The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-01-02
DUN'S REVIEW OF
THE YEARS TRADE
satisfactory Conditions in
Nearly all Lines.

w
regarding the leading markets
Conditions in iron and steel during
l9oO, were much more sound than in
the preceding year when speculation
was rife and prices inflated far be-
you'd the bounds of reason
Statistics of the weekly capecitv
OF furnace and blast show that the
highest point an record was reached
Feb /, while there was little dimupi-
ton during the next few months.
But, With the collapse of speculation
during the spring, aud relaxation of
the fact that operations had been
overdone. there came Q steady reduc
tion 10 output From 296 furnaces
10 blast on Feb l, there followed q
continual shutting dows until but
2Ol we're in operation on Nov l, and
the weekly production decreased 49,.
!lO tons Even st this rspid rate of
declining output, stocks accumulated
With rafting rspidity and on Oct l,
the top was reached 670,531 tons
Business conditions we're satlsfac
tory, however. tho demand expanded,
while reports of finished products
grew very heavy when prices reach.
ed level that nsde competition
possible with British and German
producers In two months, ending
Dec l, furnace stock of pig iron de
creased 1885 tons, and the tone
was 80 much improved that many
idle furnaces resumed
Manufactured articles bsve moved
along similar lines Quotations of
iron and steel products at the begin
ming of the year was little below the
level prevailing 13 years previous
and the fall was almost uninterrupted
until October, when the average vas
but 63 6S per cent. Of the figures pre-.
vailing January /. 1887
The year 1900 opened With favor.
able conditions prevailing in nearly
every branch of the dry goods trade
Tho home demand continued good
for the first three months and then
fell awsy until BY June the market
had lapsed into pronounced dullness
aud from . steady upward course in
prices began to gradually decline
agsin The srrest Of buying wss re
msrksbIe. In WOODEN goods stocks
began to accumulate again and their
course up to tho close of tho year had
shown pronounced weakness in both
men's wear fabrics and dress goods,
with the result that the gain in prices
made last year and in the early part
of this has been lost in many direc.
tions. and where any retsined at oil
is of limited extent
A sudden demand from Chins for
heavy brown cottons in May, the fret
purchase made for that market in sew.
eral months. was unfortunately
checked by the outbreak of the
Boxer rising, and since then there
has been All entire suspension of buy.
ing from that country In Sep,em
Der another stimulus was given to cot
ton goods by the rapid advance in raw
material which followed the Calves.
ton disaster and short crop predic.
tions Prices assumed tboir upward
course, and market ruled strong sgsin
until the end of October when there
was another lu!l in the demand.
Stocks had. however, been we'll
cleaned up sss rule. aud although
some of tho staple lines have eased
off slightly, q fairly steady tone has
since prevailed .-.
The prosperous condition Of the
cotton goods trade last year and the
early part of this has had Q marked
effect upon the cotton industry in the
south ,reviving the boom 10 mill build
ing which previous depression had
checked. A number of new mills
have been added, and many moro ere
in eouise Of erection 1t is probable
that when the years statistics are
complied they will show the addition
of nearly 1000. 900 spindes to the
productive capacity of the south
After advancing from l8 OIL cents
as the average of one hundred grades
CT wool reported by Coaiand g.
Brothers on May to "a 20 ia De-.
cember. 1899, 1t WAS only natural
thst The 1900. should witness severe
reaction and return 10 y more normal
level The decline was gradual, and
the yesr closed about 22 per cent
below the top point touched twelve
months previous
The closing year of the century
was . remarkably satisfactory one for
farmers end planters. uo,withs,snd
ing the fnct that some sc,ious
harvested smaller craps than in pre-
cediDg years. While the eoush pro
duced less cotton than in Two pre-
vious record breaking seasons. prices
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