The age-herald., 1901-04-06
TRADE REVIEW
 OF PAST WEEK Business World Look at Stock Market in Amazement DEMAND FOR IRON KEEPS UP Mills Are Accepting Contracts for the Closing Months of the Year, and 1901 Will Probably Break All
 Records In Consumption.
DEMAND FOR IRON KEEPS UP

New York, April 5.-Duns weekly re- view of trade tomorrow will say:
 While the general bushes world has looked with amazement at the perform ance of the stock market, trade has main tained It's everyday course. and there are many more points of gain than of loss with even slightly steadier tone in the dry goods market. There seems to be sellers withdrawing offers at recent low prices, though buying is small as yet. Col lections in all lines are usually prompt, and in the leading trades contracts have been entered into sufficient to furnish a decided impetus in all lines during the spring season.
 No sign of lessening demand is percep- tible in any branch of the iron and steel industry. Mills are accepting contracts for the closing months of the year, and there Is every indication that 1901 will surpass all records In the quantity of pig iron consumed by manufacturers. Though capacity has been wonderfully enlarged during the past five months, there are still many extensions and new plants con-
 
 customary summer repairs of furnaces and mills will be accomplished within a shorter period than usual as contracts call for heavy deliveries right through the season. Permanence of prosperity in this industry is becoming more certain as there is less evidence of inflated prices. Regular quotations have not altered, ex- cept for bars and foundry pig iron, all though all sorts of premiums are paid where prompt shipment Is required. All though fewer ovens are active in the Con- nellsville region than year ago, the out put Is much larger and about 100000 were made during the quarter.
 Shipments of boots and shoes thas steadily increased the last week, the movement reaching 94,300 cases, against 92,sT0 in the previous week and ss,0S4 a year ago. Quotations are steady but 1t is feared that the recent declines In leather and hides will make 1t possible for small shoe manufacturers to cut prices, whe nthey are compelled to seek new bus iness. An unexpected demand has ap- peared for russet shoes, equalling last years business, despite the fact that these lines were considered less popular than last year. The circular of Coates brothers on April made the average of one hundred grades of wool 17.99 cents, decline of nearly a cent since March anu o1z cents CoIlpdTtu WiIH Aprii, lSoo. During the past two years, however the market has steadied and there is much in the future.
 Moderate buying is done by worsted mills.
 Supplies of cotton were against any pronounced rise in price, however, and conditions continue extremely depressing. Aggressive manipulation of corn forced prices to an unreasonable point, from which the fall was severe and wheat also weakened, although exports from the At lantic coast continued liberal Pork pro- ducts did not show the usual sympathy with corn when 1t reacted Chicago opera tors absorbed orders easily.
 Commercial failures in the first quarter of 1901 were 3,335 in number and $31, 703 4S6 in amount of defaulted liabilities, of which no were in manufacturing, for SIP 504 222 and 2,46S In trading, for $14, 906 with 15 others not properly included In either class, that owed $4,646,37S. Bank ing defaults numbered 21, with liabilities of $2611,3S9. While exceeding the same three months of last year in number, failures were much smaller In amount. commercial and financial insolvencies to- gether showing a decrease of $21, ,5S2, ,1S0. Only two years of the last tweney made a better showing either in aggregate or average indebtedness to each failure, while the proportion of $26.01 to each firm in Business and $109 to each s1, 900 of sol- vent payments through clearing houses are records that were surpassed but once in two decades. For the month of March total liabilities were much smaller than in the corresponding month of any year These figures indicate most undeniably that the new century has opened with business on no uncertain foundation.