The Washington times., 1901-07-06
BRADSTREETs ON THE WEEK,
The Hot Spell Booms Retail Trade
and Sends I'D Corn Prices

NEW YORK, July 5.-Bradstreet's re-
view of trade tomorrow will say:
Hot weather holidays. and stock TAX
ing, the first-named particularly, have
limited trade in the period under review
and caused practical suspension of i'm
dustrial activity in many cities Against
this seemingly unfavorable feature how
ever. is to be noted the business done in
all kinds of seasonable products at retail
and the check to trade at wholesale has
been largely a postponement rather than
an actual elimination of possible busi-
ness.
The crop situation has, on the whole,
improved and corn and cotton. the TWO
leading crops. most in question at present
have gained some of the ground lost ear
lier in the season by cold weather The
wheat crop is certainly in a favorable con-
ditiOn because harvesting has gone for
ward rapidly and results have been on
the whole quite satisfactory. Spring
wheat conditions have continued excep-
tionally favorable. Relatively the best
advices as to the trade and crop condi-
tions come from the Northwest, But 1t
is worth noting that the tone of South
ern advices is rather more cheerful. aided
possibly by slightly higher prices for that
sections staple product The Southwest
ern part of the country alone returns
what might be regarded as unsatisfactory
advices, owing to the long continued dry,
hot weather.
Failures and bank clearings returns for
the first half of the year are on the whole
quite favorable, increases in number and
liabilities in the former being not much
more than was to be expected, consider
ing the enlargement of business done in
tpn
despite a heavily decreased stock specula-
ton, are still very heavy. Indicating an
immense expansion in the volume of
legitimate business now compared with
previous years. Prices remain. on the
whole. quite steady and fluctuations have
been few and untmportant except possibly
in the case of corn. which has felt the
effect of hot air damage reports from
the Southwest.
Corn shows the heaviest advance for
any week for year past on reports of
dry. hot weather damage. aided. howeFer.
Dy speculative manipulation and a fairly
good export business. Wheat is lower on
hquidation. induced by good cro1 repor,
and, despite confirmation of the ler-
deficit in the German crop, the .-
French crop, and of the short yiai %
Hungary. with doubtful prospects 4 o-F er
countries of Europe. Oats are h.1l. l.sr,
owing to rather poor domestic crop pros
poets Hog products were strong earl sr
but broke and finished lower on the week
on liquidation caused by bear raids.
The feature in retail trade this week
has been the very large distribution of
all classes Of summer goods. induced by
the hot spell. Cotton goods production has
felt the influence of regularly planned
curtailment, and in addition has been
affected by shutdowns due to the heat
The tone of values is firmer and the out
look is regarded as encouraging.
Failures for the week number 145
against 16 last week, ~146 in this week
year ago. 136 in 1893 241 in 1888 and 2i3
in 1881. June failures were the smallest
of any montL this year, but liabilities
were swelled by few heavy suspensions
of banks and were the heaviest for more
than year past