Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-06
BRADsTREET's REVIEW OF TRADE
Failures Down to Lowest Notch ani
Ton, of Trading Strong.


NEW YORK, May 5.-Bradstreets tomor-
row will say
That this is indeed an era of trade and
industrial combinations seems evident from
the long list of announcements of new con-
solidations, rumored or actually tloated
coming to public view this week. Whether
this tendency has as yet reached its culmin-
alton cannot, of course, be easily predicted
but in some lines of industry the announce
ments of projected consultations would
seem to have left little room for further
operations of this kind. Easily first in this
direction Is the gigantic iron and steel
combination announced with seeming con-
tidence as in process of formation. Second
only to this, however, is the actual floating
of the great copper combination. Outgrowths
as these great combinations are of immense
industrial changes in many lines, they pos
sess n special interest in the world of trade
and finance, because of the immense aggre-
cations of capital or industry involved in
their projection of their carrying out to a
successful finish.
While wholesale trade continues of be-
tween seasons volume, every general evil
dence is forthcoming that the aggregate Is
in excess Of last years undeniably good
proportions and retail demand is of an
encouraging character That the volume of
fall business booked Is in excess of the
average is very generally conceded Ad-
yances in prices and reported great activity
dDIOdu point 10 IHe widespread demand Tor
iron and steel and render less doubtful the
hold of American products on foreign mar
kets. The tone of general values is notably
strong for the season of the year a promi-
nent exception being pork and hog products
generally, which have been the subject of
bearish manipulation. Cereals are generally
Arm, cash wheat being fractionally higher
at the seaboard on interruption to the move
ment by the water route, caused by the
grain handlers strike at Buffalo, while op-
tion business is in waiting stage pending
the government report on wheat conditions
and acreage next week. Crop advices are
still contradictory, but good weather has
made ii possible for successful planting and
growth of spring wheat, while foreign crop
adyices continue good and export demand
is OF only moderate proportions. This,
coupled with smaller than expected de
oreases in world supplies reported TO Brad
streets this week, acts as a check to values,
which might otherwise record the admitted
damage TO the winter wheat crop.
Copper, among the metals retained all
Its strength, speculative interest in copper
consolidation being sustaining feature,
onsetting depressing effects on consumptive
demand OF the recent advance.
A special feature this week is the activity
in building and in real estate reported from
number Of widely separated sections and
lumber and building materials generally are
firm and tending upward.
In textiles, raw cotton is rather weaker
on improving weather and crop conditions.
but manufactured goods are very firm and
some brown and bleached export grades
have been advanced.
Wool markets note change in the buy
ing OF some large lots of domestic wools
for speculation and prices are firm in sym
pathy with advanced quotations paid for
some large Tots OF Australian bonded wool
bought for re-eXport,
The strength Of sugar shows no diminui-
tion despite recent advances and further
gains are 10 be noted, chiefly owing TO good
domestic demand and advancing European
markets. Leather and hides are firm and
boot and shoe manufacturers are realizing
advanced quotations.
Wheat, including flour, shipments for the
week aggregate S,4S4,QSl bushels. against