The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-06

New York, Feb. 5.-R. G. Dun & Co.
will say tomorrow in their weekly re-
view of trade:
No important change in business ap-
pears but the number of malufa curing
establishments starting much exceeds
the number of those stopping during
the week and so much SO that the cur
tailment of working time in many cot
ton mills probably does not lessen the
aggregate productive force or amount
Of wages paid. There is distinct in
crease in orders for wooden goods, some
improvement in silk manufacture, a
waiting condition with gain in one
branch of boots and shoes, and indi-
cations of better things coming in the
iron and steel manufacture. To many
1t is the most discouraging feature of
current events that wheat does not
raise much, though it has advanced IA
cents for the week. Atlantic exports
have been only 1856, 400 bushels; flour
included, against 1865, 456 for the same
week last yea, while western receipts
have been only 1,406, 10 bushels against
2,SO0,4O last year. The condition of the
market is not explained by any special
information but current prices show
that no special confidence is felt in
the estimates of supplies available for
the rest of the year.
Sales of wool have been smaller than
IN recent weeks. At the three chief
markets. the aggregate for the week has
been 1866, 700 pounds.
There has been only a slight stiffen-
ing in prices. but more foreign wool
Will be taken and stored, it is believed,
II western holders continue TO demand
higher prices.
Prices of bessemer pig and grey forge
at Pittsburg have slightly advanced
with much more hopeful feeling, not
withstanding the comparative narrow
ness Of the demand for finished prod
ucts and in plates and wire nails there
is much more business with good pros
poets. BilletS are quoted at $15.25 with
scarcely any demand at present and
rods at 81, while No. q black sheets
are quoted at only cents. Re
ports that %, GOO tons of steel plate and
sheet cars have been exported to En-
gland are only indications of the tenn
porary excess of supply over demand
in this country and are not supposed
to have realized any profit. Yet it is
stated that prices of cast pipe are from
81 to SO per ton lower at New York
than at Scotch works. Bars are quoted
at the lowest price ever known at
Philadelphia without much improve
ment in. the demand and steel rails are
still Inactive and unchanged in price,
he railroads waiting for a decline cor
responding to the fall in billets. But
on the whole the demand for iron and
steel products is slowly gaining, and a
considerable proportion of the work is
July employed, though the gain is not
yet enough for those who have taken
large stocks of material or products
on speculation.
In the money market there appears
no embarrassment and the large sale
of Northern Pacific and Oregon NaVi-
CATION securities to European capital
lists has given additional assurance that
balances due to this country will not be
cancelled for some months to come so
that the point of possible gold exports
is removed still further. The course of
the stock market has been uninstruc-
tive and dealings have not been large,
but the average OF railroad stocks has
q small fraction and the
average OF trust stocks has slightly de-
clined.
Failures for the week have been 81
in the United States against 323 last
year and 90 in Canada against 81 last
year.