The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-03-03
DUN AND BRADSTREET'S
Advance in Cotton Has Done Much to Slim
uIale Business.
MARKET FOR GOODS PUSHED AcTIyEl,
Iron and steel Industry shows the
Greatest weekly Output Ever
known-DecIinc in Hides.

New York. March 2.--R. G. Dun G. Co.,
In the weekly review of trade, tomorrow
will say: Besides the SSl commercial fall
ures for 1891 ,04S. which Were reported
today, there we're in February six bank
ing failures for S620,12l. and receivers
were appointed for the United States Flour
Milling company with sz5,oUu,U0O OF stock
and sl5,0O0.0OO OF bonds as authorized at
It's organization last April and for The
Third Avenue Railroad company ai'er
liens for several millions had been placed
On the property. Unless separated from
such events. commercial failures cou'c
not be compared with benefit. The maj
ufacturing failures Tor S4,257,6 Ss wero
larger than in February OF 1896 and 1870,
but more than half the amount was ID
two classes, four large lumber and oas
large ciotnlng failure mahing IS per cent
OF tue wnoie. 1ne traoing ialiuies were
larger than Ia February oil last year onIy
but " per cent or the defaults were naae
in tlVe failures.
Inc rise OF cotton to SIC, the highest
point since January, 1895, nas done hlcl
10 stimulate business, drawing tom ooutn-
ern Plantations anu country owns more
IMAM aouDle the quantity marketed !asl
year, distributing mliilons TO producers
whose purchases OF supplies are tnds IN
creased and swelling beyond all expectl-
tion the purchases Tor export. Selling OF
cotton by people VINO had none, out FELT
certain thai &c wouid mark the limit OF
the rise, had placed them quite at the
mercy OF holders. But the markets, botn
Tor goods and for cotton, have been active
all over the world. and the country WI
reap some penent In larger excess OF
merchandise exports over imports. The
market Tor goodS mas been pushed to
greater activity, though they nave risen
only per cent since the year began,
while the product has risen over 20 per
cent.
Except across the ocean, wnere events
In South Africa caused all business to he
forgotten, changes in the stock malket
RANK next In financial Interest to the rise
IN cotton. 1t was revelation OF the APP
probation in which railroad stocks are
he'd to see them strongly supported, WIN
Third Avenue falling 10 ABOUT 80 ana
Flour Milling dismissed to the hands of
receivers.
The small rise in wheat last week, AL
though the price is quite low sufficed to
cail from the farms such receipts 4105,-
t6l bushels against 1864 last year. as
TO indicate that supplies are not nearly
exhausted, Though exports run behind
last year. which were almost unequaled.
they have already exceeded in eight
months those OF the most full years. ana
the exports in four weeks, l2.724 6ij
bushels. against 12051 ,05S last year, ex-
plain much Of the difficulty. corn rising
Ac during the week, while wheat declined
1Ac.
The iron and steel Industry shows the
greatest weekly output ever known while
men speak OF its waiting for more definite
assurance about the future. Prices of pig
yield little, some sales of Bessemer
having been made at Pittsburg at SEA and
anthracite No. i is quoted here at $3.50.
Billets have been sold at s33 at Pitts
burg. For most finished products prices
are stronger than a week ago. Coke Is
scarce and higher in spite of the largest
output ever known and the wages of han Is
have been raised 1917 per cent to the
highest ever paid
The decline in hides In Chicago has pesn
over per cent in the past week and
per cent from the highest point In De.
cember Leather has declined only per
cent from the highest point and part of
that only in exceptionally large trans
actions, presumably meant to be private.
Failures for the week hAv. been 2!2
in the United States, against 1876 last v.ar
and rs in Canada, against AZ last year.