Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-03-10
SPRING TRADE OPENS Up
Bradstreet Points Out Encouraging
Features of the Present
Business Outlook.
VOLUME LARGER AND DEMAND STRONG.
Affected 10000 Operatives-smnlI
Number of StrilSers-Dun Says
Business of Past Month the Grent-
est known for February.

New York, March 6.-Bradstreets says:
"An enlarged volume or spring trade, par
ticularly in dry goods due to spring
weather, special strength in The demand
and price for cotton fabrics, an immense
and urgent call at soaring prices for iron
and steel and all it's products, and sub
stantial advances in wages, chiefly affect
Ing the aforementioned industries, and
benefitting at a conservative calculation
10000 operatives, are among features of the
week going to show that the producing ele-
ments of the country's population are
sharing in the present favorable condi-
tons. From many cities, east and west,
come reports of an active demand from
jobbers for spring dry goods. From the
cotton manufacturing industry come re-
ports of activity, inducing manufacturers
to grant advances to their operatives,
While the list of advances in prices of iron
and steel products, whether of crude, OF
manufactured or even of old material, is
virtual roll call of that industry's products.
An encouraging feature is the small num-
Der of strikes for higher wages reported,
partly owing to advances being already con-
ceded as result of sliding scale agreements,
the only important labor troubles being re-
ported in the coal mining industry in the
southwest. Additional proof that the ex-
port demand for our iron and steel manu-
features will be checked by recent and
pending price advances is not lacking. In
the lumber trade the producer seems likely
also to reap long delayed reward as buy
ers become familiar with the fact that
available supplies, whether of hard wood,
Of white or yellow pine, or of spruce and
hemlock, are well controlled, while the out
look for building trade activity is favor
able. Our export trade in cereals is recoY-
ering from the check administered by re-
cent frigid and stormy weather, but re-
ports of damage to the winter wheat crop
on the one hand and estimates of super
him 1oy Of a fa Ys1o1 q
hands have about balanced each other,
with slight advantage as regards prices
secured by the bears. Prices generally,
aside from the exceptions noted. show few
important changes. Corn is slightly high
err while oats are fractionally lower The
movement of cotton at the south has
proved smaller than anticipated, and as the
current consumption is heavy, both at
home and abroad, quotations are slightly
higher Talk of new combinations in
many lines of trade continues active, but
signs are not wanting that promoters find
1t harder to place snares of companies not
widely known
From Dun's Point of View.
r. G. Dun & Co.'S review of trade says:
'The business for the past month was
far the greatest ever known in February.
Clearing house exchanges were about ST.
54.2 larger than in 1892. In all the years OF
weekly commercial reporting there has
been no other week in which the reports
from all parts of the country have been
on the whole so good as they are this week
Moreover during the past week there has
been general advance in wages. immedi-
ate or prospective. At most points the adj
vance of ten per cent. or more was en-
tirely voluntary. 1t has averaged five to
ten per cent? in tin plate works, and about
ten per cent. in other cases, and as 1t affects
much over 100000 hands it will add great
ly to the purchasing power of the wage
earners.
THE return of failures in February,
while showing larger liabilities than in
January, are highly encouraging A rath-
er unusual number of large failures in scat
tered branches of manufacture has swelled
the aggregate, including one concern for
$1,000,000 in electrical apparatus, but in
nearly ali branches the statement indicates
remarkably healthy condition in spite of
these failures, while in trading the de-
faulted liabilities are smaller than in jan
uary or any previous winter month for six
years.
Failures for the week have been in the
United States, 1856, against PSI last year, and
AZ in Canada. against 81 last year"