The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-08
THE CONDITION Of TRADE
Business Retarded by Back
ward Spring.
STRIKE OF IRON WORKERS
fnteen Thousand Men Involved in Last
weeks Observation-Disclosures for
the Staples Are Still
Favorable.

New York, April 7-Bradstreet. to-
morrow will say: A quieter condition of
olstributive trade is even more marked
tfis week than last. testfying to the
unfavorable effect upon retail trade and
indirectly upon jobbing distribution of the
cold, backward spring. and less favorable
wheat crop advices. While reports as to
the damage to winter wheat are most
numerous from the Southwest, the infu-
ences of the backward season, frost in the
ground and other unfavorable conditions
have tended to moderate the hitherto very
cheerful tone of advices from the spring
wheat states. Other features of the week
are further quieting down of the ex-
element in iron and steel. A strike of
IRON ore workers in the Lake Superior
district seems likely to compiicate the ore
supply question. Strikes involving $1,000
men have been the feature of the weeks
operations.
Lumber is feeling the influence of the
expanding spring demand at many mar
kets and prices are very strong. The sit
uation in textiles is little changed Cot
ton is slightly lower on fuller crop move
ment, but the manufactured goods are
firm, though some speculative lots of gray
cottons have been offered at concessions
Wool and woolens are rather quiet
though fall orders for women's wear
goods are encouraging and the raw pro-
duct is steady. the view being that the
proposed goods combinations have not
gotten very large supplies of wool. The
situation s regards prices is still very
favorable one, the list of staples advanc-
ing or remaining steady being by far the
most numerous. while bank clearing stat
istics, railroad earnings and all other OBJ
tainable measures of trade progress point
to an immense business, speculative and
otherwise, having been done during the
first quarter of the year 1899. Through
the West and Northwest. with few ex-
ceptions, complaint is made of unseason-
able cod weather affecting distribution,
particularly at retail. Accompanying the
reports. however. are numerous state
ments that the business done during the
first quarter is considerably in advance
of that handled year ago. Complaints
of bad weather and roads come from the
South, Texas trade and agricultural ope-
rations being unfavorably affected and
New Orleans reports that spring trade Is
likely to be disappointing for like rea-
son.
Wheat. including -four shipments for
the week aggregate 33s4,OO0 bushels
against 3.9SS.2 bushels last week. SITS 726
bushels in the corresponding week of 1898,
2,036,77 bushels in 1897, l, sos bushels in
1896 and 2.934,179 bushels in 1895 Since July
l. this season. the exports of wheat ag-
gregate 1888, 345 600 bushels against 1S3, S46 278
bushels last year.
Business failures for the week number
1870, exactly the same number as last
week. but compared with 900 in this week
a year ago. 232 in 1897, 231 in 1896 and 225
in 1896 Business failures for the week in
the Dominion of Canada numbered q as
against 33 last week, 80 in this week a
year ago, 80 in 1897, 80 in 1896 and 26 in
1885,