The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-15
DUN'S REVIEW

49,, vor,. Anril 14-R G. Dun cos.
weekly review of trade will say Saturday.
April Is: =,
r...o 10 stfl increase in legitimate busi-
ness and the productive power OF great IN
dustries increases, even thouSh Soe "
their stocks decline.
The sharp reaction in speculation weeh
ago in no way affected the producing ca
pacity of furnaces or mills and mas peeh
in mart recovered, while the disturbance OF
business caused by the formation OF great
combinations has, In a large heaeue
ceased The money market Is In safer anu
more wholesome condition, and in spite OF
four heavy payments by large syndicates
amounting to about 100000, has grown
easier The only stringency has peen III
call loans. 1t is not owing to speculation
eInne trat payments through the chief
clearing houses have been so per cent.
larger than last year. New York transact
tions far exceed those of any previous
week, 81, ASS, 5O2,7 O9 in amount, but OUTSIDE
of New York the clearings were do per
| cent. larger than in le9S ana 40 pei een'
| larger than in 1877. =,
The truth is that no such expansion IN
| the general business of the country has
| ever been seen before, and if such RECORDS
only were cons dered there would be GROUND
| for fear that wild passion OF trading nao
again lifted the whole business commuhl-
tN off lis feet But instead, there is found
surprising increase in the chief industries.
Naming first some of which only returns
| of materials imported give definite ndlca-
| lions, raw silk imports increased 81 per
cent for eight months of the nscal year over
| last: hides 40 per cent for eight months;
| India rubber, 26; tin 81, and f1bres, 10.
| Output of Pig Iron
| The output of pig iron, approximating
| so45. ESQ tons weekly against 2SS,19S March
with 11515S tons decrease in stocks I'M
| sold and $1,000 in warrant stocks, indicat-
ing a consumption in manufacture OF l,Vo6,-
| 1O3 tons in March. The haste of forty other
| furnaces to get into operation with theh
| possible output of thirty thousand more
| weekly has helped to keep prices OF pig
quite steady, although strong, but the de-
| mand for finished products is far from sat
| isfed The Maryland Steel company has
| orders for 5000 tons of steel rails for the
| Chinese Eastern. Plates have sold at $2.1(
for sheared at Pittsburg, but the leading
| mills there and mills elsewhere are
crowded for months, and many will moi
| ouote at all. Large contracts were closed
| in structural works, one for 5000 tons JUS
| before the advance In prices, but chicago
| orders this week cover 5000 tons of bridge
work and everywhere there is much busi
| ness in sight Bar and sheet mills are hin
| dered by prospects of consolidation, bu
| though few orders for bars are taken jus
| now at the west, the Philadelphia marke
is more steady. Steel bars rose 81 per tor
at Pittsburg and the heavy demand fol-
sheets makes prices very irregular VIII
| many orders refused
The Connelsvile coke product was 1916
tons for the week. SURPRISING ALL records
and prices are steady as before quoted.
Lake copper is strong at 1914 and scarce
and tin went up with London declining only
Is per cent.
The Cotton Industry
| In spite of some strikes, because wages
| were not raised as much as hands en-