The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-27
YEAR OF LARGE CONTRACTS.
,,oUSTRIES GENERALLY HAVE
HEAVY ORDERS AHEAD.

inf New Business for Manufacturers
Has Been hght-BoOt and shoe
business Is Quiet-IrOn and Stees
Are a Shade LOwer-MOvement of
4 cation Is Rather SIOw-Wheat Has
Observation-Disclosures of Cereals.
4 business Failures.
New York. Jan. pr. G. Dun & Co.'S
/ weekly Review of Trade win say to-mor-
row:
/ w news is not always good news. New
/ business for manufacturers this year has
/ bsen light in some branches, and much
below the production last month. 1t is,
. ,erbaps too often forgotten that indus
tries start this year with larger contracts
ahead than ever before, and when half
the work of the whole year has been or
n asred in advance there cannot continue
unite the same activity in new buying.
The wooden manufacture has just opened
q new season with the largest transact
tions ever known in a single week, it is
4 said but in most other lines contracts pre-
4 viously booked would make similar actIv-
itv impossible. Yet there is seen enough
4 nj hesitation caused by advanced prices
4 10 make inactivity trying, Distribution to
4 consumers throughout the country is rap
ia and large, especially in quarters where
il has been feared retailers were over-buy-
ing so that there is strong confidence in
the future.
Ii would not be expected that business
would adjust itself without any embar-
rassment to such rise of prices as has
occurred. Early in December wool rose
too high for prices then obtainable for
WOODEN goods, and weeks of dullness fol-
lowed
The boot and shoe manufacturer is re-
ceiving small orders as jobbers pay the
prices asked only for such limited supplies
as are needed for sorting, but their
urgency to receive goods heretofore or
dered is marked, and shipments from Bos-
ton have been $50, 1856 cases in four weeks,
about per cent. more than in 1898, and
Is per cent. more than in 1895, with greater
Il Increase over every other year. Leather
IS inactive and slightly weaker, in spite
of heavy exports, and hides are yielding
at Chicago with accumulation of stocks.
iron, Cotton and Wheat.
Iron and steel prices have been yield
ing for several weeks, and are shade
lower for products than at any other time
since the fnlOQle OF september, tHOuSH
Il Basse ner pig and billets are still so scarce
and firmly held that only two sales,
amounting to 5000 tons, are anywhere re-
ported.
4 The cotton manufacture meets but
4 moderate demand for goods and extensive
famine in India is expected to reduce Brit
ish sales in that country, while the addi-
ton OF 96S, 1884 spindles at the South in 1899
+ reported by the Textile World would i'm
Div heavier increase than has been sup
posed in consumption not by Northern
H mills. Scarcity of water has curtailed the
output for weeks past, and yet prices are
hardly held, with distant contracts shade
lower. Cotton has risen to cents al
though exports during the month have
Il been 900 bales smaller than last year,
Il receipts from plantations have dimin-
shed about as much Middling uplands
Il are now sold at higher prices than has
been quoted since September. 1897, and are
4 now more than III cents than at this time
n last year
Wheat has advanced to 1850, with clear
d er reason for such a sharp advance. West
ern receipts are small, in four weeks only
q o9S492S bushels against II, 290, PSI last year,
a but the Atlantic exports have been only
Y 1871 4H bushels flour included, against H.
a 31 3S3 last year. Pacific exports show a
a lille gain amounting to 3,3112S6 bushels,
81 for the same four weeks against 2,175AS
last year, but this is of no aid to Allan
tic markets.
Exports of corn show that American
food is wanted abroad, having been in four
weeks 10 49,, 1872 bushels. against 12,370 564
last year. Nevertheless, the price of cash
corn has declined about q of a cent, al
Il though option prices are about the same
as at the close last week.
Failures for the week have been 231 in
4 the United States, against 224 last year,
4 and IS in Canada, against 81 last year.