The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-21
War Possibilities Exercise Lit
tie Influence
On Commercial WOrld-It VIII
Waste No More Time.
BUSINESS is FIR M
II. G. Dun Reports Increases
For the Week.
War Is An Obstacle No
Longer.

New York, May 21-R. G. Dun &
Co.'s Weekly Review of Trade says:
Growing accustomed to war posi-
bilities, which are mostly far from pro-
liabilities of evil, and finding the nation
moving along steadily in ats industries,
people are grasping the idea that it is
throwing away some months of active
and profitable life to wait until war
clouds have passed. Western prosper
ity has so greatly overbalanced timidi-
ty of eastern capital that actual bust
ness has increased, railroad earnings
promise better for May than a month
ago for April, and payments through
clearing houses for the week an May
show a gain of $50 per cent over last
year, and 7.5 per cent over 1892, while
q month ago the increase over last year
was 1876 per cent, and, compared with
1892, there was a decrease of ~ per
cent.
Several large contracts, kept back for
some weeks because of hostilities, have
now been placed, and instead of works
closing or reducing force, returns show
the starting of some works long idle,
and increase of force and of hours at
others.
Government work occupies many es-
adjustments, but it counts for little
compared with other demands.
The key of the situation is the pros
perity of the west, which the altogether
unprecedented marketing of breadStuffs
has caused, with the prospect of good
crops to come. These prospects and act
ual receipts of wheat, amounting to s.
SIG, TIC bushels for the week against g.
439, 1853 bushels last year, with advances
also in other grain and cattle, have pro-
duced a demand for rails, cars, car ma
terials, agricultural implements, boots
and shoes and all textile goods, which
was not anticipated from eastern indi-
cations.
Exports of wheat do not diminish, but
Sv1 hrn re
flour included, have been 7,955,5S6 BUSH
els against ATS, 742 bushels last year,
and from Pacific ports 1,73S, 1923 bushels
against 610,6S7 bushels last year. The
price of May wheat fell AZ cents on
Saturday, rose cents on Tuesday and
closed 51A cents higher for the week.
In iron, Notwithstanding the greatest
output ever known, the demand has
caused some advance in bessemer pig,
with only a slight decline in the price
of grey forge at Pittsburg, but full quo
tations are obtained at Chicago and
Philadelphia In bars and sheets the
markets are dull, but at the west are
strongly sustained by demands for car
building, tin plate manufacture and
others. In plates and structural forms
all the works are fully employed and
generally crowded for months ahead.
One contract for six thousand tons of
armor plate for Great Britain has been
taken by works far inland, with anoth-
er of smaller quality, showing that the
export demand, in spite of higher ocean
freights, is not yet arrested. Tin is sus-
tanned at $14.50 by large consumption
and lake copper at II cents, and in spite
of American production, amounting to
%, 900 tons for the month, 10 per cent
larger than last year, with a slight de-
crease in the production of foreign
mines.
The textile works are doing rather
better, even the cotton mills in spite of
their over-production, for some of
large Importance have recently started
again, and print cloths are a sixteenth
higher.
Numerous wooden mills have been
pushed to new activity by government |
and prices for a few grades of goods are |
better, with a stronger tone in the mar !
ket generally, although some mills of |
have stopped, as their or |
ders for the season have run out. While |
sales of wool are small, 6, 338, 900 pounds !
for the three weeks past, against H. |
963, 700 pounds last year. the manufac- |
turers have ample stocks, although some |
are obliged by government orders to |
seek in the market grades of wool |
which they had not expected to require. |
Failures for the week have been $50 |
IN the United States against 248 last |
year and 10 in Canada against 80 last |
year.