Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-05-25
DUN'S REVIEW OF TRADE.

NEW YORK, May PAR. G. Dun e.
Company's Weekly Review of Trade TO-
morrow will say:
The labor situation Is the cloud how
ering over the business world, but The
difficulties are not sufficiently wide
spread at present to seriously interfere
with the progress of manufacture and
distribution. Some settlements OF
stocks have been effected during che
week and others seem probable at an
early date. Meanwhile prices hold
firm, the capacity of producing plants
in the leading industries is well en-
ployed and crop advices are satisfac-
tory.
A feeling Of confidence in the pernla-
nence of values appears to have settled
in all divisions of the iron and steel
manufacture. To this may be attribut-
ed the decrease in orders for distant de-
livery, purchasers merely contracting
for order requirements from one to two
months in advance. Tranquility re-
garding the future is undoubtedly due
to the action of the large combination,
which has made no effort to secure ex-
orbitant prices, but manifests an inten
ton to maintain quotations at the cur
show a disposition to work along the
same lines, and the net result is less
scrambling to get orders placed, but no
indication that the actual demand is
any smaller. Notwithstanding much
talk of dizziness in pig iron. Bessemer
is firmly held at s16.75 delivered At
P~itlsburg, or SIS at Valley furnaces.
Foundry irons are somewhat easier. All
lines of finished steel are crowded to
the limit OF productive capacity, and
machinery houses at Chicago are
granting machinists' demands rather
than risk delay. At some other points,
however, employers appear more stub
born, and there is prospect Of serious
interruption to business.
Although slightly smaller than in the
two preceding phenomenal weeks. ship
ments of boots and shoes from the eass
were more than n hundred thousard
cases and far in excess OF the same
week in earlier year.
Leather has been strong and betting
butts are scarce. Cheaper grades Of
upper leather are less active, owing to
the better demand for glazed kid and
caIfskin. Textile fabrics still exhibit
the least animation, and conditions at
Fall River cotton mills are far from
encouraging, further reduction in time
and possibly in wages being under dis
cussion. Wooden mills exhibit a little
more activity and buy raw materials.
Correspondents report the winter
wheat outlook steadily improving and
there is every reaso to anticipate an
abundant harvest. A few sections have
slightly reduced acreages, and losses by
~droughts in Texas may mount to the
original area planted, Production in
this State, however, Is never sufficient
~ heavy to be an important factor in
the total for the whole country. The
most encouraging feature Is the de-
crease in the amount of harm done by
|Hessian flies, which earlier In the sea-
son threatened to be severe. In the face
of better domestic crop prospects quo
tations continue Arm. injury in Ger
many affecting foreign markets. At
lantic exports have been large for the
past week, including -Four. amounting
to s.ss2.H3 bushels, against 2,17s. s5s
in the same week last year and 1.s46,-
s24 IN 1893. Speculation IN May corn