The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-20
HOW WAR HELPS TRADE
CESSATION OF HOSTILITIEs RESULTS
IN MARKED EXPANSION.
Conditions Better for Big Industries
weekly Reports of Dun & Co.
and Bradstreet.

NEW YORK Aug. 19.-R G. Dun a
Co.. in their weekly review of trade. will
say a war which brought honshrinkage OF
business while 1t lasted. has brought with
its ending a quite remarkable expansion.
Orders and purchases have increased in
nearly all branches. few as yet being Of
such nature that they can be attributed to
the material enlargement of trade with the
lately Spanish islands which must come a
little later. The iron industry, while re-
porting decline in products, shows more sur
prising gain In business than any other.
Both returns of output Aug. / show consid-
cradle decrease from July /, but more than
the entire decrease is caused by the stop
page of two Shenango and four Mahonlng
furnaces under agreement to force higher
prices for Bessemer pig. In all other States
showing change output Increased except
ing for one furnace in Virginia. The de-
mand for finished products expands remark
ably considering the enormous orders prior
to July, which crowd some of the biggest
works until December Structural orders in
clude many bridges and the drainage canal
contract for 1000 tons. T plates and bars
are in stronger demand; nails have adj
vanced cents and beams and angles as
much, and bars 10 cents at Pittsburg. Tin
plate works which require 10000 tons per
month have been buying 10000 tons bars.
and steel works have brought 125.000
tons pig, raising the price to 5000. Gray
forge also advances and. Eastern anthracite
and Southern pig at Chicago have advanced
20 cents. There is a general advance in the
minor metals, copper to 12c for lake, lead
to 4O71ec, and while tin and tin plates are
unchanged. both are stronger. Shipment of
boots and shoes in three weeks in August
are the largest ever known, though but Ia
per cent. larger than in 1895. being Is per
cent. larger than last year and 16 per cent.
larger than in 1892 In spite of general re-
fusal of buyers to pay advances asked, pur-
chases are continuous and keep works
busy, many having orders for a month or
two ahead. Lead has slightly yielded in
some grades, with scarcely any buying
ahead of necessity and hides were a shade
lower last week and have not changed.
There appears a gradual accommodation OF
prices of materials to the necessity of boot
and shoe distributors. Such an adjustment
is needed in the wooden industry, for some
mills are closing and others are selling old
stocks of wool, present orders for goods
Yet other mills in equal number are start
ing on different lines of goods and in dress
goods. instead Of 80 per cent. plain, large
though heavy auction sale, Just
announced, may. affect the demand. OF
cotton mills also, though a few have
demand for staples is increasing, and in
prints and ginghams is fairly good. The
yielding in cotton to SIS cents helps the
mills and is not surprising with present
prospects of a great crop
Wheat has further declined cents in
spite of general holding of better grades by
farmers, which renders receipts low and
visible supply small beyond precedent. At z
cents now Atlantic exports for the week
have been 3,O59,3s0 bushels, flour included,
against ,287 last year, and Pacific ex-
ports, 175, 400. against 1884,, S46 last year, MAX
ing for three weeks 10115,A6 bushels,
against 10 453, S32 last year. Corn exports are
gradually declining and prices are 2 cents
lower, rather larger estimates of yield being
now credited.
Failures for the week have been 154 in
the United States, against 223 last year, and
IL in Canada, against 30 last year.