The age-herald., 1900-05-05
BRADSTREET'S
 TRADE REVIEW There is Further Diminution of Activity in Markets. STEEL STOCKS VERY WEAK Money is Easy and Steady Increase in the National Bank Circulation
 Under the New Law
 is Apparent
STEEL STOCKS VERY WEAK

New York, May 4.-Bradstreet's tomor- row will say:
 Business at wholesale is relatively quiet CT, which is not unusual at this period, but more than ordinarily marked attention is being concentrated upon the retail de- mand, which is of course, relied upon as measure of the progress of actual con- sumption.
 Good crop prospects and the weakness in provisions, charged partly to increased re- ceipts of holdings, but also attributed to bear operations by packers have exer- cised a depressing effect upon corn, and to less extent upon wheat.
 The weakness of print cloths is confined as yet to outside manufacturers quota tions, Liverpool prices being maintained unchanged. No effects from this source the dullneSs at wholesale in cotton goods is yet reflected in the market for the raw material, which remains strong, owing partly to the reduced movement of the crop, the April movement being II per cent. smaller than a year ago, and partly to the expected small surplus to be car ried over to next season.
 Restricted supplies of raw sugar have i'm bGed a slight marking up of quotations this week. but no change of refined prices is reported
 The situation in iron and steel is still mixed one. No dimunition of strength of pig iron is reported at such centers as Bir- mingharn and Pittsburg and predictions are that the ruling price for Bessemer pig will not be shaded during the last half of the year. The report from Birmingham is a most encouraging one, due mainly to the re-awakened export inquiry heretofore noted. Scotsh buyers reported to have taken 25O0O tons this week, and an order for l00.000 tons for Germany, for delivery tC l1fln fIats t1, difference between buyer and seller so small expectations favor a satisfactory out come. Billets are unquestionably lower, but structural matter remains strong.
 Flour shipments this week are very large. Wheat including flour, shipments for the week aggregate 4,5S7, ,022 bushels, against 3,SS4,0S1 bushels in the same week of 1899. Since July the exports of wheat aggregate 166,025, 434 bushels, against 199,- 774,602 bushels last year.
 Corn exports for the wook aggregate B. 441,015 bushels, against 2S47, ,290 bushels in this week a year ago.
 Since July corn exports aggregate 173,- 113,075 bushels, against 142,5l011S bushels during the same period year ago.
 For the week failures numbered in the United States 153, as compared with 1S2 last week, and 164 in this week year ago. DUN's REVIEW
 New York May AR. G. Dunn & Co.'S weekly review of trade tomorrow will say: Failure returns for April are especially val uable because they show that there does not exercise in the most important branches of business, the ( nditons which threaten disaster They call attention to one line in which some curtailment had seemed from previous returns to be in progress, and has been hastened by exten- sive strikes in the building trades.
 The state of business has been repre- sented to fit and used to support several hundred theories already. The simple fact is that some reaction from the abnormal excitement and expansion and rise of prices last year necessary to con tinued prosperity. It's duration may there fore be expected to depend on the prompt ness with which production and prices ad- just themselves to actual demand. Much progress in that adjustment has been made during the past week with increased activity already resulting.
 The reduction in prices of iron and steel and their products has gone far enough