The age-herald., 1901-10-19

options on leading products, which em- phasizes the activity in trade channels as shown by bank exchanges for the week at New York 33 per cent larger than last year and s.4 above 1899, while at other leading cities the gains were 163 and 9.1 respectively.
 Iron and Steel Situation. Strength without imitation still summar- izes the iron and steel situation. Despite two months of interruption by the strike evidence accumulates that the year will surpass all records in production of fin- ished material and consequently in con- sumption of ore and pig iron. Orders al- ready booked for delivery far into 1902 promise that the prices makes the out look especially favorable Mills as rule have practically closed contracts for all the orders that can be filled this year and future developments can only affect conditions in 1902 as to finished steel. Heavy orders are recorded for rails with a free movement of structural material while wire and wire nails go abroad in large quantities. Pig iron is hardening under the vigorus demand, forge and Southern foundry securing definite ad- vances and Bessemer in Pittsburg Is firm at $16.
 Tin plates are almost restored to nor nal prices. Since domestic mills have re- sumed and imports ceased the London market has declined sharply. Copper rose in the face of reports that large reduction in list price was contemplated by leading producers to reduce stocks. Footwear factories still have many weeks full employment of heavy weight goods for winter. Supplementary orders for seasonable lines still arrive from Eastern jobbers. Prices are not quotably higher though the rapid rise of leather and hides have taken so much of the profit that shoes must soon deteriorate in pual- ity if better quotations are not forth coming. Leather has begun to exhibit symptoms of speculation but buying by the leading manufacturers for actual con- sumption also reaches a large total
 Movement of Cotton.
 Cottons move freely with prices well sustained for all lines and definite ad- vances in bleached goods. Woolen goods are moro quiet, yet shipments of over 900 pounds of wool weekly from Bos- ton indicate no decrease in activity at the mills.
 Fluctuations in cereals were small with markets dull and featureless. Corn re- ceded a little further influenced unfavor- | ably the insignificant shipments from At l lantic ports, only 501, 555 bushels for the week, compared with 2,799,SS7 last year and 4,747,25S in 1899.
 | Wheat lost little of the early gain, although declining prices year ago makes the difference smaller than has been at any time this crop year. For eign buying of flour is still unsatisfacto- ry, but the outgo of wheat is heavy; for the week United States exports, flour in- cluded, amounting to 4,391.053 bushels, compared with 3.846, 761 last year and A. ,766 two years ago.
 | Western receipts of 5,903,614 bushels, against 7,4266 651, last week and 7,126,419 a year ago indicate that the new crop is being marketed less freely, growers hold ing back in expectation of better prices despite the estimate for foreign authori- ties that the world yield will exceed g. | TOO, 0Oo bushels and unofficial predictions of domestic crop of more than 750, ,00O, 900 | bushels.
 Failures for the week number 229 in the | United States against 209 a year ago and 2s in Canada ,csainst 26 last year.