Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-06-08
IT GIVES HOPE.
Dur, Soes Encouragement in Fall
ure Record fer May.
FEWER DISASTERS IN ALL LINES.
Commercial situation Said to Conn
pare TavorabIy with That of Most
Prosperous Years Depression
in Prices Only Temporary.

New York, June 5.-R G. Dun & Co.,
in their weekly review of trade, say:
1.-THE statement of failures in May by
branches Of business gives much encourage
ment. In amount Of defaulted liabilities
the month was the smallest since Septem-
her, 1895: in manufacturing liabilities, the
smallest since November, 1895, and in trad
ing liabilities. the smallest since September.
except the last month, 1894 Failures of
general stores have not been as small In
any month as in May, 1897: in only two
months out of So have there been smaller
failures in books and hats, only in grocer
les, and not one trading class in that month
has reported failures larger than in the
half the preceding months. though in fur
niture failures are rather numerous In
clothing manufacture the month was the
smallest except out of S6, except in chem
icals, in wooden goods. Z in machinery,
lumber and miscellaneous manufactures,
and exceeded the average only in iron and
cotton goods and earthenware, owing to
few failures of exceptional size. Nobody
can mistake the meaning of such returns.
A Favorable Comparison.
1.-THE statement that, except for the tenn
porary depression in prices, the volume of
business transacted Is now larger than 1t
was in 1S92-the year of prosperity-has
been questioned by some. But compari-
son of prices this week in the leading
branches of manufacture not only confirms
that view, but shows a remarkable SINH
larity to the course of prices in the earlier
months of 1879. when the most wonderful
advance in production and prices ever
known In this or any other country was
close at hand. The key of the situation is
the excessive production of some goods in
advance of an expected increase In de-
mand. So in 1879 consumption gradually
gained, month by month. until suddenly
1t was found that the demand was greater
than the possible supply. All know how
prices then advanced, and the most mar
velous progress in the history of any coun-
try resulted within two years.
Distribution Increasing.
reports from all parts Of the country
now show that retail distribution of prod
ucts is unusually large and increasing.
for farm products. Cotton is not higher,
and the belief that the next crop will be
large, in spite of the fl Gods, is general, while
the demand for goods does not change,
although in this country 1t is large enough
to keep the markets for most goods steady.
Nor is there any satisfactory demand for
wooden goods. The transactions greatly
exceed the demands of the mills, although
these are larger than of late, because the
lily increasing orders. The iron industry is
apparently expanding production, and is
certainly getting larger contracts, in part
because of very low prices, cent being
made for beams Bessemer pig is strong
er, and gray forge a shade weaker under
pressure Of southern anxiety to sell. The
rail mills are all full. the Illinois Steel
company having orders for railway and
bridges in Corea, and there Is better de-
mand for plates and sheets, and from
makers of agricultural implements at Chi
ca1O for bars,