The sun., 1900-10-27
-THE STATE or TRADE.
Dun's Review Comments On the Bu>i-
ness Of tile Week,
METAL MARKET IMPROVING.
Cotton Shows Little Recupcrative
Power After Last Weeks Decline,
aud Wheat Also Continues
Its Downward Course.
New York, Oct. 2e.-R. G. Dun & Co.'S

New York, Oct. 26.-R. G. Dun & Co.'s
review of trade says:
The elections mean a great deal to busi-
ness interests, and although confidence
in the future is seen on every hand, 1t
is but natural that men do not care to
take unnecessary chances and therefore
delay new engagements as far as possible
until after the ballots are counted. But
contracts for steel rails for the season
thus far are within $4,000 tons Of last
years heavy booking, and the confidence
in aD ultimate marked improvement is SO
strong that all raw materials are firm
and without any speculative activity to
| stimulate them.
The agitation for an advance in billets,
though a small one, is an Indication of
what the iron and steel markets expect
in the next six months, and in the great
industries sellers of materials could easily
make heavy contracts if they cared to
attach political provisions to their agree
ments. However unreasonable fears may
be, it is likely to be better for business
in the long run that conservative ideas
for the present are entertained.
Conditions in iron and steel market
steadily improve, orders gradually swell
ing in volume, and buyers make less ef-
fort to secure concessions. In most cases
quotations are not altered, but there Is
an advance to $40 at Philadelphia for
bilets, owing to the better business in
rails. Pig iron moves freely, especially
at Chicago, where manufacturers have
contracted heavily for finished stuff in
excess of raw material on hand. Cast
iron pipe is in urgent demand, and new
plans for shipbuilding will take plates
Bridge builders are buying structural
forms heavily. Makers of rails and 9th
er products of iron have been accused o.
! quoting better terms to foreign than t
domestic buyers. If this is done, i
, would seem to be the manufacturers af
+ fair rather than the newspapers. Mino
I metals are quiet, except for further weak
: ness in tin. Silver has reached the high
! est price in four years
I The Cotton Market.
i Cotton showed littlr fc.uperativc pow
/ or nrtcr lust weeks decline and close
il lower. Even Mr.. Ellisons estimate tha
s the wolli would require l0.3Suln9 bal
is Of american cotton this year ialird I
/, make much impression. Traders ito ~
. the estimate ton large or that the armour
s. would be available. The loss in price
$ S., so II bale since Oct. 8. and exporter
it arc still holding off. Wheat also contir
news here and abroad but an cncoura!
ing feature was the accelerated forciS
buying as quotations declined. Atlant
exports for the week were 2.G').D.
e bIshelS against 2.2a3G21 year ago an
Pacific shipments S1S,o45 bushels ngain
8 6.iS. -, last wear Corn is slightly wea
W or while pork products have fallen shar
IN ". Most other provisions are heavy, bl
- linS.,ed oil rose sharply To 10 cents.
Hides wore active, with the avcrat
NJ price ut Chicago for ten grades 10
q. cents. higher than II amy time since ~
ia AIay. Leather also reached hl%h
i lcyrl oa coed hrSing. The hriter ="
II Of The loot and Shoe market was sui
in III explanation Of Che advnnca IN ~
III t0if:tls. Npw En%llni shops are hnsl
hc thnH ful ilans months htfata.
III .el1rr i1ar|inp n 1rica@ aHd il@ s"i'
M q dilnrs4 u .is inltsUN ai'e hr'n@ 3
leuid IL &rplt 0a rty Atisi q 7 h&eG
ad III i, ..tia r,tt II thn iess liz di"i tll4t
il l,ti thu- iai, manufactured goods ta
~ iat aH1aH IA Win matciAis. Sai2s
no wmil Ii tHe tl,rta chief eastern hl53S
-pr t1iff;&,tt Io nlGEaasp. &eptt!p% fAhi'@t
II, ;Uiflis HIM VII r. iiea+ as@ nai atit
lit. naI ia- sti4hiH le.aw llia mar
hn ~" Tetiiapts. t,ttan @ertf hlese fttiI
nj iHarp ffeely as t!a FtieP ettl2if Asns
10. uaj.y with raw m#teaial, Nat WIZ SA&
,n. iu~s nro duIl 1t the advance t9 - e.i
HI iajlRics fUr thc week Wer" 10 ~ !
I'd I.4it,d States against l!hi last yeitf Z
~ in Canada against - la>t yeir