The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-02
BRADCTREET'S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Dizziness in Some Lines of Dis
tributive Trade.
IRON AND STEEL ARE QUIET
r.. -.
Warm Weather and holidays Have I'm
parted an Appearance of Irregu-
larity Steel Makes Satisfactory
Comparison With Last Year

New York, December 1.-Bradstreet Re
view will tomorrow say:
Warm weather and holidays have i'm
parted an appearance of irregularity and
even dullness to some lines of distrioutlve
trade, completing a month which has been
on the whole qudeter than was the preced-
Ing month, but one which still makes sat
lsfactory comparison with the correspond
ing period of year ago, when the weather
conditions, particularly, gathered distrib-
utive business in seasonable goods.
The price situation generally is appar-
emily one of notable strength in view OF
these conditions. Farm products, ut is
true, notably wheat and corn, have been
weak on unsatisfactory foreign demand,
bearish influence exercised by increasing
supplies of the former grain. Other cereals
are stronger, however
Provisions have been lower largely on
increased receipts of hogs, but lard has
been steady on good export demand. The
situation in textiles has apparently lost
little, in strength during the week, though
raw cotton has suffered from bad roads in
domestic and foreign markets on alleged
estimates OF heavy holdings being held
N~tSh' OiiSSltihS tHNSes ilOhSNCi, nave pSSh
adyices that sales of actual cotton at Liv-
erpool this week are THE largest of the
year. Cotton goods nave been very strong,
and the report of Fall River mills for the
third quarter is of conditions the best
since 1892
Wooden goods have been strong also,
despite unfavorable weather. Raw wool
has again advanced on heavy trading, and
What is additionally interesting prices al
the latest London wool sale appear to have
gained to a parity with a recent advance
here.
Crop damage reports from Brazil have
been moving feature in coffee, which,
like cotton, started from very low price
level and with large stocks carried over
from previous years. The price of this
staple advanced nearly cent in November.
Iron and steel are even quieter than they
We're week ago. and some shading of
prices, more in the nature of reimbursement
however, than of weakness, have given an
appearance of irreguarity. The feature of
the week has been the agreement upon iron
ore prices, placing the price for the coming
season, was intmated in this Column
last week, at nearly double the price paid
at the opening of the present season. Other
metals have been fairly firm, some fluctua-
tlon in sympathy with London prices being
noted in tin. An alleged tendency toward
higher prices for hardware is reported at
a number of the markets Holiday business
In this line has opened well, and the pros
pect for spring trade is regarded as en-
couraging. Coal remains strong in price
the chief difficulty as heretofore being
questions of transportation. The Industrial
situation has been rather improved by the
practical agreement upon a sliding scale
system in the New England cotton manu-
featuring districts. Some further advances
in wages of railway employees and of glass
workers are to be noted and some strikes
of coal miners have been settled. Wheat,
including flour, shipments for the week ag-
gregate 3,699,4e0 bushels, against 3,6S36T
bushels last week.
Corn exports for the week aggregate A.
AL, 514 bushels. against 4,1495H bushels last
week; 4723, 1888 bushels in this week year
ago; Ass S06 bushels in 1897 1,76S,102 bushels
in 1896, and 1857 ,054 bushels In 1895.
Business failures In the United States
number III this week, as compared with 2o2
last week and PIP in this week year ago.
Business failures in Canada for the week
number %. against IS last week and 20 in
the week year ago.