The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-19
The WEEK IN TRADE
ACTIVITY IN ALL LINES OF MANI
FACTURES AND COMMERCE
CONTINUES
YEAR IS A RECORD BREAKER
Legitimate Business Is Largely in
Excess of Any Previous Twelve
neutrality-suspicious. at
Minimum.

NEW YORK, Oct. 1S.-R C. Dun &
Co.. S weekly review of trade will say
tomorrow: Unfavorable signs are rare in
the business outlook. Manufacturing
industries enjoy exceptional activity and
most Jobbers and retailers find no occa-
sion for complaint. Mild weather is the
one influence that may be charged with
retarding retail merchandise distribI-
ton, yet there is general confidence that
any sales thus postponed will be made
up later. The same influence is invalu-
able In facilitating the handling of crops
erecting buildings and other outdoor
work Although fifth of the year IS
still to be heard FROM including the usual
interruption of elections and possible dis
turbance of legislation, there is ample
evidence that the volume of legitimate
business will largely exceed all previous
records Speculation is comparatively
quiet both in securities and options on
leading products, which emphasizes the
activity in trade channels as shown by
bank exchanges for the week at New
York, $50 per cent larger than last year
and S.4 above 1892 while at other lead
ing cities the gains were 1873 and 81 per
cent respectively
Strength without imitation still sum
marizes the iron and steel situation De-
spite two months of interruption by the
strike, evidence aecumulates that the
year will surpass all records in produce
ton of finished material and consequence
ly in consumption of ore and pig iron
Orders now booked for delivery far into
l902 promise that next year will bring
still higher records, and the Steadi-
ness of prices makes the outlook espe-
cially favorable. Mills as a rule have
practically closed contracts for all the
orders that can be filled this year and
future developments can only affect con-
ditions in 1902 as to finished steel. Heavy
orders are recorded for rails, with free
movement of structural material, while
wire and wire nails go abroad in large
quantity. Pig iron is hardening under
the vigorous demand, forge and Southern
foundry securing definite advances and
Bessemer in Pittsburg is firm at SIG.
lin plates are almost restored to normal
prices Since domestic mills have re-
sumed and imports ceased, the London
market has declined sharply. Copper
rose in the face of reports that a large
reduction in list price was contemplated
by leading producers to reduce stocks
Footwear factories still have many weeks
full employment on heavyweight goods
for winter. supplementary orders for
seasonable lines still arrive from Eastern
Jobbers. Prices are not quotaoly high
er, though the rapid rise of leather and
hides has taken so much of the profit
that shoes must soon deterioate in quality
If better quotations are not forthcom-
ing. Leather has begun to exhibit
symptoms of speculation, but buying by
the leading manufacturers for actual
consumption also reaches a large to-
tai.
Cottons move freely with prices well
sustained for all lines and definite adj
vances in bleached goods. Wooden
goods are more quiet yet shipments of
over 100000 pounds of wool weekly from
Boston indicate no decrease in activity
at the mills.
Fluctuations in cereals wee small.
with market dull and featureless. Corn
receded little further, influenced I'M
favorably by the insignificant shipments
from Atlantic ports, only 1855 bushels
for the week, compared with 2, 799. SS7 last
year and 4,747, 258 in 1892 Wheat lost a
little of the early gain, although declin-
ing prices a year ago makes the differ
enee smaller than it has been at any
time this crop year. Foreign buying of
flour is still unsatisfactory, but the out
go. of wheat is heavy; for the week
United States exports, -four included.
amounted to 1891 ,053 bushels, compared
with 3,646.761 last year and 1885, two
years ago. Western receipts of {, 9o3, 6l4
bushels, against 7,426,651 last week and
7,126,419 a year ago, indicate that the
new crop is being marketed less freely.
growers holding back in expectation Of
better prices, despite the estimate of