The true northerner., 1899-03-08
TRADE RECORDS BROKEN
Business for the Past Month Was
Far the Greatest Ever Known
in February.
WAGES SHARE THE UPWARD MOVEMENT.
try Are Very Encournging-Price
Generally show Few Important
Changes-Export Trade I'm Cereals
IL Recovering.

New York March 4.-Bradstreets says:
IAN enlarged volume or spring traue, par
ticularly in dry goods. due TO spring
weather, special strength in the demand
and price for cotton fabrics, an immense
and urgent call al soaring prices FOR IRON
and steel and all its products, ana sun
stantial advances In wages, chieny aIecl-
ing the above mentioned industries, aho
benefitting at a conservative calculation
10 900 operatives, are among features OF the
week going TO show that the producing ele
ments of the country's population aro
sharing in the present favorable condl'
tons From many cities, east ana west
come reports OF an active demand IRON
jobbers for spring dry goods. From the
cotton manufacturing Industry come re-
ports of activity inducing manufacturers
to grant advances 10 their operatives
while the list of advances in prices ot iron
and steel prooucts. whether of cruce, OF
manufactured or even of Old material Is
virtual roll call of that industry products
An encoura ging feature is the small mum
ber OF strikes for higher wages reported
partly owing 10 advances being already con
ceded as a result OF sliding scale agreements
the only important 10 Dor troubles being re
ported in the coal mining industry IN tht
southwest Additional proof that the eX-
port demand for our iron and steel manu-
features will be checked by recent ana
pending price advances Is not lacking. IN
the lumber trade the producer seems likely
also to reap a long delayed reward as buy
ers become familiar with the fact that
available supplies whether OF hard wood,
of white or yellow pine. or of spruce ana
hemlock are we'll controlled. while the out
look for building trade activity is favor
able. Our export trade in cereals l. recoN-
ering from the check administered by re-
cent frigid and stormy weather, but re-
ports of damage TO the winter wheat crop
on the one hand and estimates or super
abundant supplies of old crop in farmers
hands have about balanced each other'
with a slight advantage as regards prices
secured by the bears. Prices generally,
aside from the exceptions noted, show few
important changes Corn is slightly high
er, while oats are fractionally lower. The
movement of cotton at the south mas
proved smaller than anticipated and as The
current consumption is heavy, both at
home and abroad. quotations are slightly
higher. Talk of new combinations In
many lines of trade continues active, bui
signs are not wanting that promoters tint
it harder to place shares Of companies no
widely known
From Dun's Point of View.
r. G. Dun & Cos review of trade says
THE business for the past month was
far the greatest ever known in February.
Clearing house exchanges were about ST.
100000 GOO, against $5,5bIo53,S44 last year, and
5i.2 larger than in 1892 In all the years OF
weekly commercial reporting there has
been no other week in which the reports
from all parts of the country have been
on the whole good they are this week.
Moreover, during the past week there has
been a general advance in wages. immedi-
ate or prospective. Al most points the ad-
vance of ten per cent. or more was en-
tirely voluntary. II has averaged five to
ten per cent. I'm tin pate works and about
ten per cent. in other cases, and as il affects
much over 100000 hands IL will add great
ly to the purchasing power Of the wage
earners.
''The return OF failures in February.
while showing larger liabilities than in
January, are highly encouraging. A rath-
er unusual number Of large failures in scat
tered branches of manufacture has swelled
the aggregate. including one concern for
s1,000000 in electrical apparatus, but in
nearly all branches the statement indicates
a remarkably healthy condition in spite Of
these failures, while in trading the de-
faulted liabilities are smaller than in jan
uary or any previous winter month for si,;
years
Failures for the week have been in the
United States. 1S6. against PSI last year, and
AZ i'm Canada. against 80 last year"