The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-05-25
TRADE REVIEW.
Unusual Prosperity in the West Greatest
Output tf iron Ever Known.

II. q. Dun & Co.'S review of trade re-
ports as follows for last week:
Growing accustomed to war pcssl-
bilities, which are mostly far from
probabilities of evil. and finding the
nation moving along steadily in It's in
dustries, people are grasping the idea
that It is throwing away some months
of active and profitable life To wait
until war clouds have pussed. Western
prosperity has 80 greatly overbalanced
timidity OF eastern capital that actual
business done increases: railroad
earnings promise better for May than
month ago for April. and payments
through clearing houses for the week
In May show gain of SO per cent over
last year and T.5 per cent over 1892,
while n month ago the increase over
last year was 1876, and compared with
1892 there was n decrease of ~ per
cent. Several large contracts, kept
back for some weeks because of hos
tilities have now been placed, and in
stead of works closing or reducing
force. returns show the starting of
some works long idle, and increase of
force or of hours at others. Govern
ment works occupied many establish
ments. but IL counts for little compared
with other demands.
The key OF the situation is the pros
perity of the West which altogether
unprecedented marketing OF bread
stuffs has caused. with the prospect
of good crops to come. These pros
poets, and actual receipts of wheat
amounting to JSIG.1l6 bushels for the
week, against 2,i39. lG9 last year. with
advances also in other grain and cat
| tie. have produced q demand for rails,
| cars, car materials. fencing. agriCul
tural implements. boots and shoes, and
] Iii
| pated from eastern indications. EN-
ports of wheat do not diminish but in
three weeks from Atlantic ports, flour
| included. have been I95j.5S6 bushels,
against i.17S.742 last year. and from
Pacific ports 1.13S l23 bushels, against
6l0,63I bushels last year. The price of
May wheat fell ilac on Saturday. rose
| &c on Tuesday and closed 5hc higher
| for the week.
In iron. Notwithstanding the greatest
output ever known, the demand has
caused some advance i'm bessemer pig,
with only II slight decline in the price
! of gray forge at Pittsburg, but full
quotations are obtained at Chicago
and Philadelphia. In bars and sheets
the markets are dull, but at the West
| are strongly sustained by demands for
ear building, tin plate manufacture,
and other uses. In plates and struc-
| tural forms all The works are fully en-
/ ployed, and generally crowded for
| months ahead One contract for 5000
| tons of armor plate for Great Britain
| has been taken by works far inland,
with another of smaller quantity,
showing that the export demand. in
| spite of higher ocean freights, Is not
yet arrested. Tin is sustained at 1i.5
cents by large consumption. and lake
copper at l. cents, I'm spite of American
production amounting to % 900 tons for
the month, 10 per cent larger than last
| year, with slight decrease in the pro-
duction 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 n sixteenth
| higher. Numerous wooden mills have
been pushed to new activity by gov
crnment orders and prices for n few
| grades of goods are better, with a
stronger tone I'm the market generally,
although some mills of Importance
! have stopped as their orders for the
| season have run out. While sales of
wool are small. 6,33S,90O pounds for the
| three weeks past against 21,963. 700
| pounds last year, the manufacturers
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 2iS last
year. and 20 I'm Canada. against 81 last
year.
The president last week approved