Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-10-19
BUSINESS RECORD GOOD!
The Volume Continues Very Heavy,
But Complaints Are Made of
Small Profits.
MOST ACTIVITY SHOWN IN the WEST.
The Situation Prices Generally
Ii One of Sustained Strength,
Wheat Being Prominent In This
Respect-The Iron Industry still
Gains Rapidly-Trnde Failures.

New York. Oct. s.-Bradstreet's says:
with the exception of some parts of the
south where heavy storms and yellow fever
with resulting guarantees check dis
tribution a very large business appears to
be doing. though complaints of arrow
margin OF profit are well-nigh unanimous
While the bank clearings OF September
point to a slightly smaller business done
the country over than one year ago. this
weeks figures. point to fair gain over
last year, and therefore over all previous
records for this week Of the year. The
volume of distribution a whole is well
up to or above that reported a year ago
In most sections. and therefore ia: in ad-
vance of recent preceding annual periods.
AS for some time past. most activity Is
perceptibe in the west and northwest and
on the Pacific coast. particularly at Puget
sound and Columbia river points. 1t has
been a carnival and fall celebration period
at number of western cities this week
and resulting large distribution, both
retail and wholesale, is reported. At lead
ports are fully maintained. with business
in textiles, particularly cotton and wooden
,ods. least favora bly, situated.
signs are not wanting that the spread
of yellow fever In some sections Of the
south. with resulting guarantees. has
sharply checked trade In the lower Mis-
sissippi valley. while heavy storms on the
South Atlantic coast have operated to ar
rest distribution and reduced the rice crop
The general industrial situation is a very
favora BILE one. Marked activity continues
TO be a feature Of the iron and steel trade.
but the immense rate Of production t pres
ent, in the absence of immediate new de-
mands. has caused a shading Of some few
grades of pig iron and steel billets. Move
Eaents IN n upward direction. however.
are reported from the west. The situation
as to prices generally is one Of sustained
mi IN IT,
respect. while the most important reduc-
tion is that growing out of the refined sugar
war"
Dun's Report.
r. G. Dun & Co. in their weekly review
Of trade say: The iron industry still
gains so rapidly that an unhealthy boom
would seem to be in progress but for the pc
culiar conditions. In spite of the combina
ton Of valley producers, who now propose
joint selling agency at Pittsburgh. sales
run little below their fixed figures So 40
being quoted at Pittsburgh and 1925 for
gray forge while southern and local iron
are ste d. at Chicago and anthra cite is not
stronger at Philadelphia. But the con-
Stunning demand is remarkably heavy and
large contracts this week cover 5000 tons
Boston. 1900 tons ship plates at Clevela I'd
and heavy demand for bars. the Pennsyl-
vana railroad requiring $500 cars and the
Northwestern 1900.
'Whea: has been declining little, with
foreign reports somewhat more favora BILE
as 10 European crops. All reports still in
dlcate that farmers are quite generally
holding back their crop in the hope Of
higher prices. and collections at the west
are almost everywhere retarded on that
account. and yet the western receipts
amount to 1889, 1853 bushels, against S,SlO
72O for the same week last year. Nor is the
corn crop any obstruction, fo~ while 2,53l,-
0O2 bushels were exported during the week,
against l,S55,067 last year, the movement
does cot indicate large supplies in the in
terror. But nobody can tell as yet how
much grain Europe will require during the
coming year.
Failures for the week have been 16s
IN the United States, against PIP last year,
and q in Canada. against 20 last wear"