The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1900-04-14
Report OF Trade.


says:
Favorable features continue in the
majority in the general trade situation.
The hopes for the advent of seasonable
spring weather have been realized and
nearly all markets report an improved
distribution at retail. This, as ex-
planned heretofore, was really the key
to the general merchandise situation.
The industrial situation Is a rather
spotted one. April /, instead of Nav
/, seems to have been fixed upon as a
date for presenting new demands as to
wages and hours. Many thousands of
men are directly or indirectly involved
in the Chicago building trades strike
and several thousands are out in the
coal industry in the Pittsburg region.
most of the building trade strikers in
other cities have gained their demands
and the machinists' strike at Chicago.
which was regarded as threatening to
the entire iron and steel industry, has
been called off pending arbitration. The
price situation, too, is encouraging,
farm products easily leading in the up
Waru movement.
Wheat crop advices are on the whole
favorable except from the central west.
| Sympathy is shown with corn, which
in turn has been influenced by the stea-
dy advance in hog products and by the
known smallness of reserves in cribs
and in store. Nothing like the specula-
tive interests in corn has been seen for
some years past and the price now is
little below so cents at New York. Hog
products are very strong statistically.
Pork is 80 per cent and lard is % per
cent higher than year ago. Another
product of the farm, cotton, has de-
veloped 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 seasonably quiet at first hand
but a fair jobbing business is doing;
the retail distribution is encouraging.
Steel rails are firm and quite active,
particularly at the west and whatever
of finished steel and in the low grades
or 1Oundry pig iron.
Recent advances in wages and the
strong conditions in the bituminous
coal and ore markets certainly point to
no great shrinkage in prices, notwith
standing the fact that current demand
is of a hand-to-mouth character and
buyers are still waiting for break
In addition expert inquiry is persistent
and from all parts of the earth.
The better tone of the boot and shoe
industry is lead by steady prices il
leather and some advances in hides.
Copper and lead are steady, while til
is slightly lower as result of specula
ton.
Butter of course reflects the advanc
ing season and more liberal deliveries
while the slight shading in petroleum
is hardly significant.
Wheat Gncluding -FOUR shipment
for the week aggregate 9,3S6,963 bush
els, against 2,962,349 bushels last week
' 1884, 800 bushels in the corresponding
week of 1899, 3,27S,726 bushels in 1898
2,O36, 700 bushels in 1897, and 1,764, S0l
bushels in 1896 Since July this sea
p son the exports of wheat aggregated
r 151 ,009,643 bushels, against 1873, 345 ,54I
D bushels last year, and 1S3,S46,27S bush
? els in 1898.
Corn exports for the week aggregate
r 1851, 591 bushels, against 3,193,63
: bushels last week, 3,724,653 bushels il
a this week year ago, 1857 900 bushel
in 1898, 4,645,5S5 bushels in 1897 ant
1891, S46 bushels in 1896. Since Jul.
l this season corn exports aggregat
e 100, 123, 206 bushels, against 131, 2S6,67
? bushels during the same period a yea
e ago, and 139, 5S0,649 bushels in 1928
,. Business failures in the Unite'
| States for the week number iS2, a
t compared with 17S last week, 100 il
D this week a year ago, 220 in 1898, %
/ in 1897 and 231 in 1896. Business fail
T. ures in the Dominion of Canada for tn
v week number 25, the same number a
i last week and compared with II in thi
S week a year ago, 80 in 1898, 32 in 1879
and 80 in 1896.
+ For the first quarter of the year fail
q ures are fewer in number than in 1879
9 and liabilities are per cent. smaller
n DefnuIter in Prison Cell.
San Francisco .April 9.-Walter