The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-06
The Near Approach Of Peace
Stimulates Business,
The OUTLOOK BRIGHTENS
PRICES GENERALLY FIRM OR
TENDING UPWARD.
IRON AND STEEL GROWING IN STRENGTH
|, NAY he Said that Compared with Year Ago
There have been Two Advances for
livery Decline Reported.

New Nork. August a.--Bradstreet's to-
morrow Vii say:
The stimulating influences Of the ap-
parently near approach of peace, coupled
with the GENERALLY expected beneficial
exlscfS. ii is hoped will flow from the
olcnng mn of new markets in the ,andS
added 10 the national domain seem t.
increase as the summer wanes. That
the Improvement, while rs yet admitted
ls one largely of sentiment, is not en-
tirely so confined, however. as is proven
ny reports of still further Increased
distribution az stape goods i'll the West
Northwest and Southwest. where the
excellent crop situation has rendered
harmless the supposed bonumbing effects
of war; So far as the crop situation Is
concerned. the past week furnishes not
the least notable contribution of The
year in reports coming from the great
surplus corn producing states OF bene-
fetal rains checking deterioration
Which threatened material damage to
this most widely grown and intrinsicaily
valuable Of The. country's cereals.
Another encouraging feature OF the
week has been the perceptihe growth II
strength of the iron and steel situation.
Firmness in prices is a feature Of par
ticular interest in view of the enormous
production Of pig iron early in the year.
and apparently reflects the going INTO
consumption uf most of this immense
production leaving stocks generally With
i'm comfortable limits. Encouraging OK
mort demand for our cereals. great stead
mess in prices largest record irid-sum-
Iner bank clearings and fairly encourag-
ing railroad earnings notwithstanding
the unwilingness of farmers TO accei't
present cereal values, are additloncl en-
...,..aein- features of trade 1T the pres
sent time.
ices are ,,ute generally firm o. toni
in,. upward i'll spite of the mid summer
etiictness in many lines of trade. As !,
result of cpcraticrs in I.ly 3. or about
ul third of all staples adsaii,ei III
value. 81 declined, while III remained
steady or unchanged. Advances III
many cereals except wheat and liour,
live beeves and hogs. a number of pro-
visions, dairy products and groceries,
most raw textiles except cotton, pc
troleum, rubber. alcohol, opium aud
uuinine are features of the month )
operations.
important decreases aside from that III
wheat are found in some few makes of
iron and steel some other mefa's ana
i'm building lumber. Compared with
August one year ago 66 out Of lO4 staples
are higher, 20 are lower and are uIl-
changed so that it may be said thar
compared with year ago there nave
been more than two advances for every
decline reported.
Wheat shipments for the week tfoHf
included as wheat aggregate 4,lIl,ol-
bushels. as against 2,211 ,S12 bushels last
week and compared with 3,30S,477 bush
els in this week a year ago, ,141.SoO
bushels in the corresponding week OF
1896. .5JO.5G2 bushels in 1893 and 3
417.2O0 bushels in 1894. Since July lst,
this year, the exports of wheat aggre-
gate 1926, 122 bushels against 1l,6oo,-
O24 bushels last year. Corn exports for
the week aggregate 2.S56,923 bushels, as
against 2.GO1S21 bushels last week. B.
o23. $50 bushels in 1897. 1.257 1888 bushels
in 1896. 1.006.770 bushels iii 1893 and
226, 100 bushels in 1894. Since July 1st.
this year exports Of corn aggregate lo,-
514.392 bushels, against 12,461 FOG bush
els last year.
Business failures in the United States
are at a minimum numbering $780, identi-
cal in number with those of last week,
but compared with pa in this week a
wear ago. 2G9 in 1896. 300 in 1895 and
1877 in 1894 Canadian failures number
% as against 81 last week Al in this
week year ago, 30 in 1896, 81 in 1890
and 40 in 1894.