The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-21
OF TRADE
Prosperity of the West the Key
to the Situation.
GOOD CROP PROSPECTS
It Has Created an Unexpected Demand
for Rails. Cars and Agricultural
implements Many Idle
Plants Started Up.

New York. May OR. G. Dur & Co.'S
Weekly Review of Trade Tomorrow will
say: Growing accustomed to war possibil-
les, which are mostly far from ~probabili-
ties Of evil and finding the nation moving
along steadily In its industries. people are
grasping the idea that 1t is throwing
away some months of active and protita-
BILE life to wait until war clouds have
passed. Western prosperity has so greatly
overbalanced timidity of Eastern capital
that actual business done increases. Rail-
road earnings promise better for May
than a month ago for April and payments
through clearing houses for the week in
May show a gain of 36 per cent. over last
year and rs per cent. over 1882. while a
month ago the increase over last year
was 1876 per cent. and compared with 1892
there was a decrease of 10 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
others. Government work occupies many
establishments. but IL counts for little
compared with other demands.
The key of the situation Is the prosper
ity of the West. caused by the altogether
unprecedented marketing of breadstufs
and the prospect of good crops to come.
These prospects and actual receipts of
wheat, amounting to 5.S76. ZIG bushels for
the week against 2. 439. 1863 bushels last year.
with advances also in other grain and
cattle. lave produced a demand Tor rails.
cars, car material, agricultural imple-
ments. boots and shoes and all textile
goods which was not anticipated from
Eastern Indications.
Exports of wheat do not diminish, but In
three weeks from Atlantic ports, -four in
cluded. lave been 1856. $50 bushels against
AIS, 742 bushels last year, and from Pa
cific ports 1, 1888. 1913 bushels against Go 1857
bushels last year.
The price of May wheat fell 41zc on
Saturday, rose &c on Tuesday and closed
Size higher for the week.
In iron. notwithstanding the greatest
output known, the demand has caused
some advance in Besscmer pig, with only
a slight decline i'm the price of gray forge
tanned 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 man.
u%facture and other uses. In plates and
structural forms all the works are fully
employed and generally rowded for
months ahead. One contract for 5000 tons
of armor plate for Great Britain has been
taken by a firm far inland with another
of smaller quantity, showing that the ex-
port demand, in spite of higher ocean
freights. is not yet arrested. This Is sus-
tanned at $li. so by large consumption and
lake copper at 12c, i'm spite of American
production, amounts to 122, 800 tons for the
month, 10 per cent. larger than last year.
with a slight decrease in the production
of foreign mines.
The textile works are doing rather bet
ter. Even the cotton mills, in spite of
overproduction for some goods of large
Importance, have recently started again,
and print cloths are a 16thc higher. Nu-
merous wooden mills have been pushed to
new activity by government orders and
prices for a few grades of goods are bet
ter with a stronger tone in the market
generally, although some mills of impor-
lance have stopped. as their orders for the
season have run out.
While sales of wool are small. 6,33s, 900
pounds for the three weeks past against
2. 1865. 100 pounds last year. the manufac-
turers have had 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 go I'm
the United States against PCS last year and
10 in Canada against s. last year.