The age-herald., 1901-05-11

country fundamental conditions were never as sound as at the present time, reports from nearly every city this week showing an exceptional volume of trans- actions and payments promptly met.
 Production Is not overlooking demand at the finish Ia the steel mills and Pitts burg plants are two months behind or ders, while ninety days Is the limit at many. Although the expected advance In bar Iron did not appear, the one con tlnues firm aud orders are liberal Bfl- lets raise at the top point for prompt delivery, but reasonable terms are avail able on forward contracts. In structural shapes and railway equipment there Is all the business In sight that makers de- sire, and no effort is made to secure ad- dltional orders. Less urgency Is recorded In pig iron markets, but buyers do not find terms more satisfactory, and in fact forge and foundry Iron Is rather more firmly held. Although the total number of furnaces in blast on May was forty smaller than on February l. l900 the Iron Age estimates the weekly capacity at 3o1. 125 tons. which exceeds all previous high water marks. The activity Of steel manufacturing Is emphasized by the de- crease of 4.729 tons In furnace stocks during April, despite the unparalleled production.
 Less sensational events transpired In the cereal markets than in the preceding week. although quotations are slow to recede. Corn eased off few cents, put Is still about ten cents bushel, or near ly 25 per cent above the quotation at the corresponding date in the two pre- ceding years. Western operators, con tinue to entertain strong views and ap- pear little daunted by the larger receipts attracted to interior cities by the unusual ly profitable prices offered. For the week arrivals aggregated 3,247,O94 bushels, against 2,196 POP last year. Foreign pur- chases have been driven out of the do- nestle markets by the high quotations and Atlantic exports for the week have been ELLA bushels, compared with B. 709. .SS0 year ago.
 Shipments of boots and shoes from Bos- ton rose to an unusual point. aggregat- ing 103. .320 cases for the week against 79,- 3l1 cases In the previous week. and 68. 151 in the corresponding period last year. The total movement since January l is now but 30,000 cases below 1900 to date and far above any other year.
 Recovery in the price of cotton was on- ly temporary and heavy liquidation of op- tions was accompanied by fall in spot middling uplands to the lowest figure re- corded this year. Even at a loss of S9 i bale, compared with the quotations pre- vafling year ago, there is little dispo- sition to secure raw material either by domestic or foreign spinners. As the end of the crop year approaches there Is no sign of the famine predicted by many ex porters earlier in the season and with most monotonous regularity port receipts continue two or three times as large as In the same week last year. With large probable yield this year and unsatisfac- tory conditions at the mills, there is no inducement to hold stocks. The situation is similar regarding wool and wooens. Raw material Is abundant and a large clip probable, while manufacturers have only light demand for goods.
 Failures for the week numbered 1S7 in the United States against 192 last year, and 26 in Canada against IS last year.