The age-herald., 1901-11-16
CURRENT RUN OF
 BUSINESS GOOD SeaSonabIe Weather Conditions Expand Retail Trade BETTER PRICES lN, COTTON Demand for Iron and Steel Is Heavy and All Lines Share in the
 strength-Print Cloth
 Weaker.
BETTER PRICES IN. COTTON

New York. November 15-Bradstreet's tomorrow will say:
 l Favorable features are still largely in the ascendant and the current run of business is good the country over.
 Reasonable weather conditions east and northwest have expanded retail trade and enlarged orders from jobbers. Weather 1 conditions from the South have. however, not been entirely favorable and com plaints of slowness of collections due to the backward cotton crop or the lower prices paid therefor, have been more numerous.
 A favorable feature as regards this lat ter situation, however, is the turn for the better in prices Following the active buying by manufacturers some weeks ago at the east has come sustained activ- ity in wool at leading eastern and west ern markets, without however, any spe- cial gain in prices. An unfavorable feat ure noted at the west is the continuance of the drouth in some parts of Kansas and Missouri where live stock Is being rushed to market because of insufficient water supplies.
 The demand for iron and steel Is very | heavy and ali lines share in the strength Pig iron is active at all markets and % cents per ton premium is freely paid for | immediate delivery. Stocks are smaller than month ago. Steel billets are also | in demand and find ready sale at S2S per ton at Pittsburg. The rail situation is one of special strength, the leading inter. | est being reported as having it's output for the entire year of 1902 booked. New rail orders at Pittsburg this week aggre- l gate 100000 and mills In that district are | sold up to next December. No advance in the price of rails is looked for, and rail- roads not already booked are not likely 1 to receive their quotas much before late summer. The shortage of cars restricted furnace operations in the central west, and complaints of lack of motive power in addition are heard. Some improvement is looked for when the lake movement of ore and coal stops and the cars em- ployed therein can be released. Manipulation in print cloths some weeks ago caused an advance in the face of declining raw cotton and this week the reverse has happened. Print cloths have lost one-eighth of a cent while raw cotton has gained three-slxteenths of a cent. Home demand has been rather lifn- ited, but printed fabrics are firmly held In woolen goods the scarcity of mems overcoatings has been marked and de- mand in this line is active. More orders
 
 the mills.
 Aside from the strength in raw cotton, the features have been the increased strength in such cereals as corn and oats, l due to the springing up of a better de- | mand, some slight firmness In lard, lseasonable advance in butter and eggs and other dairy products, and the stimu- lation to tin prices caused by close con | trol of spot supplies. Wheat and also 1 flour have weakened, due mainly to real | izing upon the late advance, but renewed speculative interest is evident on every de- cline and though pricesu are slightly 1 lower on the week, the tone of the mar ket is much better than some weeks l ago.
 Wheat including four exports for the week aggregate 4,9S3 734 as against 5,456- | 647 bushels last week and 4.062 02o bushels in this week last year. Wheat exports l July 1 to date Ctwenty weeks) agsre- gate 1171S2 652 bushels as against 70,417S17 | bushels last season. Corn exports aggre- | gate 629924 bushels as against 70S, 2S4 bushels last week and 3,976,914 bushels last year. July 1 to date corn exports are 1SOT776S bushels as against 53,44o. 220 1 bushels last season.
 Continued activity Is noted in shoes and kindred trades. Eastern shoe ship ments are 19 per cent larger than the same week a year ago and IA per cent 1 larger for the season. Boston advices | are that the strength Of the demand for spring goods will prevent the usual be- tween season shut down. No sign of overstocking is yet visible in the leather 1 ana hide markets.
 Among the industries buifling opera tons continue active, aided by the open fall and shoe and leather manufacturers, woo1en mills. paper machinery and hard ware manufacturers are busily employed 1 and the volume of trade distribution is l concededly as heavy If not heavier than ever before reported at this time.
 Failures in the United States for the week aggregate 213 as against 191 last week, 227 in this week a year ago, 199 in | 1899 and 229 in 1898.
 Canadian failures for the week num-
 Der 30 as against 35 last week and 25 in
 this week a year ago.