The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1900-06-02
Trade Report.

Trade Report.
Bradstreets report for last week is as
follows:
Trade is, if anything, quieter and
prices are lower than a week ago, while
efforts toward a readjustment of pro-
ductive capacity to present conditions
are noted in several lines of industry,
notably iron and steel and lumber. I'm
settled conditions in the cotton trade
and large failure, due mainly to over
selling the bull side of this staple, has
tended to weaken quotations in several
lines of speculative business. Rather
better crop reports and the backward
demand for cotton goods are, of course,
partly responsible for the sharp break,
but statistically the staple remains
strong. Crop~reports as a whole are
good, except for wheat. AS regards the
| latter, it may be said that in the north
west some much needed rains have fall
en-, but the claim is made that more
moisture is needed. Winter wheat
prospects in the southwest remain
good, but foreign inquiry has been on
a reduced scale. Practically the entire
corn crop has been planted under favor
able conditions and reports from the
oats crop are likewise good, but slight
shading of quotations, due to backward
export business, is to be reported for
these cereals. Hog products are also
lower and the same is true of cheese,
petroleum, hides and leather, copper
and a number. of iron and steel pro-
ducts.
Perhaps the most favorable report Of
) the week as to dlstributive trade comes
from the grocery list, in which the
sharp advance in refined sugar is due
, it is claimed, to the enhanced price OF
the raw material, and not to any settle
ment of the trade war. This has slim
, ulated demand in other lines, notably
coffee, which is also higher for the
week. Advices from the dry goods
trade are of backward demand at re
, tail, affecting orders in many lines.
9 Wool is weaker and manufacturers
are still holding off. The boot and shoe
l market is dull, with manufactures firm
e but with jobbers asking for lowe
o prices.
r ly owing to the unsettled conditions il
?. the building trade and partly to tn
5 feeling that prices have been pushet
II too high, and this feeling is likewis
d true of a number of other lines.
e In iron and steel the deadlock still
o continues, buyers and sellers beini
e apart, while the drift of values wher
ii b,cinace io ootuo1Iv p,DIiched ic tf
e ward lower range. Nominally Besst
mer pig and steel billets are unchane
d ed, and this is correct as far as larg
r producers are concerned, but outsid
1t offers are at considerable reduction
4 from quoted prices. Notable weakness
II exists in the prices for iron and stee
lie bars, for plates and for grades Of cas-
1t ern foundry iron. Almost the sole SUI
porting feature is the strength of e,
sr port, but late advices would seem
al indicate that foreign markets may TO
n low those of America toward a lowe
lie range.
1T Almost alone among iron and stee
20 products, structural material is firm
he and much is hoped for in the directio
of new business. The weakness in cas-
n iron pipe is inducing some curtailme1
Al of production, notably at the south.
g Wheat (including fiour) shipment
$, for the week aggregate S,69S,96S busl
4 els, against 5,17S,422 bushels last weel
g 3,19S,319 bushels in the correspondent
n week of 1899, 4,3O9,13 bushels in 1S9
&c 2,0S1, 1926 bushels in 1897, and 2,064,95
'h bushels in 1896. Since July l the e,
II ports of wheat aggregate 17S,383,45
W bushels, against 2OS, 400 100 bushels la
year, and 21O,0S6,969 bushels in 1879
90.
IN Business failures for the week nun
el bered 1877 in the United States, as cor
2: pared with 1916 last week, 1853 in tn
ey week a year ago, 291 in 1898, 257
r. 1897 and 227 in 1896. In the Dominic
g of Canada business failures for IL
week number IS. as compared with
he last week.
nd