The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-11-21
TRADE REVIEW.
Lack of transportation Facilities
Apparently the Only Unfayor-
able Feature.

New York, Nov. a. Bradstreet's says;
Favorable features are still largely In
the ascendant, and the current Of business
Is running fun the country over, In some
directions, indeed, notably in the matter
of forwarding of general merchandise,
grain, ore, coal, iron and lumber, COM
plants OF insufficient transportation IA
cilities have become more marked. Sea-
sonable weather conditions, east, north and
west have expanded retail trade and en-
barged reassorting orders from jobbers.
Among the industries building opera
lions continue active, aided by the open
fall, and shoe and leather manufacturers,
wooden mills, paper, machinery and hard
ware manufacturers are busily employed,
and the volume of trade distribution is
concededly as heavy If not heavier than
ever before reported at this time"
r. G. Dun & Co., in their Weekly Review
of Trade, say: "A few months ago injury
to the corn crop aroused fears that the
railroads would be seriously handicapped
by the loss Of tonnage, yet the season of
grain traffic has not only failed to produce
decreased earnings, but there is such
scarcity of rolling stock and motive power
that numerous industries are badly de-
moraliZed. In so far as these interests are
concerned, the reduction in corn freight
proves a blessing. Railway earnings in Oc-
tOber were ll.3 per cent. greater than last
year, and A.2 per cent. over 1899, while
those roads reporting for the first week
of November show an average gain of SO
per cent. A healthy demand is reported
throughout the country in all leading lines
of merchandise, while sales of winter goods
have attained normal proportions and holi-
day business promises to surpass all rec
Ords. In manufa turing there was never
before such well-sust ained activity, with
contracts running past the middle Of next
year. This is especially true in the case
- I. -
iron, while in building material, felt, foot
wear, and most textile branches there is
little prospect of idleness. Money circulate
freely, making collections satisfactory in
most sections. Bank exchanges in New
York for the week were SIS per cent. larger
than q year ago, and al per cent. over 1899,
while at other leading cities the gains were
l12 and 80 respectively.
Unprecedented conditions in the iron and
steel industry are shown by the statistics
of pig iron on November l, as published
by ths Iron Age. Furnaces in blast were
producing at the rate of 800, S24 tons week.
ly, which far surpasses all previous rec
Ords. With a production of 1000 tons
weekly above the previous top point it
might be expected that supplies would in
crease, or at least remain stationary. On
the contrary, furnace stocks on November
l were 1881 tons, or much less than a
single weeks output, and a decrease of S.
S42 for the month of October. Carrying the
comparison back d year gives an idea of
the marvellous strides made in this indus
try. Since November, 1900, the weekly ca
paCity Of furnaces in blast has increased
from 2l5S4 tons to S2OS24, while furnace
stocks have declined from Gal, 1866 to 273, 81
tons. Yet there has been no imitation of
prices, and the speculative element is
entirely lacking, a sign that no disastrous
collapse is to be feared.
Failures for the week number 90 In the
United States, against - last year; and
q in Canada, against % Iast year"