The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-21
Weekly Report Today viii Say
That Retail Trade Has Easily
Held the Centre of the Stage
During Holiday Season
NEW YEAR EXPECTED
TO OPEN FAV0RABLY
Spectacular Feature of the Week
In Prices Has Been the COntin-
ued Marking Down of Copper
and the Sympathetic Drop In
Tin and Lead

and the Sympathetic drop IN
Tin and Lead
New York. Dec 2O.-Bradstreets
weekly trade review tomorrow will
say:
Retail trade has easily held the
centre of the stage this week, stimula-
ted as it has been by the dual infiu-
ences of exceptionally cold weather
throughout the country and a rather
more pronounced holiday demand
which promises to break records as to
volume as we'll as quality ana grace
of goods purchased.
"Jobbers in many lines, notably
shoes, clothing and rubber goods re
port a good recorder business growing
out of the above conditions, whole
sale trade as rule has been season
ably quiet exceptions to this being no
ted in wooden goods, raw WOOL iumper'
leather coal and last but by no means
least, iron and steel in a myriad OF
forms. That holiday influences have
not been entirely favorable to active
business is proved by the general qul-
citing down demand and the easing of
values in the leading speculative mar
kets, breadstuffs, hog products, cotton
| and securities. The feeling in these
markets, however, is one of deferred
rather than postponed activity, the
turn of the year being expected to
bring marked developments in nearly
all lines
The spectacular feature of the week
in prices has been the continued mark
ire down Of copper, and sympathetic
ally Herewith, the drop in tin and
lead. Bank clearings and railroad
] pTlTy q nd
tendency in the general volume of bus
mess now as compared with year
ago; all sections of the country, with
the possible exception of portions of
the south, agreeing In this, and all
| other measures of trade and industrial
| activity testify to 1901 having been an
| exceptionally active period in the cOun-
| try's business history. Shoe shipments
from the east are enormous, % per
cent, larger for the week than last
year and Is per cent ahead for the sea-
son. Cuts in sugar prices lead to the
| report that the war has again re-
opened. Coffee is slightly stronger on
the theory that receipts next month
will be smaller.
SLOW but steady advance in the
price of pig iron is going on. Nothing
| is heard of the usual conservative
| waiting for the new years arrival to
| place business, and order books of
| leading producers are filled for long
| periods ahead. Hardware is in good
demand at most markets. Foreign cot
! ton spectators are apparently getting
their second wind after the surprise
| given them by the government esti-
| mates. Liverpool estimaters claim a
| crop of over II 900, 900 bales, against the
! 9674000 indicated and prices are on
| dead centre, waiting new impulse. Re-
! ceipts at the south are impeded by cold
/ oh Told
are so numerous at present as to back
| up the smaller estimates. The higher
range of values has induced a modera-
| ton of consumption estimates but these
! are still 100000 bales in excess of the
| estimated Outturn. Actual cotton is
| still nearly half cent above near flu
| lures Cotton is l 1-2 cents below a
| year ago, While print cloths are only
! 1-SC off. Manufacturers will not sell
| largely ahead, and cotton goods are
| firm.
In woOlens, heavy overcOatings for
next fall have been opened well, and,
| as machinery is now active on spring
| business, the outlook in woolens is very
good. Wool Is quite active and the
| tendency is upward, asking prices be-
! ing 1-2 to one cent higher on the week.
| In speculative staples the cereals have
| held portion of the rally from the
| low prices struck last week. Wheat
| has eased little on liquidation, alb
| sence of bull support and fairly large
| receipts. Corn and oats have sympa-
thized with price movements within
narrow limits Provisions are irregu
| lar, with pork slightly higher, and lard
| lower than a week ago.
In sharp contrast to the strength
! in iron and steel is the weakness of
| copper, a result of the failure of com
| binatiOns to artificially initiate prices.
The red metal is 1-2 cents lower than
last Friday and four cents of the top
and yet actual demand seems slow to
materialiZe. At present prices many
high cost producers will find it unpro-
| fitable to keep up their output, and
! the feeling Is that at about y cents a
| fair basis for new business will be af-
forded Tin has weakened, and lead
has also Joined the list of quotations,
which have been lowered TO encourage
activity"
/ Business failures for the week num-
Der 262 as against 233 last week
OF Canadian trade Bradstreets will
say:
Canadian interests have their eyes
fixed on the retail trade. and all re-
/ ports regarding this are favorable. in
the cities the purchasing power seems
| larger than for some years past. Mon
treal reports that annual stock TAX
ings received are satisfactory. There
has been a notable absence of bad
debts. The outlook is a good one and
collections are better than the average
Victoria reports holiday trade brisk
on the coast, but interior trade re-
ports are not encouraging. Failures
for the week number "a. as against %
last week and % in this week year
ago. CIearings aggregate S42,S00, 756.
| decrease Of $50 per cent from last
week. but a gain Of % per cent over
J last year.