The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-03-08
TRADE REVIEW.
Enormous Amount Of Business Transacted La
Monih-oeneral Advance in Wages.

Enormous Amount Of Business Transacted Las
Monih-oeneral Advance in Wages.
II. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review of
trade reports as follows for last week:
The business for the past month was
far the greatest ever known I'm Febru-
airy. Clearing house exchanges were
about seven billions. against S5,561, $685.,
Si4 last year, and 5i.2 larger than in
1892. In all the years of weekly COM
mercial reporting there has been no
other week in which the reports from
all parts of the country have been on
the whole 50 good as they are this
week.
Moreover, during the past week
there has been a general advance in
wages, immediate or prospective. Al
most points the advance of 10 per cent.
or more was entirely voluntary. 1t
has averaged 5 to 10 per cent in tin
plate works, and about 10 per cent in
other cases, and, as II affects much
over 100000 hands II will add greatly
to the purchasing power of the wage
earners.
The returns CT failures in February,
while showing larger liabilities than
in January, are highly encouraging. A
rather unusual number of large fail
ures in scattered branches of manu-
facture has swelled the aggregate, In
cluding one concern for Sl,000000 in
eieStrlcdi apparatus, Dut III HeuTly all
branches the statement indicates a
remarkably healthy condition in spite
of these failures. while In trading the
defaulted liabilities are smaller than
In January or any previous winter
month for six years.
In prices the striking feature has
been the rapid advance in iron and
steel products, resulting from a de-
mand greater than the works in the
N
Importance have been crowded with
orders running to July and later. Be-
lated buyers have given life to con-
Germs long inactive, and, as these can
add but little to the output, the mar
kets have been entirely controlled by
the buying demand. All sorts of prices
have been paid, some for early deliv-
cry and some for delivery after July l,
but $13 so is quoted for bessemer pig
at Pittsburg. $l2 so for gray forge and
at the East $14 20 is quoted for anthre-
cite No. l. Prices of finished products
have also been advanced So per ton
for eastern and western bars, plates
and structural forms and SO for wire
nails. The demand has not yet been
checked and some heavy orders have
been taken at all points, even at the
highest prices named, but the export
business is likely to be stopped for the
present.
Holders of wheat have been looking
for the report of the agricultural de-
partment regarding stocks held by
farmers March /. but commercial re-
ports indicate that such are the larg-
est ever held at this date. They have
to support them the western receipts
from farms, which have been larger
than for past years in February for
four weeks. 1851 900 bushels. against
l0.004.600 bushels last year. while At
lantic exports have been for four
weeks l2.s29.75 against 9S7S 636 last
year. The Pacific exports have been
COS, 1877 bushels for the week, against
64,993 last year and from other ports
1S7,S2s bushels have been shipped dur
Ing the past week.
Failures for the week have been. In
the United States, 1885, against psi last
year. and AZ in Canada. against the S2
last year.