Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-02-03
puN.s COMMERCIAL REvlEw.


ness with Less Improvement In Prices
Manufacturing Establish ents Pushed
to the Limit of Their Capacity and Tre-
mendOus Movement Ina AR rIcuIt1ral
PrOducts-HeaVy Exports of Corn.
NEW YORK. Jan. 29.-R. G. Dun &
70. IS weekly review Of trade say.
The first month of the new year has
brought rather more increase in bust
ness, but less improvement in prices
than was expected. With payments
through clearinghouse 7.3 per cent
larger than In 1892 and probably the
largest ever known in any month; with
railroad earnings 11.2 per cent. larger
than the best of past years, and the fact
that prices are very low only shows
more clearly the increase in quantities
of products sold. Nor is there any
disposition to refuse orders, even at
present prices: indeed the competition
of manufacturers seeking orders alone
prevents rise. Most of them have
all they can manage, many work night
and day, and one great steel concern
running on Sunday, but the works
not yet filed with orders are seeking
contracts at as low prices as have ever
been made, indicating that even these
are not entirely Improbable.
The settlement of wages on a ten
per cent advance April l. for 200, 900
coal miners of the central region, with
other changes, will tend toward a
larger demand for products of all
kinds, though also toward some in
crease in cost of manufacture.
Wheat has been conspicuous, rising
five cents for the week with 5A cents
for May options. Western receipts
have been 10, OO9, 053 bushels in four
weeks. against 6, O45, I'll last year. but
Atlantic exports have been IL, O03 S2S
bushels in four weeks, against 7,103,-
67l last year, and Pacific exports, with
out Tacoma, for the week, 4,O15, $50
bushels, against 3, 454, 995 laot year. So
heavy an outgO with wheat over
one dollar per bushel, and with
corn exports for the four weeks equal
ing the extraordinary movement of last
year. discIoses the strength of foreign
counts of disappointing shipments
from Argentina aud Russia.
Cotton has risen sixteenth. not
withstanding the strikes in east
ern mills and the official report of u
decrease of 1915 per cent. in British
exports of cotton goods last year.
Receipts still run SO far beyond those
following the largest crop on record
that estimates once deemed extrava-
CANT are com 'Ionly accepted.
The cotton manufacture is in more
difficulty than any other, not merely
because prices do not show much i'm
provement, nor as yet the demand for
goods, though both are helped by the
closing of lnany mills, but largely be-
cause the manufacturers and workers
have considered too little the rapidly
growing production at the south
Wooden manufacture is doing we'll,
fine worsted goods having opened at
an advance of - per cent.on last year,
and the large minis are constantly buy
ing wool, even at current high prices.
which implies great confidence in the
future, presumably based on larger or
ders than are publicly reported.
Such purchases OF wool have been
frequent of late, even by mills sup
posed to be supplied far ahead, and
one Providence mill appears to have
taken $50, 600 pounds of worsted wool
at Wheeling this week. Sales at three
of the chief markets have been $685.
100 pounds, and for four weeks 30, 431.-
O7O, of which 81 367 72J were domestic,
against 81, SAT, 500 last year, of which
%, 397 800 were domestic.
The iron manufacturers are getting
larger orders for finished products,
which crowd many works almost be-
yond their capacity, although some
others are still in the market and keep
ing prices down. Pig iron is steady,
except that Bessemer at Pittsburgh is
ten cents lower, the output last year
being officially reported at 1862. $50
tons, and the consumot ion in this
country, unsold stock considered,
9,625, 3o3 tons, against 9.6)l, 504 in the
largest previous year, VIII. was 1895,
and Q, 1874, 932 tons in 1892.
Failures for the week hove been 342
in the United States, against 331 last
year, and 81 in Canada, against 81 last
year.