Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-02-21
Weekly TRADE REVIEW.
Dun Says Business Is Expanding
Notwithstanding the Specu-
lative Activity.
MOST PRODUCTS GOING UP IN PRICE;
Bring Dollar More-Rise in Grain
Prices Is Not Caused by u Fictitious
Demand = Bradstreets Views OF
Situation.

New York. Feb 2O.-R. G. Dun & Co.'s
weekly review of trade says: Beyond
question business is expanding. and in
many branches it is larger, notwithstand-
ing speculative combinations which tend
to reduce 1t. All monopolies, or attempted
monopolies, stimulate business while they
are coming, but tend to stifle 1t after they
come, and the throng of combinations and
trusts which have been formed or proposed
have given temporary but very question
able impetus to trade. But beyond the IN
fuence of these there is genuine and sub
stantial enlargement of business due to
the unexampled prosperity of a growing
population.
Pig iron has advanced but the largest
consumption ever recorded in any month
is in part due to the hasty purchases of
products about to be controlled or adj
vanced in price by combination. There
are so many of these in the iron and steel
industry that the present market does not
clearly indicate the magnitude of demand,
and disappointment in some branches is
not improbable. But the rise of one dollar
in steel rails, with the entire capacity of
all works engaged until after July 1, is not
unnatural nor the strength in plates, for
which the legitimate demand is beyond all
precedent, and the same is true of bars, the
quantity required for car, railway and ag
ricultural implement works being enor-
nous.
mo fictitious demand has caused the
rise In grain, for the exports continue SO
heavy In wheat and corn that the advance
of 81 cents in wheat is abundantly JUS
titled and the rise of three-fourths of a cent
IN corn seems scarcely enough for the occa-
sion. Atlantic exports have been retarded
by the blizzard, but have been 2.265,715
bushels, flour included, against 3.142, 057 last
year, and for the crop year thus far the ex-
ports, including flour. have been 166, .74o
bushels, against 143, ia 142 last year. When
1t Is remembered that the exports of corn
are almost as large as the largest ever
known, there is reason for astonishment
at the continued foreign demand. That 1T
persists in spite of the strong advance in
prices here since September l is most en-
couraging. 1t Is obviously impossible to
judge how far it may go.
Failures for the week have been 178 in
the United States against 2s5 last year.
and IL in Canada against So last year.
Bradstreets View.
Bradstreet's says: "Following the long
continued cold wave, eliminating in heavy
snow and sleet-storms and Indictment
weather generally throughout nearly all
sections Of the country, come reports of re-
yiving spring trade and of efforts to as
certain the extent to which material in
terests have suffered. All things con-
sidered the damage SO far indicated, while
serious In some sections, has proved less
than might have been expected in view of
the severity of the visitation. Exception
is, Of course, made in the case of the win
ter wheat crop from which trustworthy
reports as to damage are not Forthcoming
at this early period of the year. From the
south come reports of more serious dam
age, particularly to the growing fruit and
vegetable crops Even here, however,
permanent damage, aside from the re-
ported loss of the unpicked cotton, seems to
be conferred in the state of Georgia, Florida
and Louisiana.
Satisfactory reports of a resumption of
spring distribution come from the west,
induced by a considerable rise in tempera-
ture, and a good volume of business is re-
ported In the east and in the middle states
as result of the receipt of delayed mail
orders, though transportation is still in
terfered with. Receipts of live stock have
been checked at western centers, but esti-
mates of losses of cattle do not much ex-
coed Is per cent, ranging downward to as
low as five per cent. and this only in the
case of cattle on the ranges. A satisfactory
business appears to be doing on the Pacific
coast and export business is fairly active.
San Francisco reports considerable con-
servatism among merchants on account OF
the dry weather. Relief is hoped for, how
ever, from the usual spring rains. A good
volume of business has been done at New
York and Boston following the stormy
weather and business in dry goods, particu-
iarly cottons, has been fairly active, with
values firmer or tending upward"