The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-07-18
CONDITIONS ARE GOOD.
World Is Generally Looked
Upon as Favorable.

New York, July 13.-R. G. Dun & Co.'S
Weekly Review of Trade says: General
business continues its even course with all
the leading industries we'll employed and
with confidence expressed on every hand.
Bountiful crops of wheat seem assured
and the damage to cora, while considerable
in some directions, does not promise to be
sufficiently general or serious to at all inn
pede the progress of the country. Labor
troubles are in process of settlement ard
spectators have been responsible for most
of the unrest which has been reflected in
the markets. Steel mills are actively en-
ployed and there is distinct Improvement
in the demand for finished products, while
quotations are without alteration.
Grain crops this season are occasionlng
much uneasiness among spectators, ow-
ing to the extremely complicated situation.
According to latest official and unofficial
representations there is reason to antici-
pate the heaviest wheat yield ever har-
vested, and making the customary allow
anCes for domestic consumption, even with
the small supplies on hand when the year
opened, there appears available for export
about 90 per cent. more than went abroad
in the year of greatest shipments. Yet
prices are far above the low record and
vigorous rallies follow each decline.
Failures for the week numbered 20S in
the United States, against 1856 last year,
and q in Canada, against "a last year"
Bradstreet's says: varying commercial
and Industrial conditions make it difficult
to strike in a sentence the keynote of gen.
eral trade for the week. In the east bust
ness appears to be of a midsummer char
acter while in the southwest conditions
have been adversely affected by drought
and hot weather reports, which superin-
duced tendency on the part of many to
cancel orders previously given. In the
northwest on the contrary, business seems
to be quite active as the result of excellent
crop conditions, and credit Is reported be-
ing freely granted, but in the middle west
the tenor of trade is apparently steady,
while in the south ordinary conditions are
noted. But for the week the important
developments seem to have been the ram
pant speculation in corn and oats, due to
reports of exceedingly heavy damage in
the Missouri valley belt, the nervousness
Of. the stock market and a somewhat
troubled railway rate situation, together
with more favorable feeling in labor
circles.
There is firmer and better feeling in
the iron and steel market. though new
business booked IS of small volume. Steel
rail mills are now accepting orders for de-
livery in 1902 at $2S per ton, and the posi-
tion IS regarded as being rather strong.
A late in the week report indicated that an
order 10 20,0O0 10 $1,000 tons of steel bars
had been placed with the Carnegie and
tural implement men, who were holding
out with the hope that the price would be
lower.
o Gross railway earnings for the month
of June as reported TO Bradstreet's aggre-
gate $5S,5l0 4l3, as compared with $50, 107, 621
for June last year, an increase of SIS per
cent. in favor of the month in the current
year.
Corn and oats, as was to be expected,
showed the heaviest gains for the week in
cereals, though wheat, which was weak at
the outset, was firm toward the close on
heavy buying orders and in sympathy with
corn. Reasons for the advance in corn
are obvious. The July l crop report of the
government made the condition S1.3 ths
lowest for a number of years back, while
reduction of the acreage planted as COM
pared with last year was indicated in the
returns. Hogs were active throughout
the week on scarcity of supplies, and pork
is unchanged at the close, though at one
time 1t advanced in sympathy with hogs
and the activity In corn"