The age-herald., 1901-08-31
GENERAL REVIEW
 OF WEEKS TRADE Decided Improvement is Shown in Almost Every Line LOWER PRICES FOR CEREALS. Quotations on Steel Products Are stlr Nominal on Account of the Un- certainty of Making Prompt
 Deliveries.
| LOWER PRICES FOR CEREALS.

New York, August SO-R. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review of trade tomorrow will say:
 Even in cotton goods, which have been the slowest to respond to the vigorous tone of domestic trade, the past week has brought distinct improvement. Pressure at Fall River being removed, the print cloth market became strong, while In the bleaehed goods division the gains were still more pronounced In some cases the only drawback is the lack of available
 supplies for immediate delivery. Euch evil dences of better times naturally have a firmer tone to the raw material, which
 was further supported by the unsatisfac-
 tory weather in Texas. Against losses by drouth in the largest state, there Is compensation In the greatly increased acreage throughout the entire cotton belt
 but an advance of 8 bale since the advance began does not appear unreas- enable. The crop year ends with a vis- ibe supply close to a million bales by no means the severe scarcity estimated ear Her in the season. but still more de- pressing fact is the decrease in takings by northern spinners of about 100000 bales as compared with the average of the three preceding years.
 Somewhat lower quotations for wheat are not surprising, in view of the general tendency to increase estimates of the crop far beyond the quantity indicated by of- ficial figures of condition. Another weak ening influence is the slight decline of ex- halo ba ment in the first two weeks of August
 Shipments for the week, however. were still phenomenal aggregating 6SO1, ,3O2 bushels, compared with 2,SO2,567 last year and 3,179,917 in 1899. Moreover, this gain occurred despite the Interruption to ship ments from the Pacific coast by the strike of grain handlers. These figures of ex- ports omit the movement from Canadian ports usually included in other records and causing confusion as to the actual state of domestic trade.
 Million Bushels of Wheat Weekly.
 With a yield of 50, 600 900 bushels in Man itoba these shipments from the Dominion are falling little short of million bush els weekly. Corn is stubbornly firm though Atlantic exports for the week were but 4O7 450 bushels against 2,S61 ,l5S year ago. and 4,07S,6D6 in 1899, while western receipts were 3,424, ,SS6 bushels compared with 2,123,S16 last year indicating that farmers are content to market their sur plus at current prices. August opened with the commercial sky overcast by storm clouds that threatened serious 1n- jury to the steel industry while drouth in the Southwest aroused pessimistic pre- dictions that business was on the verge of a severe setback.
 Thouqan0s of idle strikers, together with a profitless season In agricultural regions meant inactivity in manufactur- ing, trade and transportation, according to the prophets of evil. Instead of these calamitous conditions, however, the month ends with horizon that Is almost clear, and each day resupmtion of work at an idle mill adds to the productive capacity, while cancelled orders for mer- chandise are rapidly re-ordered. After many years of steadily increasing pros- perity the farming population can face moderate losses with equanimity. Jobbers and manufacturers report that orders for fall goods have somewhat increased for the better grades and there Is definite measure of active trade In bank exchan- ges at this city, TAO per cent larger than in the same week last year and 2O.4 above 1899. while at other trading cities the increase is 36.2 and 25.0 per cent respec- lively. Although scarcity of freight cars holds back a large tonnage, railway earn ings so far reported, for August shows gain of 121 per cent over last year and 23.6 over 1899.
 Steel Products.
 Quotations of steel products are still | nominal, owing to the difficulty experi- enced in securing prompt delivery. It is estimated that not more than per cent of the steel company's capacity has been stopped by the strike and this daily decreases
 Consumers of tin plate have secured supplies abroad; that their work Is not badly handicapped, and while It is to be deplored that American capital and wage earners will lose the profits of this busi- ness, it is fortunate that other industries are not disturbed. Footwear shops con- tinue in splendid position and the de- mand for leather is large at we'll main- tained prices. Hides are sharing the i'm provement with higher prices and activity at the West Woolen mills are crowded with orders, even the smaller concerns participating, and the wool market is steady despite weakness abroad.
 Both raw rubber and silk are strong, bearing witness to the better conditions in these industries
 Failures for the week number 202 in the United States, against 175 last year, and 2 in Canada, against 19 last year.