Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-03-24
STATE OF TRADE SHOWN.
Leading Agencies Give Interesting
Reviews Of the Business
Situation.
EVIDENCE OF CONTINUED PROSPERITY.
Volume of Business the Greatest Ever
Kno,yn-Bank C1earings Too Are
Large, But Exaggernte the Gain In
Some Branches and Do Not show
Enough In Others.

New York, March 20.-R. G. Dun & Co. s
Weekly Review of Trade says: "In BUSH
ness, this year cannot be compared with any
other 1t can be said that payments
through the principal clearing houses for
the past week have been 57.4 per cent.
greater than in 1892 and 45.9 per cent great
er than in 1898. but that eXaggerates the
gain in some branches of business, while
in others 1t falls far short of the gain.
Thus the February exports of manufac-
tured products have about doubled since
1892. Omitting New York clearings, where
speculation in stocks is most active, pay
ments through the other principal clear
ing houses for the same week show increase
of BIS per cent. over 1892, and I'll per cent
over last year. But without regard to such
details all realize that the volume of bust
ness in most branches is the greatest ever
known.
Solid Foundations.
THE national prosperity rests on more
solid foundations. The exports of bread
stuffs, provisions, cotton and oil in Feb
ruary showed a decrease of Sc. 900, but
other exports, mainly manufactured, were
s36, 943 in value against s31, 275, 1886 last
year, and were sufficiently large to cover
60 per cent. of the entire imports. The
merchandise exports exceeded imports for
the month sSS624117 the gold supply in
creasing, and there appears no occasion for
monetary disturbance. The treasury re-
corded its first payment of the $4,000 900
for the Central Pacific railroad, having
previously received $50, 600 for the Union
Pacific and over s6.0OO.O00 for the Kansas
Pacific.
Iron Products.
Swiftly rising quotations for iron and
its products would mislead If it were not
kept in mind that more than nine-tenths of
the iron manufacturing capacity is engaged,
and will be until July or later, in the exc
a a
prices. If a million tons of products go out
this MONTH 100000 at such prices as,S1S to
$40 for steel rails, at which the entire out
put of the Illinois Steel company for this
year was sold some time ago, it hardly in
dictates the true character of the iron busf-
ness that less than 100000 tons are going out
at such prices as $26 to s2S per ton for steel
rails made here for small lots this week.
Belated buyers now have to pay fancy
prices to get orders accepted at all. With
drawal or postponement of business be.
cause of high prices begins to be sig
nificant feature, and much foreign business
is evidently lost.
Failures for the week have been 1879 in
the United States, against OSlast year, and
80 in Canada. against q last year"
Bradstreet's Review.
Bradstreet's says: IAN activity which in
some directions represents the continuance
of pre-existing conditions and in others re-
iiSSsS q special W
the near approach of spring forms the lead
ing note of this weeks trade advices. In
the iron and steel industries activity con-
tinues undated the upward tendency OF
prices being strikingly maintained and the
eagerness of consumers to take the product
remaining unchanged. The more springlike
weather has induced greater keenness in
the demand for seasonable goods and from
most sections of the country come reports
of marked activity in jobbing lines having
to do with dry goods. millinery and foot
wear The cereals weakened during the
week, probably in sympathy with wheat
which experienced a marked drop on
Thursday, in part as the result of heavy
liquidation in Chicago and in part owing
to reports of the break of tho drought in
California and better news from other
Understanding sections"