The age-herald., 1900-04-07
TRADE OUTLOOK
 IS FAVORABLE Price Situation as to Products
 Very Favorable. BESSEMER PIG VERY FIRM Identical Reports from Pittsburg and Birmingham as to the Strength
 in Cruder Form Steel
 Rails Are Firm
BESSEMER PIG VERY FIRM

New York, pril 6.-Bradstreets tomor- row will say:
 Favorable features continue in the ma jority in the general trade situation. The hopes for the advent of seasonable spring weather have been realized and nearly all markets report improved distribution at retail. This, as explained heretofore. is really the key of the general merchandise situation. The industrial situation is a rather spotted one. April l. instead of May 1 seems to have been fixed upon as the date for presenting new demands as to wages and hours. While many thousand men are directly or indirectly involved in the Chicago building trade stock and sev- eral thousand are out in the coal industry in the Pittsburg region, most of the build- ing trades strikes in other cities have gained their demands and the machinsts' strike at Chicago, which was regarded as threatening to the entire iron and steel in- dustry. has been called off pending arbi- tration
 The price situation. too, is encouraging, farm products easily leading in the upward movement. Wheat advces on the whole are favorable except from the central west.
 Sympathy is shown with corn. which in turn has been influenced by tho steady hog products and by the known smal'ness of reserves in cribs and in store. Netting like the speculative interest in corn has been seen for some years past. and the price now is little below 90 cents at lew York. Hog products are very interesting. Pork is 30 per cent. and lard 9 per cent. higher than year ago. Another product of the farm cotton, has developed renewed speculative interest this week and a slight upward swing has occurred as the result of increased speculative attention working along previously mentioned lines.
 Cotton goods are quieter at first hands, but a fair jobbing business is doing and retail distribution is encouraging. Wool IS on the whole weaker, but reports from the woolen goods branch are quite favorable.
 Lumber has shown some weakness at widely separated markets this week, point ing to not altogether satisfactory out look in the building trades, whether be- cause of heavy advances in prices or of unsettled labor conditions. The iron and steel situation shows some effects of the recent missionary work in aid of lower prices, but results are as yet rather Tn the shape of unsettled feeling than oi actually lower quotations Bessemer pig is actually as firm as ever. Identical reports come from Pittsburg and from Birmingham as to strength in the cruder forms. Steel rails are firm and quite active, particularly at the west and whatever weakness noted is in some few lines of finished steel and in the low grades of foundry pig iron. Re- cent advances in wages and the strong conditions in the bituminous coal and ore markets certainly point to no great shrink age in prices, notwithstanding the fact that current demand is of a hand -to-mouth character and buyers are still waiting for break. In addition, export inquiry is per sistent and from all parts of the earth.
 The better tone of the boot and shoe in- dustry is reflected in steady prices for leather and some advances in hides.
 Copper is stronger and lead is steady, while tin is slightly lower as result of speculation.
 Business failures in the United States for for the week number 1S2 as compared with IFS last week, 19O in this week year ago, 220 in 1898.