The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-10
A BREATHING SPELL.
Dun Reviews Causes of Shrinkage in
Volume of Business


NTavv York March 10.-R- g. Dun q
O. = Weekly Review of Trade says,
4 certain hesitation in business MH M
,,ei1ses shrinkage in its volume IS H9t
,l~5issIal nor unnatural at this season. II
A. NOT necessarily disheartentng, there7.
~ 1,olnme as ever but falls behind that
az February or January or 81 tie III Sfi5
spending week last year strlheS "A a{heTe
Inc trades or of machimStS anu olnel
AZ Chicago affect many industries IT, H.
the wages of fifty thousand hanas. :, \ ~. ne
,.e.roarllable rise in cotton has apparently
-,9sf the exDected reaction which tenos
Tor the time to repress business ISm
5rices without regard to present demand,
hoping that the needs Oh the cons ~ ul1s 10
may prevent reactlon anu leIl'E " orinion
of last year VIDE olilefeItces. " A-..a,,
also exist regarding the reports Oh InOh-
etary action by congress. .aoa ~ a.
Special causes are not needed 70 &C
count for some pause after q year o.
Unprecedented buying; That sucn tra s,ass
could not continue without pause was
evident as there is not the speculation
which threatened monetary troupIe d
year ago. The output of iron furnaces
March /. was 292. 643 tons weekly. against
Dos Ola February l. and unsOld stocks IN
creased 355i6 tons in February. making
S,-r1s7,v,o 7,til,41 40 900 tons daily against A.
~ eI1r f,Irnaces near Eoittsbure by a
strike and the reduction of output by
many furnaces in blast perhaps IN part
desired and in part the effect Of scarcity
of finished products. the only change be-
ing a slight decline in plates. Much bust
ness Is evidently deferred just now De-
cause of doubt regarding future prices.
Connellville coke ovens are producing
soon to be added. but coke is hard to get,
even at $3.50 for furnace.
Cotton sold on Monday at 9S1. the high
est point since January 10. 1893. when the
crop suddenly fell from 100000 to 5000 900
bales. sharp reaction came on Wed
nesday and the price dropped three-siX-
below the highest point While the de-
strong, there has been for some time
small desire to make contracts ahead.
Estimates of wheat in farmers hands
March LIST. 1854 100000 bushels, according to
the American Agriculturist, do not indi-
cate lack Of supply this year for with
IS in sight nearly as much as a year
ago, when foreign demands were extra
with over 80. 100000 bushels in visible sup
ply. This year net exports in seven
s35 bushels. against 149. 916.407 last year.
and in February enough to make about
l250O000O bushels. against 1853 900. 900 bush
Sls lasI year, with no indication of
future foreign demand approaching that
Of last year from March 1 to july 1.
returns as 70 condition of winter wheat
are also satisfactory. But of late prices
have been very low. and have advanced
and one cent for May options.
London wool sales, so long awaited by
spectators here to Iiven up prices again
opened with a severe decline of ~ to
~ per cent, causing such disappointment
that much selling Is likely es5eciaiIl- %
1nanufacIurers who have held out of the
market Tor some months have still too
large stocks of wool and too uncertain a
market for goods to be IN haste Prices
had previously declined a little here hut
Win small transactions The business in
soo9sf 5hough less active than has been
expected, IS at fairly steady prices as vet
IN poots and shoes there is no change in
ge0s9uo il though not an eighth of the
us9sL orders for boots has been given
stIlu not a quarter for mems OF. VvoT1en,s
heavy shoes, while the demand for light
eenlqes mas been the smallest in five years
4P iiehts on former orders have been
less than in 1898, but larger than in the
corresponding week of any other wear
o, ~ azure last week were In amount
q 81 4, manufacturing $11S 651 and trad
=, aI1ures for. the week have been 9n5 II,
the United States agafnsf 10 III 10 20 IN
ana IS IN Canada. against u los -. Ne-A