The age-herald., 1901-02-23
R. (. DUN'S WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE Business Along Atlantic Coast
 is Picking Up PIG IRON FREELY BOUGHT BiIIets and Other Partially Manufac- tured Forms are Flrmer and Fin ished Goods Command High
 Price On Delivery.
PIG IRON FREELY BOUGHT

New York, February 22.-R. c. Dun &
 Co.'S weekly review of trade will say to-
 morrow:
 Business in the east, and particularly
 along the north Atlantic coast, has been
 catching up with the rest of the country
 a little his week, so that in the few
 lines where complaint has been heard To-
 cally of late the tone Is better This
 comes from the working off of retail
 stocks which owners feared would have
 to be carried over until next season.
 In builders hardware the buying has
 been notably better, and the distribution
 In the grocery jobbing trade has been
 given a considerable stimulus. Even the
 laggard dry goods market has shown
 good measure of improvement, though in
 cotton goods there Is still much to be
 desired, for the large buying has not
 brought any improvement in the genera!
 tone, and In some directions the market
 Is slower than a week ago.
 From the interior advices are almost
 uniformly favorable, with 0 very heavy
 movement of general merchandise and farm implements over the northwestern railroads.
 Activity grows more pronounced IT. wool, sales at the three chief eastern
 markets aggregating S,52S,5OO pounds for the last week, against 6,972. 600 the previ-
 ous week and 2S93,4O0 d month ago. Al though transactions are heavier than at
 any time in over a year the situation is
 far from satisfactory, as each week | hrIp 1auo nf nrfo There iS
 little evidence of a better demand for
 goods, and while some holders of wool are sacrificing stocks in order to make
 room for the new clip, the actual supply
 is not materially decreasing. Purchases
 are larger because of the feeling that
 prices must be near the bottom, and this impression is deepened by statements that the average Is now down to the
 point from which the great advance be-
 gan in 1899. 1t Is not down to that point
 by more than half cent, however, al though few grades are nearer the price of May l, 1899, than the general average. Unless manufacturers receive larger or ders and reduce excessive stocks before supplies are augmented by another clip, it Is difficult to see why prices should advance, even if they are at the level oi two years ago.
 The other large textile industry is in not much better condition. Instead of be- | ing able to advance prices of cotton goods | in proportion to the high quotations re | gently made for raw cotton. 1the mills are meeting with light demand and even | at the reduction to cents for print l cloths there is no activity. Many mills | have already restricted operations ano more will stop spindles on March l. When the raw material was advanced to | the highest price in ten years 1t could | not defy the law of supply, demand and pNces, which ultimately restores an equi- librium. On Tuesday a decline of SIS. 70 bale from the top point had occurred, making 1t possible to manufacture at a profit, but this does not help mills which have goods on hand made from cotton purchased before the fall to the lowest | price in eight months. Footwear is firm | ly held at unchanged prices, with good | buying of spring lines in the Boston mar l ket. Western trade Is less active and some orders have been countermanded
 Leather is frmer. with exceptionally large sales. No diminuition appears in the movement of iron and steel products. Mills are rushed with orders and new | contracts are taken at full prices. | Pig iron Is freely bought and prices | tend upward. Billets and other partially | manufactured forms are firmer and fin | ished goods would command high prices | if immediate delivery could be secured. | Structural shapes are still feature with l large operations pending in bridges and l track elevation. More coke ovens are | added to the active list, making the out l put much heavier than at any recent | date. Lumber and materials are in good | demand owing to extensive preparations | for spring building and at Buffalo there l Is special activity on account Of hotels | and other work in connection with the | exposition. Grain markets are devoid of | wide fluctuations, although many reports are circulated regarding the condition Of winter wheat It Is too early to secure definite information and traders are not influenced by rumors. News from India ad Australia indicates a larger crop than last year.
 Failures for the week were 253 in the United States against POI last year, and 39 in Canada against 33 last year.
 R0AN0kE WILL