Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-04-08
CONDITION OF TRADE.
Dun's Review Tells Why Recent Fail
TRES Are Small.
HEAVY DEMAND FOR IRON
Forty-eiaht Additional Furnace" 60
Into Operation, md Increased Pro-
ductiOn Ii Observation-Disclosures
tions of the Wheat Market.

New York, April 8. - Il. q. Dun q
Co.'s weekly review of trade says:
Failures in the first quarter of 1899
were in number 2,772 against 1857 last
year and the liabilities $27.152.o3l
against $32,946,565 decrease of 17.6 per
cent. Geographical aspects make the
return peculiar. With q slight increase
of defaults in New England, an increase
of 10 per cent in the southeast and 20
per cent in the central states, there was
decrease of nearly 40 per cent in the
Pacific and southwestern states, Al per
cent in western states and ~ per cent
in middle states. No other year of the
a covered by Dun's quarterly reports
has shown as SIR all failures during its
! first quarter excepting 1880 and 1881 and
no other except 1880 and 1886 as small
| liabilities peB failure.
The volume and prosperity Of bust
ness render small failures natural. The
! payments through clearing houses dur
ing the first quarter of 1889 were 45.3
per cent larger than last Year and 54.2
per cent larger than 1892, on which until
last year rested the high water mark Of
business. April begins with transact
tons over 10 per cent greater for the
first week than in 1892. The crowding
of vast realized profits for fresh in
vestment has not only lifted prices Of
railroad stocks so high that the so most
active have risen above $75 per share.
and one goes back over the record is
years, to the spring of 1883, before find
| ing an average as high, but it has given
confidence to create during single
quarter new industrial securities ex-
ceeding in value all railway, banking
and industrial securities ever issued in
any full year prior to 1898
| The Iron Famine.
The famine in iron, caused by urgent
demand far exceeding present supply,
not only continues, but has caused haste
to start 48 additional furnaces, with an
output estimated at 1892 tons weekly,
of which The Bulletin of the Iron assO-
citation has given list. These are ex-
pected to increase production this
month and yet more in May and June
and some weakness has been attributed
to the prospect. But the price of Grey
| Forge has again advanced to $l4.50 al
Pittsburg, without change In other quo
tations. The demand for products Is
still enormous, contracts for the East
river bridge covering 1000 tons acid
open hearth steel have been placed al
Pittsburg and one covering 5000 tons
for a Newark building. besides one n,
Philadelphia for 5000 tons ship plates
with many for bridge and other works
and in pipes new business is so grea'
that it forces further advance in price:
while parties are trying to consolidate.
Wheat has been fuctuating without
much visible reason, rumors being wild
ly contradictory. as usual at this sea
son. and commanding not much more
confidence than usual. The export'
from Atlantic ports for the weer"P ~
included, have been 2,o74,769 ay VI
against 2.240172 last year, and -ot ~
of all reports the current receipts con
tinue to exceed last years. May whea
has declined fraction for the week an'
cash corn three eighths and cotton one
eighth cent. The prospect for continu
ance OF large exports of staples has no
improved within the past ten days.
Failures for the week have been 14l II
the United States against 232 last yea
and IL in Canada against 81 last year.