The San Francisco call., 1899-05-07
BRADsTREETs TRADE CONDITIONS.


NEW YORK, May 6-Bradstreet's saws.
Ihat this Is indeed an era OF trade and in.
dustrial combination seems evident from the
long list OF announcements of new consoIida-
uons. rumored or actually hoated. coming to
public view this week Whether this Tendency
has as yet reached It's elimination cannot Of
course, be easily predicted. but in some lines
OF Industry the announcements Of projected
consultations would seem TO have left little
room for further operations OF this kind East
ly first In this direction is the gigantic iron
and steel combination. announced with seem
ing confidence in process of formation Sec
ond only TO this, however is the actual float
ing OF the great copper combination ont
growths as these great combinations are of i'm
mense industrial changes in many lines they
possess special interest in the world of trade
and hnance because Of the immense aggrega-
uon OF capital or industry involved IN their
projection or their carrying out to a success
ful finish. While wholesale trade continues OF
between season volume, every general eVi-
dence is forthcoming that the aggregate is in
excess OF last years undeniably good proper
tlons and retail demand is OF encoura ging
character That the volume of fall ilIsiness
booked is in excess of the average is very gen
orally conceded. Advances in prices and no
ported great activity abroad point TO the wide
spread demand for iron and steel and render
less doubtful the hold OF American products
on foreign markets. The tone OF general mar
kets is notably strong for the season of the
year. a prominent exception being pork and
hog products generally. which have been the
subject OF bearish manlpulations Cereals are
generally iirfn, cash wheat being fractionaIlv
higher At the seaboard on interruption to move
ment by the water route caused by the grain
handlers strike at Buffalo while option business
is in a waiting stage pending Government re port
on wheat conditions and acreage next week
Crop advices are still contradictory but good
weather has made for successful planting and
growth OF spring wheat. while foreign crop
advices continue good. and export demand is
of only moderate proportions. This. coupled
with smaller than expected decreases in world &
supplies reported TO Bradstreets this week.
adds a check to values, which might other
wise record the admitted damage 10 the win
ter wheat crop. Copper, among the metals
retained all its strength. speculative interest
in copper consolidation being sustaining fea-
ture. offsetting depressing effects on consump-
tive demand of the recent advance. A special
feature of this week is the activity in build
ing end in real estate reported from number
Of widely separated sections and lumber and
building materials generally are firm and tend
ing upward Wool markets note a change in
the buying of some large lots of domestic
woods for speculation. and prices are firm in
sympathy with advanced quotations paid for
some large lots of Australian bonded wool
bought for re-export.
The strength of sugar shows no dminution
despite recent advances and further gains are
to be noted. chiefly owing to good domestic
demand and advancing European markets
Leather and hides are firm and boot and shoe