The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-20
THE CONDITION Of TRADE
Renewed Strength of Wheat and
Other Cereals. ..4.
A PRlCE-MAKING FEATURE
Heavy Buying Of Pig Iron in the West
A Speculative Acknowledgement
for Widespread Build
ing Activity.

New York, May 19.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say: The feature of the trade
situation this week is the renewed
strength of wheat and other cereals, iron
and steel, and last. but not least, raw
wool, which has heretofore Jagged behind
other staples in a discouraging way. The
price-making features in cereals are not
entirely of an encouraging character. be-
ing chiefly the less favorable reports as
to the growing crop in the West and
Northwest and advances of insect damage
influencing Western markets toward a
higher plane in the face of a discouraging
small export business. caused in some de-
gree by the continuance of the strike of
grain handlers at Buffalo. retarding the
movement of large quantities of grain.
The added strength in iron is based
largely upon heavy buying of pig iron in
the Central West, sympathetically influ-
encing prices at all markets.
Reports are of old and new furnaces
going into blast, but these advices and
the new plants projected to be built APP
parently do not reaSsure consumers, who
are beginning to place orders for the first
part of next year at present prices. Ex-
to this country, however as shown by a
speculative advance at leading British
markets. but a sample of the irregularity
caused by the immense current worlds
demand is furnished in the case of for
eigners seeking supplies in this country
at the same time that orders for rails
have been placed by American companies
with English makers.
Foreign wool markets continue above
AVA Lin
woods for re-export are reported and
available supplies of this class of wool are
nearly exhausted at Boston. Aside from
the exceptions noted the tendency is to-
ward steadiness in prices. and most pro-
visions, coffee and sugar among grocer
les. lead and copper among metals and
cotton and its various manufactures
among textiles, are all reported un-
changed for the week.
Speculation in cotton lags notwithstand-
ing good trade advices from home and
abroad and rather less favorable reports.
Lumber as for a long time past. con-
tinued in excellent demand. Building ac-
tivity is widespread, prices hold all their
old advances and the tendency is appar-
emily still upward.
Refined sugar is in rather better demand
but raws are quiet at last weeks decline
Hides and leather are strong at old
quotations. new feature reported this
| week being good demand for some
grades of upper leather for export ac-
| count.
Less favorable weather has tended to
check distributive demand at retail, but
| in the wholesale lines trade is regarded as
very fair. and even satisfactory. for the
| advanced stage of the season
Wheat, including -four shipments, for
the week aggregate 22l2.204 bushels
| against 3,2S4,1S4 bushels last week. 1904
| SS2 bushels in the corresponding week OF
| 1898, 2655. S62 bushels in 1897, 1,906005 bush
! els in 1896 and 2.754923 bushels in 1894.
| Since July / this season the exports OF
| wheat aggregate 2O5, 271 045 bushels against
| 200. 5S3, S45 bushels last year.
| Business failures for the week number
| 1855 against 1853 last week 211 in this week
year ago, 245 in 1897, ZIG in 1896 and 2Ot
| in 1885
Business failures in Canada number Il
| against q last week, &c in this week a veal
| ago, 81 in 1897, IS in 1896 and % in 1895