The age-herald., 1901-01-12
BRADSTREETS REVIEW.

New York, January u.-Bradstreet's to-
 morrow will say:
 Business is still of a between-seasons
 character in most lines, but livening up
 Of interests in several trades has been mo-
 ticed this week.
 Relatively best reports come from the iron and steel, lumber, leather and drug trades, but there has been some enlargement of wholesale distributive trade on spring ac count in the south and central west Spring trade in dry goods is just opening up, and 1t is onted that a heavy spring movement on orders is now proceeding at the west. Some gains in wool sales is noted at eastern markets, but weather conditions have not been favorable at the east to business as a
 whole, except a stimulating retail trade in shoes and rubber goods. A special fea-
 ture is the generally good tenor of reports
 as to collections, all western and southern
 points, from which it Is inferred that trade
 returns to retailers must have been quite good Summed up briefly, the situation is
 one of~widespread confidence in the gen. eral business outlook.
 Cereals have given a further exhibition of life this week, partly on light northwest ern receipts and advices that Argentine shipments will not exceed 35 1000, 900 bushels, or about half those of year ago, but also largely on the unquestionably heavier vol ume of Wall street money seeking an out let III the general market. FLUCTUATIONS have been wider and 1t has been easily a
 traders market with no changes for the
 week.
 Corn is slightly higher in sympathy with
 wheat and small receipts of contract
 Inquiry rather than active demand is a
 leading feature in iron and steel, but quite an increase of activity is noted in Bes- semer pig iron and billets at Pittsburg and in plates at Chicago. No change in billets or plates has been agreed yet. Iron production is increasing, but has not yet overtaken consumption and stocks are re- ported smaller than month ago. There are only two idle furnaces now in the Oh- cago district
 Cotton has weakened on discouraged bull liquidation, due to large receipts, while cotton goods have been quiet on the ad- vices of a backward spring trade at the East
 Wool has been in rather better demand than of late due to better buying by man. ufacturers. A fair business has been
 booked in overcoatings on next falls ac- count at lower prices, but the regular heavyweight season has not yet opened. Plain dress goods are being ordered quite freely but fancies are neglected. Jobbing business in shoes is quieter, but Is quite good at retail. Travellers are now going out with fall styles of shoes, which will sell slightly lower than last year. Wheat, including four shipments for the week, aggregate 5,961,095 bushels, against 3,914,3 ,3O1 last week; 4,24S,926 in the corres- bonding week of 1900; 5,647,O1 in 1899; 5,299,-
 517 in 1898, and 3,94S,1 ,154 in 1897. From July
 1 to date this season wheat exports are
 104, ,026, ,S51 bushels against 110,752,S01 last
 season and 134 o36,04S in 1S9S-99.
 Corn exports for the week aggregate
 4,S97,345 bushels against 4,470,051 last week,
 s,e14,576 in this week year ago. 3297, ,072 in
 1899, 4,641, ,75O in 1898 and 3,757, ,2S1 in 1897. From July to date this season coz