The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-03-13
VOLUME OF TRADE
GROWS SMALLER
Wages of $4,000 Men AZ
fected by Strikes.
Decline in Wool Prices at London. Great Fall
ing OFF in Orders For Shoes. Weeks
Failures 2O5 Against 1872 Same
Week Last Year.

New Work, March Or. g.. Dun and Cob
pany's Weekly Review Of Trade tomorrow viii
say:
- certain hesitation in business with shrink
age in IFS volume is not unusual nor unnatural
at this season. 1t is not necessarily dishearten-
ing. therefore,, If business is no longer so large
IN volume as ever. bur falls behind that Of
February or January. or OF the corresponding
week last year. Strikes in building trades or
Of machinists and others at Chicago affect many
industries and the wages of fifty thousand hands.
The remarkable rise in cotton has apparently
met the expected reaction which tends for the
tons are striving TO hold prices without regard
TO present demand, hoping that the needs of CON
sunlerS may prevent reaction and renew the
rise OF last year. Wide differences of opinion
exist regarding the effects OF monetary action
by Congress.
especial causes are not needed to account for
some pause after a year of unprecedented buy
ing. That such trade could not continue With
out a pause was evident, and there is now not
the excessive speculation which threatened none
tary trouble a year ago.
The output Of iron furnaces Narst 1st was
292, 6t3 tons weekly against 23s.0l4 tons Feb
ruary 1st. and unsold stocks increased a5,5l6
tons III February making 1921 tons, daily,
against 1852 tons in January.
"Much business is evidently deferred Just now
because OF doubt regarding future prices. Coke
is hard to get even at S3. 80 for furnace.
Cotton sold on Monday at G-Sl cents, the high
est point since January 10th, 1893 when the
crop suddenly fell from 9.00o,0 GEO to 100000
bales. \ sharp reaction came on Wednesday ana
the prices dropped three sixteenths that day
and closed one quarter below the highest point.
While the demand for immediate use has held
goods strong, there has been for some time
small desire to make contracts ahead.
Estimates of wheat in farmers hands March
1st. 164, COO. O00 bushels, according to the Amerl-
can Agriculturist, do not indicate a lack OF sup
ply this year, for with 81, toe, cQG, bushels in visi-
BILE stocks there is in sight nearly as much as a
year ago when foreign demands We're eNtraordlna-
nv, and vet the crop wear ended with over 30, 0tV,
coo bushels III visible supply. This year exports
in seven months, -four included have been Ills
221, S35 bushels, against 1896, fGl bushels last
wear and in February enough To make about 3D.
GOO. coo bushels. against 16S, COG, GUD bushels last
wear with 10 indications of a future foreign de-
mand approaching that of last year from March
LIST TO July 1st. Returns as TO conditions OF
winter wheat are also satisfactory. But OF late
prices have been very low, and have advanced
this week nearly three cents for spot and one
cent for May options.
sLondon wool sales, SO long awaited by spec
ulators here to lift up prices again opened with
a severe decline of ~ to 10 per cent, causing
much disappointment that much selling Is like
~. especially as manufacturers who have held
out OF the market for some months nave sun
too large stocks of wool and too uncertain a mar
ket for goods to be in haste. Prices had pre-
viously declined a little here, but with small
transactions. The business in goods, though less
active than has been expected, is at fairly steady
prices as Yet.
.sIn boots and shoes no change appears in
quotations., though not an eighth OF the usual
orders for boots has been given and not a quar-
ter for slnen's or women's heavy shoes. while
the demand for light shoes has been the smallest
in five years. shipments on former orders nave
been less than in 1898, but larger than In the
corresponding week of any other year.
Failures last week were in amount S.4o3,S2f,
manufacturing 81. 49, 51 and trading 50, l61, I'll.
States. against 1S2 last year and 33 in Canada,
against 81 last year."