The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-06-05
oUN'S COMMERCIAL REVIEW.

The Volume of Business Much Greater
than Realized BY Those Who Reckon
Values Alone-In Quantity There Is Al
most as Much Business Done as In b
Year of Greatest Prosperity but with
Small Margins for Profit.
NEW YORK. May 29.-R. G. Dun &
Co.'S weekly review of trade, issued to-
day, saws:
People are actually doing more bust
ness than they realize. They reckon
by values. but these are much lower
than in any previous year of prosperity
and leave little margin for profits. In
quantity there is almost as much bust
ness being done as the years of great
est prosperity, and though the in
crease in population would call for a
material expansion, the comparison is
not diseouraging. The recovery is
slow, hesitating and gradual, but more
has been done on the whole in May
than in April, while returns of April
showed the volume of business only
ten per cent. smaller than that of the
best ear heretofore. Yet hesitation
is doing its work every week, and null
titudes are waiting because of posi-
bilities at Washington, who ought to
be filing the demand for labor and the
products of labor.
Events have proved that the crop of
wheat going out is much larger than
any of the markets expected, and west
ern receipts for the week were so per
cent. larger than last year, while At
lantic exports have been for four
weeks 6,315. 500 bushels, flour included,
against 4.9SS,77 last year. At this
season actual receipts count rather
than predictions, and the truth is that
the country has exported an eXtraOrdi-
nary quantity of wheat and flour, and
yet has SO much to spare that the May
option has declined nearly a cen for
the week. Besides, the outgo of corn,
largely taking the place OF wheat in
foreign consumption, is far beyond
precedent or expectation, and for four
weeks has been 9. 1850, O91, against 6, OO1,-
oS5 last year. With liberal interior
supplies the price has declined a frac-
ton.
Cotton is unchanged, although at
this season exports are insignificant.
Manufacturers have especial causes
of delay owing to the possible compe-
tition with foreign goods largely i'm
ported. but there has been no setback
in prices, although cotton goods are
at the bottom price. II is evident that
production far beyond the consuming
demand hes forced the industry into a
waiting attitude. Distribution of all
dry goods is at present retarded also
by cooler weather THIN is usual
at this season. The wooden
mills are producing more than they
have done for years, though much less
than they could or would like to pro-
duce, and manufacturers are doing
almost nothing in the wool market.
Speculation has kept the sales large,
in four weeks of May %, sos, 500 pounds,
against 20, 159, $50 in the corresponding
weeks in 1892. There is some weak
ness observable with western holders,
and eastern prices begin to feel the
weight of rmo imports, although
holders still calculate on a rise as soon
as new duties take effect.
The iron manufacture gains in spite
of the closing of some furnaces. The
production of pig exceeds consump-
ton, and is somewhat decreasing,
while the consumption has gradually
gained this week, in part because OF
several structural contracts, including
1000 tons for this city alone, and in
part because the agricultural imple-
ments works have made larger de-
mands, and also because of the pro-
posed leasing of nearly all the rod
mills in the country, which has caused
some buying.
Failures for the week have been 214
in the United States, smallest in any
week since September, 1895, against
80 last year, and % in Canada, against
go last year.