Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-08
PROSPECTS BRIGHT.
Indications OF Unprecedented 40.
tivity Ia Business.
REPORTS GENERALLY SATISFACTORY,
Spring Trade Opens Up Wen In most
sections OF the Country The
Ratio of Failures SMALL
er Than for Months.
New York March 5.-Bradstreet,.

New York March 5.-Bradstreet,u
says:
Nearly all signs point to an unnrece-
dented volume of business being done or
arranging for the present time, The ar
sresstve strength of prices, record break :
ing oank clearings and continued large ex-
ports. particularly of the lower-priced
cereals, very heavy volume of business
IN iron and steel and kindred lines and
generally satisfactory reports as to the
volume of spring trade at leading dis
trlputlVe centers are among the visible
FEATURES OF this trade development, Near
~ all of the country's cereal products are
higher in prices this week, as also some
varieties of provisions. Bessemer pig iron,
copper. raw cotton and tin. Few decrea Sc q
IN prices are noted. sugar being the most
important, while the list of staples steady
ana unchanged numbers pork, coffee, lead
ana print cloths. The strength of raw cot
ton mas had an encouraging effect upon
southern trade. which is generally report
ed good and better than usual at this sea-
son. The export of corn from southern
ports is an additionally favorable feature.
while the practical agreement of southern
IRON producers as to prices. with generally
satisfactory collections at most points has
Impaired decidedly cheerful tone to adj
vices from that section. Trade Is larger
ehan usual at the central west. particularly
80 10y 6oohnp 6IOCSEleS, DOOIS ana SHOES.
hardware, lumber and agricultural imple-
ments. the demand for the latter being a
notable feature at nearly all markets
spring trade has opened up we'll in the
northwest, and the jobbing trade is quite
active Signs are accommodating that the
rush of all sorts of vessels to the Pacific
coast to take part in the Klondike trade
has begun to affect charter rates. which
are reported weaker at San Francisco"
Dun's Review.
Il. G. Dun e. Co., in their weekly re-
view of trade, say:
Stories OF the most reckless sort, dis
proved promptly, and many Of them be-
fore they are told. affected specula ton in
stocks much last week and at times this
week, but they have not disturbed the
industries and the trade of the country
at all. There Is confidence that the au-
thorities are doing what is proper to pro-
vide for public defense. and business is
moving on with the assurance that 1t viii
not be seriously disturbed. In grain, cot
ton. meat products and petroleum markets
have been strong. with gradual increases
IN the demand for manufactured prod
ucts.
Failures in February have been smaller
than In any other month, except three of
the previous five months. with remarkable
decrease in the failures of 100000 and
over. though In number and amount the
smaller failures show less change than
might have been expected, indicating that
in good times or bad large proportion Ia
due to causes apart from the general con-
dition of business. The ratio of defaulted,
liabilities to payments through the clear
Ing houses is but $l.n per $1,000, a lower
rate than has appeared in the first GUAR,
ter of any year except 1880 and 1881 of the
past 23 years.
THE best evidence of general improve.
ment is the fact that payments through
clearing houses for the past week have
been $50 per cent. larger than in 1892. and
outside New York. with its speculative In.
terests, 17.6 per cent, compared with last
year the gain has been 58.2 per cent. for tha
week. and 1873 per cent. for February.
Production of pig iron is the greatest
ever known. some furnaces having startad
In the past month, but Bessemer billeta
are SO scarce at Chicago that some works
are embarrassed and heavy purchases at
Pittsburgh, including one of $4,000 tons.
have stiffened the price so that Bessemer
pig and local coke at Chicago are stronger
than since November l. The demand for
finished products covers work far ahead In
plates, structural forms, sheets, in nina
since the advance in oil. and in rails. with
a Chicago sale for Canada road to Alaska,
Wheat has grown stronger. exports con-
tinuing at rate which threatens exhaus.
ton Of supply. If trade reports Of farm.
era stocks are correct. From Atlanta
ports 2.426.24O bushels went out, flour in
cluded, against 1.sss416 last year, and from
Pacific ports S64.s93. against AIS, 959 bushels
last year. The price has risen cent but
1t Is possible that the estimates of last
years stocks, though $4,000, 900 bushels In
excess Of the government estimates, may
prove too small. Corn has declined only
one-quarter of cent, with exports OF
4,74S,s4S bushels, against 6221 ,7s5 last year.
Failures for the week have been 261 In
the United States. against PAS last year, and
50 in Canada. against 50 last year"