The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-01-31
DEALS ARE HEAVY.
Good Business Reported in All Lines
of Trade-Better Prices In
Some Instances.

New York Jan. 26.-R. C. Dun G. Co.'S
Weekly Review of Trade says: Rarely
has there been more business in staples
and in manufactured goods at practical
ly unchanged prices than during the Pc
riod since November /. This week seems
to have marked the climax of enormous
dealings at figures which have become
familiar. The heavy trade in pig iron
at better prices. the larger distribution of
dry goods at firmer range of quota
tons and the rush to secure prompt de-
livery of boots and shoes all indicate
that business may have escaped one of
those weary readjustments of prices
which have proved often so trying in
recent years. Jobbing trade in the in
terror is good and collections continue
excellent. Bank clearings at New York
gain ST. per cent over 1900 and 1.3 per
cent. over 1899 for the week, while at
leading cities outside New York there is
gain of SO per cent. over 1900 and 34
per cent. over 1899. Railroad earnings
thus far reported for January show a
gain of lila per cent over last year and
4.6 per cent. over 1899.
After a week of quiet conditions, part
ly due to uncertainty regarding COMPETE
ton among leading interests, the iron
and steel industry has taken another long
stride forward. The feature was enor-
nous buying of pig at an advance to
$l3.25 at Pittsburgh. This sudden activity
on the raw material removed fear that
stocks might be accommodating at fur
naces and gave some idea of the heavy
contracts for finished products taken by
the mills. In some directions there is
less foreign inquiry. although an unusu-
ally heavy shipment of billets went to
Glasgow and exports of rails have not
ceased Freight rates to the sea coast
are still considered excessive by manu-
facturers and there is more inclination
\. III
count. Arbitration is expected to pre-
vent suspension of work at the furnaces,
where strike was threatened on Febru-
airy /.
STAPLE products have moved within
narrow limits, little attention being given
to widely varying estimates from Argen-
tina or reports of damage in the north
west through insufficient snow. Despite
the advance in prices over those prevail
ing a year ago, exports of wheat, includ-
ing flour, from Atlantic ports for the
week were 2,56S,S1S bushels, against 1,6+4,-
l49 last year. and of corn 8, Az GA bushels.
against 3,097, COZ in 1900. Western receipts
of corn were heavy, amounting to 4,3l5,-
$50 bushels, against 2,9l1. 035 last year.
but there is complaint of poor quality.
Failures for the week were 3O6 in the
United States. against 231 last year. and
4s in Canada, against SS last year.
Bradstreet's says: Despite some ir-
regularities in reports from different sec
tions and industries, trade as a whole is
of satisfactory volume for this time Of
year. Relatively the best reports come
from the Pacific coast, the south and the
southwest, where spring demand is open
ing up wen. Unreasonable weather in
some sections, notably the east. has been
a bar to activity in retail trade, but
taken as a whole the trade situation has
many points of strength. Special aetiv-
ity has been noted in some branches of
the iron trade, and sentiment has been
on the whole helped by clearer view of
the possibilities contained in the recent
war talk The quietlng down Of bust
ness abroad naturally points to some
diminution of our export trade in the
cruder forms OF iron and steel, copper
and lumber, but for finished products of
these and other staples the outlook Is
declared to be still satisfactory. Specu-
lation is limited in nearly all lines of
produce and in stocks. and it is probable
that clearngs returns at present give
clearer idea of actual business than for
three months past. Prices show few inn
portant changes, the cereals being slight
~ higher, while hog products and coffee
are lower, with dairy products weak The
general range of other values is on the
whole steady, although some shading in
the higher grades of wool has occurred.