7,117727, the
! smallest In any month since 1892. The
statement of failures by classes of BUSH
ness for July and for 46 months shows that
in manufacturing failures have been
smaller than In any other months of the en-
| tire period, in trading smaller than in any
other month except one, and in many
branches of each department smaller than
in most months of which records exist.
THE pesslmists who pronounced reports
of gain fictitious and msrepresenting have
grown weary of their Gismals and begin to
see the dawn of better days Last month
was the first in four years of which the
volume of business reported by clearing
houses was larger than in the same month
of 1882, and the Geographic dispatches from
all parts of the country given this week
show a gratifying Improvement. This is
partly due to a large yield Of wheat and
good prices. though the crop is probably
i not as large nor are prices thus far as
high as in 1892, but of cotton the price is
| higher and the yield probably larger than
In that year. Other farm products are
realizing good prices, and the possible de-
| crease in the yield of corn may help to
market the enormous surplus brought over
from last year. Liquidation of a powerful
| d
8 cents on Thursday, but a gain of ~ cents
! occurred the day following.
The Industrial World.
ut Is the wrong season to expect much
from industries, and yet there has been
material Increase in the number of hands
employed in the iron manufacture because
of the satisfactory adjustment of wages
dispute with the Amalgamated associa-
tion and the opening of numerous estab-
lishments which have been waiting, while
the coal miners strike seems each day
more likely to end in a permanent settle
| ment beneficial to both parties. Mean
while the demand for most finished prod
| ucts is steadily increasing, the feature
| this week being large pipe contracts for
| Russian oil fields, Sumatra and Germany.
| While consumption does not equal the ca
| pacity of the works in operation, and prices
of iron and steel products average slightly
| lower, the situation is altogether more
| hopeful
| THE sales of wool, as comparative re-
| turns by months show, bear little relation
| to the actual consumption in manufacture,
| but heavy liquidation since the tariff bill
was enacted give the impression that some
| dealers are no longer confident of a speedy
| advance. Nevertheless prices have risen
| per pound. Manufacturers are buying but
little, though they are rapidly increasing
the output and are able to obtain an adj
vance of about 10 per cent. in prices Of
Il
temporary curtailment of output by cotton
mills continues, but does not yet bring i'm
proved prices for products, although the
demand Is generally gaining.
Failures for the week have been 237 in
the United States, against 24O last year.
and 20 in Canada against 80 last year"
From Bradstreets Point of View.
Bradstreet's says:
General trade shows the most pro-
nounced gains this week at Chicago, st.
Louis and Galveston. The feeling of con-
f1dence that general business is to i'm
prove in the early autumn is marked at
these Cities and purchases Of dry goods,
clothing, shoes and other staples have in
creased heavily and are followed by dis
position toward prices up. Purchases We're
restricted at Kansas City, Omaha and
some other northwestern points early in
the week, owing to extreme heat and fears
of damage to the Indian corn crop, but
rains and cooler weather have stimulated
demand again. On the Pacific coast bust
ness Is brisk, the feature in California be-
ing heavy wheat shipments to San Fran
cisco, at Portland large exports of lumber
and at Seattle and Tacoma active demand
J for supplies for Alaska and Northwest Ter
ritory and for wheat fruit and hops. The
movement of general merchandise
throughout the country is unquestionably
larger than last week. Cotton goods and
wooden industries are better off, and the
stagnation In iron and steel has given way
to growing inquiry and increasing out
put But more significant still Is the ex-
traordinary expansion in bank clearings
this week and last month.
1.-THE upward tendency of prices during
the past three weeks is again a feature,
wool being firmer and higher for some va
rieties. Cotton yarns are stronger also, as
are some grades Of cotton at the west
Shoes no higher, but leather and hides
cost more than a week ago. as do wheat
Notwithstanding the reaction in septem.
Der options), flour, pork lard, Pacific coast
hops, sugar, soft coal and tea. There is
a 25-cent advance In Bessemer pig iron al
Pittsburgh, where makers decline orders
for future delivery at current quotations
and for iron bars and iron and steel sheets
at western centers. In fact. our prediction
in iron and steel has appeared.
"Quotations for cotton and print cloths
t remain practically unchanged while those
for Indian corn and oats are lower on i'm.
proved crop prospects. Other products quo
2 tations for which have declined are coffee
S petroleum, turpentine and resin"
t Allen Miller of Lime Springs is au-
: thorized to solicit subscription for the
y PLAIN DEALER and to receipt for m on
e ey paid on that account, also to ac.
comodate subscribers at that office, tt
collect and receipt for sums due thi:
office. If