The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-20
Strength N STAPLES
Cereals, Iron and Steel and
Even Raw Wool
MAKE THE WEEK NOTABLE
Cotton Speculation Tagging
Wholesale Trade Fair.
THE WEEK NOTABLE

New York, May 1S.-Bradstreet's Of 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 discouraglng way. The price
making features in cereals are not en-
tirely of encouraging character. being
chiefly the less favorable reports as to
the growing crop west and northwest, and
advices Of insect damage influencing west
ern markets toward a higher plane IN face
of discoura gingly small export business,
caused in some degree by the continuance
Of the strike Of grain handlers at Buffalo,
checking the movement of large quantities
Of grain to the seaboard. The added
strength in iron is based chiefly upon
heavy buying OF pig iron in the central
at all markets. Reports are of old and
new furnaces going into blast, but these
advices and the new plants projected to
be built apparently do not Teassure Gus
toners who are beginning to place orders
for the first part of next year at present
prices. Excitement In iron is not confine1
entirely to this country, however, as shown
by a speculative advance at leading Brit
ISL market but sample of the Irregular
ity caused by the immense world demand
is furnished in flte case of foreigners seek
ing supplies III this country at the same
time that orders for rails have been placed
by American companies with English
makers. Foreign wool markets continue
above American heavy sales of Austria
Ian 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 toward steadiness in prices,
and most provisions, coffee and sugar
among groceries, lead and copper among
metals and cotton and it's various manu-
features among textiles, are all reported
unchanged on the week.
Speculation in cotton lags. notwith-
standing good trade advices at home and
abroad and rather less favorable crop re-
ports. Lumber, as for a long time past,
continues in excellent demand. Building
activity is widespread. prices hold all
their old advances and the tendency is
apparently still upward. efned sugar is
in rather better demand, but raws are
rather quiet at last weeks decline. Hides
ard leather are strong at old quotations,
new feature reported this week being a
good demand for some grades of upper
leather on export account. Less favorable
weather has tended to check distributive
demand at retail but in 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 2,212. POS bushels, against
5, 2S4, 1S2 bushels last week. 4,O64,S32 bushels
in the corresponding week of 1898; 1885,
S62 bushels in 1897; / 906,005 bushels in 1896,
and 2,754,023 bushels in 1895. Since July
l, this season the exports OF wheat aggre-
gate 2O5, ,O54 bushels, against 2O65Sz,S45
last year. Corn exports for the week ag-
gresate 2,73O,414 bushels, against 2,76S. 294
bushels last week, 5,55O,59S bushels in this
week a year ago, 3.19O,O48 bushels in 1897;
1860, 419 bushels in 1896, and 1,0S2,27S bush
els in 1895. Since July l, this season, corn
exports aggregate 143,4O2,221 bushels,
against 1863, 15S, 143 during the same period
a year ago.
Business failures for the week number
1885, against 169 last week, oil in this week
a year ago, 245 in 1897; ZIG in 1896, and 206
in 1885. Business failures in Canada num-
Der Is against q last week, SO IN this week
year ago, q in 1897; IS In 1896, and %
in 1885.
DUN'S REVIEW OF TRADE.
New York. May 19-R. C. Dun & Co.'S
weekly review Of trade tomorrow will
say: While buying 100000 tons Bessemer
pig at Pittsburg gave reason for the adj
vance in price TO $l6.50, with grey forge
quoted at SIS per ton, it is not quite clear
as it might be that the output, which
was 80 900 tons weekly, according to the
Pittsburg record and has since been
largely increased by the addition on many
| furnaces, VIII continue TO fall below the
demand. For the requirements in vari-
Gus demands for manufactured products,
it must be recognized, is scarcely meas
urabe and does not seem as much d.
minished as might be expected. by higher
prices and long delay in delivery. In
platS, for instance, the demand covers
many thousand tons for bridges at Chr
cago and at Pittsburg. and a Philadel-
phia concern accepted several thousand
tons and was afterwards obliged to refuse
more, one othe concern in the same city
rfus.ng over 1900 tons.
The shipments Of boots and shoes from
the east have been for two weeks of
May - per cent larger than last year,
Higher prices. which have been asked
FOR several months, are now more gener-
ally paid for meas wear, though most
works are covered by earlier orders for
four months ahead or mere. Leather
shows hesitation dealers apparently ques-
tionins whether the rise has not been too
much. At Chicago the same question runs
through the hide market, though advances