Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-28
REVIEW OF TRADE.
MOVEMENT TOWARD COMBINA-
TON APPROACHING y VlR-
TtfAI CRAZE.
tBy Telegraph to vir=in,an-Piloto

| (By Telegraph TO vir=inian- Pilot)
| New York. Jan. 2I-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say:
| The apparently steady rise I'm the tide
of general business has been diversified
this week by an outburst OF speculative
| interest in IL number of staples, notably
cotton and wheat. which heretofore
nave registered steady gains on actual
| consumptiNc demand rather than Oh
| the development of marked builish
! speculation. Large transactions ana
| buoyant prices have been features in
these staples. and signs are not want
| ing thdt syinpathctic, though smaller.
| movements in "a number OF other lines
| are either under way or contemplated.
Exceptional industrial activity. par
| tlculariy in the iron ANA steel trades
IS another feature Of note, aud here.
too. price advances arc all but general
rejecting so far as can be seen chiefly
tne urgency of consumers requirements.
The claim. in fact, being made that
| speculation has not us yet entered into
the buying in this branch of industry.
me same claim. however. can hardly
| he made as regards n number of move
| nents toward consolidation i'm this and
Hther Industries where. in fact the
movement toward combination is de
scrihcd as approaching II virtual craze.
/ In the regular channels of distributivc
| Trade conditions continue. IN The main
!
orders at most markets being reported
as larger thRn in any recently pre-
| ceding year at this time.
White 1t is hardly possible II Tx the
ehtlrc responsibility for the bullishness
III WHEAT and cotton upon the move
| merit which so far has proved 81 sue
| ceSslul in stocks. the claim is freely
made that considerable profits realized
| III the stock market have SOUGHT ok
preston in the channels OF staple food
and textile distribution. color it.
| given To this claim b. the fact than
| thcSituation inactual wheat shows but
| littie change from recent weeks II is.
true that the tendency to pare down
alleged official estimates of Russian
| crops and some weather rcnurts from
the west nave been more encoura ging
to the holders of actual wheat but tho
magnitude of the "uthurst of new buy
Ing. shared in by former porsiStcn,
shorts in wheat alone hardly explain
the activity in this market. which has
resulted in the highest prices reached
since tile collapse OF the Letter deal
| Activity in demand for nearly all
| classes of iron and steel is reelected
IN advances for nearly every class OF
| pig IRON and IN steel b.lie.s. rails. wire
and plates. Announcements of "A large
number of consultations and combi-
nations. projected or under way. arc al
so a feature. In the domain of other
metals, notably copp-r ana tin. spec
| uIatioD and actual demand alike make
| for higher prices
Better reports are received from the
lumber trade in number of cities. ana
! All Inc Old advances are maintained
| with confidence in the outlook for
| spring business
Some Improvement in the dry goods
trade is to be noted at Eastern u 5inis
| notably Philadelphia ana Boston. wher,
advances in cottons are maintained.
Wool though firm, is Slow al sale.
| ana iInlShcd pS1durtS with the unssi-
| Die exception Of dress wonlcls do NOT
| move az freely as hoped for. a feature
OF ihis week in fact. being the very
low prices announced by some manu-
| facturers.
General industry is reported active.
notably soft coal mining and SHIN
building. An encouraging feature i'm
the former trade ms been the WAGE
settlement made With 100000 Western,
fcoal miners for another year
Wheat. including Hour shipments
| Tor me week aggregate 43g7.572 bushels
! ag1inzi : lbs 81 -A.lAl.--L.
O26,O24 bushels in the correepondimc
week Of 1888. 2.5i5.ioS bushels I'm 1897
2.J50.206 bushels in 1896 and 2iS3. SIS
bushels in 1895 Since July l. THIS sea.
son the exports of wheat aggregate
| ~ 232.2o bushels aglinsst il6.oi9 SSo
bushels last year
Corn exports for the week aggregate
500. I33 bushels, against 2.9sS.l9I bush
els last week. ig2G5j9 bushels in thl.
week a Year ago. 3,Oll COZ bushels in
| lS9'. 3.l9,.cSG bushels in 1896. and 90
iGl bushels in 1885 since July /. thj.
season corn exports aggregate g5.Tl59o:
bushels against ai.gS3.73S bushels, dur.
ing the same period q year ago.
business failures arc fewer. in mum.