Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-02-18
WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE,
REPORTS FROM
ALL ALONG THE LINE.
(By Telegraph TO virglnian-pnot3

(By Telegraph 20 Virginian-Pnot.)
New York. Feb. 17.-R. q. Dun X
Co.'S weekly review of trade will say
tomorrow:
Beyond question business is expand
Ing and in many branches it is larger.
Notwithstanding speculative combina-
ions which tend to reduce il. All
hohopoies or attempted monopolies
stimulate business while they are
coming. but tend To stinc it after they
come. and the throng of combinations
and trusts which have been formed or
proposed have given a temporary but
very questionable impetus to trade But
beyond the influence of these there is Il
genuine and substantial enlargement in
business. due TO the uneXampied pros
pcrity OF a growing population.
ne weeks output of mig iron Feb
ruarN l was 2S1, 3a9 tons. against 9i3.-
aio January l. ana 235. 52S December /
me average weekly production thus in
dicated was about 900 tons greater in
january than In December. and the un-
SoId stocks were reduced 1851 tons in
January, against 81 i3 in December. SO
maj me apparent consumption III man
htucture was in January-lllOO7g tons
against l.o9S.176 in December The
stopnagc OF several furnaces for nee
csSarN repairs 1t a time when the de-
h'thu is most pressing has cnused some
rear OF famine. although quite Mum
per OF other furnaces have started since
fepruary !. or are about to start Pig
ron mas advanced. but the largest
consumption ever recorded in any
month is in part due TO the hasty pur-
chhseS of products about to be CON
.roHeu or advanced in price By Il COM
o.nation. There are so many OF these
IN me IRON and steel industry that the
present market does not clearly iudi-
cate the magnitude of demand. ana dis
appointment III some branches is not
improbable. But the rise OF 81 in stool
i"is' WIN the entire capacity of all
works engaged until after July I. is not
unnatural nor the strength i'm plates
LOT which the legitimate demand is be-
Honu All precedent. and the same is
.rue oil Dars' the quantity required for
cars. railway and agricultural in,nlc-
ment works being enormous
no ilctitious demand has caused tho
rise III gram for the exports continue
SO heavy in wheat and corn that tho
uuvance of 3hc. in wheat is abundantiy
Justined ana the rise of sc i'm corn
seems scarcely enough for the occasion
Atlantic exports have been retarded
ny the blizzard. but have been . oG5 715
ousneis thour included. Jas against s.
itl.oo' iast year. and for the crop year
mus, mus Jar the exports Qncluding tiour).
iA".hi.l42 last year. When it Is rcmenl-
pcred that the exports of corn AFRO nj
most as large as the largest ever known
thcre IL reason for establishment a; tho
continued foreign demand. That it per
sists in spite of the strong advance in
prices her" since September is most
encouraging. 1t is obviously impossible
TO judge how far ii may go.
Nor docs. the foreign demand for cot
ION abate. though the price has again
n ,r, raised 3-l6c. during the past week.
The exports have decreased Some mn
the controlling fact is that n rcr,rl
apic shrinkaEc in receipts from planta
ions appears to indicate Il smaller
Nicid than has hitherto been expected.
~ should be remembered that the re-
rcipts nave been greatly hindered OF
iate py pad wea Their. ana when it passc.
AWAY they are likely To look large. rs
they now look small. but snow I'm New
orleans also means failure to save and
market some cotton which might other
wise be saved.
Inc heavy demand for goods helps 20
advance prices just now. aithourh M
assurance can be given that the dcclin-
ing prices VIII not presently check ihat
demand. ''
There is much more inquiry for wool
ana the manufacturers have u lnrgn,.
demand for heavy weight goods hn,
thcy maintain that they cannot my.
prices now demanded for wool. ana
most OF the purchases made appear to
have been at some concessions.
The minor details have been r,,npinu
weaker. with reaction in London. al
though the industries have shown no
abatement of demand in this country
and the rise in prices here is due largely
To increased consumption.
Failures for the week have been us
in the United States against aa5 ,ast
year and is in Canada, against 50 last