The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-10-23
QUIET BUSINESS PERIOD
With a Falling Off in Demand
For Goods.
IRON INDUSTRIES ACTIVE
With Products For the Year Taken Up
Exports Of Wheat Short For the Week
Cotton and Wool of.

New York, Oct. 22.--Bradstreef's to-
morrow will say: While the general
trade movement is somewhat Irregular
and there are further evidences off fall
ing off in demand. the volume of busl-
ness continues of large proportions.
Speculation in wool has ceased and de-
mand for the staple is less than for
weeks past. Cotton goods are#dull on
the weakness of raw cotton and jobbers
report dry goods slower than week
ago. Interior merchants in the central
west have not distributed fall STOCKS
as promptly as expected, and many Jop-
bers at western centers find that they
overestimated the resumptiye demand
when securing fall goods. Unseasonably
warm weather has interfered with the
movement of heavy goods at the west,
but rains in Kansas, Oklahoma and
Nebraska have improved the agricul-
tural outlook. Relatively, the greatest
activity in trade is reported by kansas
City and Omaha merchants While
quarantine regulations have been raised
in Texas and modified i'm Louisiana,
business throughout most of the gulf
states remains practically at a stand
still. Almost all the larger eastern
cities report a decreased movement Of
merchandise and a tendency of collec-
tions to fall away, notably Baltimore
owing to it's southern connections.
The industrial situation continues ito
furnish employment to as many persons
as at amy preceding period this year
and at higher wages. Production of
iron, steel, machinery, stoves, car
structural work glass and wooden goods
continues heavy. Steel mills have or
ders to carry them into 1898 and decline
contracts for next years delivery This
explains the advance in the price of
Bessemer pig iron, while the foundry
quotations remain unchanged The ex-
traordinary heavy and steadily increas-
ing production of iron is starting up
furnaces long out of blast, and although
consumption is heavy, 1T is not improb-
able that production may outrun it in
the near future, which constitutes an
unfavorable point in the outlook.
Exports of wheat (four Included as
wheat from both coasts of the United
States and from Canada this week
amount to 5,552,17t bushels, against g.
OSs,oOo bushels last week, 4O67,o BUSH
els in the week year ago, 2e5SooO BUSH
els two years ago, $3.50, 600 bushels three
years ago, and as compared with $685.,
900 bushels in the like week of 1893.
There has been sharp drop in the
export movement of Indian corn this
week, the toal amounting to LII, 54S
bushels, compared with 2,224,0o0 bushels
last week, 1878, 900 bushels in the week
year ago, 1,34s,OG0 bushels two years
ago, $4,000 bushels three years ago, and
as compared with $4,000 bushels in the
like week of 1898.
There are 205 business failures report
ed throughout the United States this
week, against 1876 last week, 232 in ths'
week a year ago, 259 two years ago, 221
in the like week of 1894, and 329 in the
third week of October, 1898.
There are "a business failures reported
from the Dominion of Canada this week,
total considerably smaller than that
of last week or in the third week of oc-
tober in any Of the four preceding
gears.