The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-10-14
syss1
BRADSTREET'S
REVIEW OF TRADE
Reports Show Widespread Ac-
tivity in Business.
WHEAT CROP is SMALLER
General Manufacturing Industry in
Splendid Condition, With Produc-
ton of Coal Particularly
Heavy-W eek s ailures

New York, October 1S.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say:
Trade activity is widespread all measures
of volume and value Transforming to pre-
vailing conditions. Only good reports are
received from distributive trade centers
and some markets for fall demand are
holding out longer than expected. Railway
earnings, bank clearlngs returns, and quo
tatons of staple prices are all encouraging,
pointing as they do to a maximum volume
of business for this period of the year.
Crop returns for October bear out earlier
impressions of shortened yields of the most
leading agricultural products. Expectations
of more moderate yields of leading cereals
is not confined to this country.
The worlds wheat crop will admittedly
be smaller and rye, barley and oats yielders
are not expected to be so large as a year
ago. The higher range of prices of all
staples and particularly of agricultural
products, however, will furnish profitable
balance to producers. The advance in the
prices of cotton has been a notable ono
and though some reaction is nearly noted
the effects upon general southern trade and
industry of the great advance are particu-
larly beneficial as this section alone has
appeared to lag somewhat behind the pro-
cesson of prosperity.
In the manufacturing branches of the
trade strength is well nigh universal Ad-
vances have been numerous and a scarcity
of goods rather than demand is the main
subject of complaint. While a source of
depression to cotton. the Transvaal situa-
ton has proved rather favorable to wheat
and other cereals, offsetting heavy in
creases in visible supplies. The liberality of
foreign demands is perhaps best shown in
the separate report of exports of leading
products. Shipments of breadstuffs were as
large as those of August and there was
nearly heavy gain in cotton exports which
are double those of the same month a year
ago. Totals of leading exports shown an
increase of % per cent. over September a
year ago and over September, 1885, but
decrease of So per cent. from September,
1897, which witnessed very heavy shipments
of breadstuffs.
The general manufacturing industry is
running full and activity is so widespread
that it is hard to prefer one industry to
another in this respect Coal production is
particularly heavy but scarcity of cars is
complained of in this and in the coke in
dustry with the strength of lake freights
constituting a disturbing element as regards
the supply Of antracite in the west. Iron
and steel are active as to production but
new business is limited by the small guam
tity available for nearby delivery. Liberal
orders are still reported for the first half
of next year and steel rails are reported
tending upward at the west.
Paper Is in especially active demand at
present, with news varieties, owing to low
water, being reported practically out of the
market.
Sugar refining furnishes one exception to
the reports of general prosperity, and pro-
duction is decreasing, partly, of course
owing to the season, but also to the de-
moralization growing out of the price cut
ting.
Wool is very firm, though quieter at some
markets, while the manufactured products
are selling well on next springs account.
Tobacco is reported very generally active
at nearly all the markets. Shoe manufac-
turers are busy and leather and hides are
systematically strong in price, Lumber Is
in good urgent demand at many markets,
in spite of the advanced stage or the sea-
son. and prices are firm.
Wheat, including flour, shipments for the
week, aggregate 5,265634 bushels. against
51S3 1893 bushels last week; 4729,995 bushels
in the corresponding week OF 1898, and D.
959 72O bushels in 1897; 4.156Sl7 bushels IN
1896. Since July this season the exports
of wheat aggregate 040 bushels,
against 81, 22S, JIG bushels last year, and S.
920 1872 bushels in 1878. Corn exports for
the week aggregate 1885, 1893 bushels, against
4,23S, 749 bushels last week; 3,7O5,292 bushels
in this week year ago, 2,224 us bushels in
1897; I'LL $40 bushels in 1896. Since July l,
this season, corn exports aggregate 64,-
754,15s bushels, against 42,366.240 bushels
during the same period year ago, and 40
SAP SIS in 1898.
Business failures in the United States
number 1884, as compared with 146 last
week: 233 in this week a year ago, and 279
in 1896 Business failures in the Dominion
of Canada number 10, as compared with "a
last week: % in the week a year ago, and
30 In 1896.