Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-07-20
LOOKS BRIGHT.
Dun Says Every Feature of Bust.
ness Outlook Is Encouraging.
The STRIKE ALONE is EXCEPTED.
Declares Nothing In Sight to Hinder
Rapid Improvement When I'm
certainty About Tnrin Legis-
lation Ia. Removed.
New York, July 17.-R. G. Dun & Co.,
in their weekly review of trade say:

New York, July 17.-R. G. Dun & Co.,,
in their weekly review of trade say:
Excepting the great coal miners strike.
which may terminate at any time, there
Is scarcely feature OF the business out
look which is not encouraging, the sea-
son considered. Crop prospects have been
improved by needed rain in some regions
and foreign advices continue to promise q
large demand. In many home industries
particularly in building, there is more &C.
tivity than in any year since 1892. and the
week has brought better demand in boots
and shoes and in woolens, while the move
ment of freight, mainly iron ore, through
the Sault Ste. Marie canal is the largest in
its history. With money markets un-
clouded. there is nothing in sight to hinder
rapid Improvement when uncertainty about
legislation has been removed, for the
miners strike could not last long II busi-
ness and industries should become active.
There is much less apprehension of a fail
ure of fuel supply than there was during
the first few days, when prices rapidly adj
vanced, and large quantities of coal from
West Virginia have reached northern mar
kets. but some of the miners in that state
have struck.
1.-The advance in wheat to S11s cents was
not due to the government estimate, which
was followed by decline, but to foreign
advices and considerable buying for ex-
port. Demand is already felt from Aus
the promise for European crops is not con-
sidered bright. The disposition of farmers
to keep back wheat for higher prices may
affect the outward movement.
Wheat closed cents higher for the
week and corn one-half cent higher. Cot
ton is a sixteenth higher, the closing or
partial stoppage of important New Eng
land mills hardly neutralzing in market
estimation the apprehensions of injury
from drought
164,064 tons weekly, against 16S,3S0 June /,
but several furnaces have gone into blast
since July /, and the output Is large for
the season. Presumably an unprecedented
share of 1t Is to supply the great steel COM
panies, which are even now putting more
furnaces into blast and have heavy orders
taken while prices were dropped, while the
demand for structural shapes and plates is
large and for bars improving, though steel
bars are now at the lowest quotation ever
known In Pittsburgh-S71a to 30 cents-with
Bessemer pig quoted slightly lower. Tin
plates are also lower at $40 for full weight,
and less than IS is paid for 100-pound boxes.
Failures for the week have been 1853 in
the United States, against 269 last year, and
81 in Canada, against 80 last year."
Bradstreets Report.
Bradstreets says:
1.-THE dullest month In the industrial year
is duller than usual, Notwithstanding i'm
provement among potters and others. This
is due to a reaction in iron and steel, prices
of which are back to lowest points on rec
ord, dragging demand for boots and
shoes and threatened famine of bitumi-
nous coal. There are more coal miners out
than at this time last week, and notwith-
standing assertions that arbitration will
end the strike In the near future some OF
the large operators In the Pittsburgh dis.
trict declare that there Is nothing to ar
bitrate.
Manufacturers of cotton goods and their
agents report trade slow, owing to higher
cotton and low prices for goods This has
shut down number of cotton mills in
Massachusetts and In Rhode Island. A
fairly steady business is reported by east
ern manufacturers of shoes, but trade at
Philadelphia Is dull. merchants hesitat-
ing to place orders. Western wholesale
dealers in clothing report distribution un-
satisfactory. Western bar iron mills are
lasts another week thousands of factory
wheels will stop turning. This checks
stronger and more confident feeling In In
dustrial circles, which was SO pronounced
fortnight ago.
The heavy loss Of sheep in Australia,
due to drought, and speculation In wool
here on tariff prospects have made wool
prices higher with large sales. about S,OOO,-
900 pounds at Boston alone, compared with
100000 pounds in the like week last year.
The worlds available supply of wheat
Is probably the smallest at like period
in many years. Europe Is expected to
have to import 100, 000, 900 more bushels than
last year. and neither India. Australia or
the Argentine is expected to be able to sup
ply its usual share.
THE general tendency of the price move
ment this year is to reverse the growing
strength of quotations in the preceding