The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-31
QUIT WEEK FOR TRADE
BRADSTREET'S SUMMING UP OF
THE BUSINESS SITUATION
ENCOURAGING
CEREALS ARE PROMISING
Alone of the Agricultural Staples
Cotton Has Weakened During
the WceiS-WOOI Has Been
More Active.

NEW YORK, March 3O-Bradstreet's
tomorrow will say:
1T has been quite week in distributive
trade except at some few Western CEN
ters, this being especially true of the dry
goods business. Wholesale trade in this
line has been generally completed. and
pending the effect of spring demand upon
the retail trade. the markets are in a
waiting stage. AS regards prices the
features of the week has been the
strength manifested by agricultural prod
ucts and provisions The advance in the
latter, IN fact. are regarded as fore
shadowlus an upward movement in hog
products, rong predicted. but only par
TALLY realized. Numerous advances in
wages have still further advanced the
purchasing power of the community.
''Disauieting advices as to information
complications and less favorable French
crop reports have furnished the basis for
slight upward movement in wheat
Winter wheat crop advices have been, on
the whole good and have acted as a
balance TO the stories of French damage.
Corn has keen strong in sympathy with
wheat and some renewal of foreign buy
Ing, aided by unsatisfactory advices as
10 the quality of new arrivals.
Alone Of the agricultural staples. cot
ton has weakened during the week. not
because OF any impairment of the sta
jisucal position which indeed remains
very strong, but really because some
speculative holders have gotten tired and
given ear to reports Of dullness in the
cotton goods demand. New business in
this latter line is undoubtedly quiet but
most of the mills are heavily sold ahead,
and finished products have not advanced
propoiiOnatcly as much as the cruder
forms
Wool has been more active, but con-
siderable business has been done at con-
cessions. The decentralization In the SUI
gar trade IS clearly confined to the re-
inning branch, because while quotations
OF the finished product have been lowered
the heavy retiners have been large buy
ers, and sugar has actually advanced.
the result being a still further shrinkage
IN the margin of profit in refining.
Little that is new Is observable in the
iron and steel trade. New business Of q
hand to mouth character and this might
be regarded as a depressing feature were
II not for the fact that producers are so
heavily sold ahead Bessemer pig iron is
4
weak, but the increase in furnace stock
OF tho latter Is claimed ito he balanced
by the decrease in manufacturers sup
plies
The recent advance in leather has
tended to restrict new business but ad-
Vices from the boot and shoe Industry
are, on the whole, favorable There has
been some accumulation of stock of
leather and talk of overproduction in
some states OF the South, but price weak
ness Is not yet notable. Manufac-
tUrers and jobbers in carpets and up
holstery report a heavy seasons business
booked.
Wheat. including -four shipments for
the week, aggregate 1865, 349, against
3,9OS, 1875 last week, 1855, 23S In the CORE
spending week Of 1899, $3.50, ass bushels in
1898, and 2,464,645 bushels in 1897. and
i,693,927 bushels in 1895. Since July l, this
season the exports OF wheat aggregates
l47, lT2, $50 bushels against 1S4, $3.50 40 bush
els last year, and IS0067, $50 bushels in
1898. Corn exports for the week ag-
gregate 1913, 6SS bushels, against 3,1238lS
bushels last week. 2,411. 443 bushels in this
week a year ago, 1870 APO in 1898, 1891
bushels in 1897, and 2,199, 564 bushels in
1896. Since July. this season, corn ex-
ports aggregate 155, SCI, 615 bushels, against
Isl, 5,9E5 bushels during the same period
a year ago, and 1875 551 $40 bushels IN 1897
1898.
Business failures in the United States
for the week number ISL, as compared
with 1872 last week, 1870 in this week a
Year ago, &c in 1898, 2l2 in 1897. and 236 in
1856. Business failures IN the Dominion
of Canada tOr the week number .25, as
against % last week, SO this week year
ago, 80 in 1898, IS in 1897, and 43 in 1886