The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-03

trusted selling to committee and agreed
upon curtailment Of about SO per cent. This
was followed by active buying which has
practically cleared up all supplies sold the
mills ahead some two months to come and
raised prices at the close to a basis Of 2ssc for
regulars. with good prospects. This Influenced
finished goods, and the prints division Is
showing It unmistakably.-D Review,
Dec 81.
Leather-While statistical tables show re-
markably steady prices for leather during the
year. it is but fair to SAY that large sales
have been made at times to manufacturers
at prices not known which have enabled them
TO continue work on an increasing scale
Dun's Review. Dec. 81
Hides-The Chicago market has been
snguiarly unreasonable all the year. Pre-
sumabiy 1t has banked upon the deterrent In
fuences of duties as to certain imports OF
certain qualities, for actual receipts of hides
at Western points have been but moderately
smaller. while quotations have remained
srong all the year, and are stronger at The
close than Jan. 1.-Duns Revived, Dec. 81.
Iron and SteeI-The following statement
shows the weekly output at the beginning of
each month, as reported by tie Iron Age:
These figures show that the production up
to Dec. 1 far surpassed that of any other
year. for the fist time exceeding 100000 tons
weekly In every month Of the year. and the
weekly reports Indicate no decrease of out
put in December. 1t is safe to put the years
output at 11.645,00O tons. and If reduction OF
~unsod stocks has not gone beyond the state
ment of Dec. 1, with allowance also for net
exports Of pig to Nov 1. the actual consump-
tion In manufacture has been about 5,943, 354
TONS In the second half against $500 $50 in the
nrst half OF the year 1898. The year has
been distinguished by extraordinary con-
servatism In prices.
The table of comparisons fixes the general
average Of prices Of pig iron at sos per cent.
against 1873 Jan. 1, a rise of about 2 per
cent, but from the lowest point In the year a
little more. The average cost of products
Of iron and steel has risen to 467 per cent,
which is 10 per cent lower than Sept %,
but about 2A per cent higher than Jan. 1.
The extreme steadness Of prices is obviously
due to the restraining influence OF a great for
elgn demand, never before felt 50 largely, for
exports of iron and steel products have
amounted in value during ten months of the
year to $S7, 100000. The weeks returns indf-
cate heavy sales, Of pig at Chicago and Pitts
burg, with the brightest prospect ever known
at Philadelphia. billets in heavy demand
at s1625 at Pittsburg. with sales OF 80, 900 tons,
the heaviest demand for plates ever known.
the recent advance Of 50 per ton being fully
sustained, and unprecedented orders at Phdla-
deiphia; bars strong at Chicago, mainly be-
cause Of heavy car building, though the
Eastern association has advanced prices to
l.O21s for common, LILO for refined and LIB
for test iron. without quotations for steel.
Heavy contracts for the future have been
made at Pattsburg, at !: So for No. q black
sheets, and the pipe works have advanced
the price 21z per cent, with an outlook never
better.-Dun's Review, Dec 81