The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-24
Says r. G. Dun & Co., is the
History of Iron.
In Connection With Business
Transactions of This Month.
WE BEAT THE WORLD.
No Competitor Has Been Able
to Stand Against Us.
Volume of Business This Year is
Beyond Parallel.

New York. Dec. 24.-R. G. Dun &
Co.'S Weekly Review of Trade will say
in today's issue:
1t is a year beyond parallel and goes
to it's close with the biggest volume of
business ever seen. Enormous transact
lions at the stock exchange makes some
difference and heavy railroad earnings,
but when all the transporting and
speculative interests are eliminated
there is still a much larger business
than in any other month of any year.
Last year the exports were in volume
greater than in any previous month in
the history Of the country, but this year
the three weeks report shows an in
crease of 25 per cent against per cent
in imports, which would indicate much
more than $70,O0O,000 excess of exports
this month.
The payments through clearing houses
have been for the week 26.5 per cent
greater than last year and 12.4 per cent
greater than in 1892 and for the month
IFS per cent larger than in 1892. Until
now no greater volume of business has
ever been done in the history of this
country than in the closing month of
this year.
Shipments of wheat have been 1885,
704 bushels, flour included, at Atlantic
ports, against 3,698, 321 last year, al
though western receipts for three weeks
have been 25,0SS, 5S1 bushels against TO-
30S, 929 last year. A fact which the be-
levers in small crop may well con-
slider. From Pacific ports the ship
ments have been for the week 1,316,O19
bushels against $50, 900 bushels last year.
Considering the enormous exports from
July l to date exceeding last years,
one can only wonder that the OutgO
this year has been so large and the
price has risen during the week a cent
and q half. Corn exports also have
been 1924, 836 bushels against 4,54O,613
last year, and for the month thus far
II, O12 1873 against 10, S67, 407 last year. The
price has advanced about 2ss cents, but
the continued foreign demand is
astonishing.
If the cotton manufacturer takes a
leading place this year it is not merely
because cotton is an eighth lower than
a year ago, nor because prospects for
buyers are so good. The manufacture
has been much expanded by increased
demand, so that prices of nearly all the
goods quoted in our report have ad-
Vanced more or less, and there is a feel
ing that with unreasonable accumula-
ton of print cloths out of the way there
is a brighter prospect for all goods
Sales of wool have been large, 27, 1856, 100
pounds, against 23,115,2OO pounds last
year and q, $50, 200 pounds in the same
week of 1892, with small as well as large
manufacturers buying very freely,
which indicates a general Improvement
in the demand for goods, although not
enough as yet to lift prices.
The story of the iron manufacture is
like a dream. With 25O 900 tons Besse-
mer pig sold at Pittsburg for $1,000 and
grey forge at $40 and Chicago sales
limited only by the capacity of the
works and eastern sales so numerous
and so large as to raise the price 20
cents, there is a demand for finished
products which includes at Philadelphia
1000 tons of plates for export to South
America, 5000 tons at Chicago, where
works are crowded; 900 tons steel
rails by the Maryland Steel company
for Asiatic Russia, 80, 900 tons for Aus
tralia against British bids, at Pittsburg,
and about 10000 tons domestic at the
east, $500 tons structural work at Chi
cago and Pittsburg, and 5000 tons for
car builders at Chicago, all the works
there being crowded, with heavy buy
ing of sheets and wire rods, and sharp
competition at the south in cotton ties
a pending contract for 10000 tons cast
pipe for Yokohama and sales of smaller
quantities in each class too numerous
to mention. Prices of iron and steel
products have not materially changed,
although the tone is everywhere strong
err and for wire nails quotations have
been advanced to $1.30 at Pittsburg.
But this country is beating the world
in this industry.
All this business is done with full be-
lief that the next years demand will
be greater than ever before, and it is
creditable, especially in the iron and
steel business, that so little advance
in prices of finished products has been
made. The range of prices is nearly
20 per cent lower than in 1892, indicat-
ing an astonishing increase in the guam
tity of products exchanged. How
Europe will be able to pay more than
$40, OOO, 900 due on merchandise account
for the month of December besides the
enormous balances due for November
and previous months is a question
which the country can afford to con-
slider at its leisure and with comfort.
Failures for the week have been 25S
against 292 in the United States last
year and 81 in Canada, against 80 last
year.