The times., 1898-10-15

possible Improvement In the condition Of
the working millions. The wheat busi-
ness is more active, with prices about
cents higher for spot and nearly cents
for the December option.
THE price of spot cotton is six
tenth lower than a week ago. and the
January option has also lost a few points
while there is a weaker tone in the mar
ket for goods. The iron manufacture again
reports small increase in the weekly
output, 2I5.635 tons against 2i30iS a
month ago, and with the decrease in
quantity of unsold stocks on hand out
side the great steel companies the appar-
cnt consumption for the month of Sep
tember was 9SS, SOL tons against 9S0.503 in
August.
"In minor metlls tin has advanced
but little on account of the speculation in
London. which lifted the price to seven
teen cents. Copper is shade firmer.
but without change at u Ia for lake.
Lead is dull at 3.S 1-2 cents, and tin
plate is quoted at s2.S2 1-2 for full weight
Bessemer. though it is said that 80 per
cent of the manufacturers have signed
the new agreement
I'm boots and shoes the output for the
wear 20 date has been 1880 cases larger
than ever before. and 2i5. SO cases larger
than in 1897, or about per cent. and 49o 02S
cases larger than in 1892. OF 1871 per cent.
Failures for the first week of October were
remarkably small, excepting those in WOOL
en- manufacture, which account for w.
100000. and the aggregate are only W.
800. .Oi5 this year of which s2,692, ,135 was
OF manufacturing and Sl.760,9l0 of trad
ing concerns. Failures for the week were
2O5 in the United States. against 22S last
year. and % in Canada, against 90 last
year.
morrow will say:
while the advent of cooler weather In
most sections has undoubtedly been in
strumental in causing some of the i'm
movement in the tone of distributive
trade perceptible at most markets this
week. the beneficial effect on general
business, and particularly upon agricul-
tural products of the reported improved
demand abroad for our staple cereals
should not be lost sight of. At most
Western centers an Improvement in the
| retail and jobbing trade in seasonable dry
goods. clothing and shoes is reported. and
| more seasonable weather at the South
is responsible for some relaxation of the
absurd quarantines which have done so
much to cripple trade in that section.
Particularly prominent in this connection
| is the loosening of the quarantines In the
lower Mississippi Valley, where it begins
at last apparently to be appreciated that
the quarantines are worse than the dis
ease they are to fight.
1.-The export demand on general Eu-
ropean account, smaller shipments from
Russian Danubian points less favorable
! reports regarding Russian and Australian
crops, and an undoubtedly active home
| demand for wheat for milling, su-
perinduced by the active foreign
call for flour. have all worked
to strengthen the price of wheat
this week, and sympathetic reflection is
! found in the improved call for other GER
| eals at slightly better prices. This i'm
/ proved demand for breadstuffs is espe-
/ cialiy encouraging in view of the rather
| unfavorable showing made in September,
| when exports of breadstuffs. provisions,
| cotton, and mineral oils combined aggre-
! gated a total of SIS, 600, 900 less than Sep
tember year ago. lower prices and
smaller quantities shipped alike working
to reduce the volume of export trade. An
other favorable feature in the foreign