The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-01-03


Sections Harvested Smaller Crops
Than in Preceding Ycnrs-LnrgG
Profits on Southern Plantations.
New York. Jan. 1.-Dun's review. in
its summary reviewing the busiH'-a OF
the year just closed, says regard Ns
the leading markets:
Conditions in iron and steel during
1900 were much more sound than in
the preceding year when Sro'N'a' INu
was rife AMI prices inflated far beyond
the bounds of reason. The statistics
of the weekly capacity OF furnaces IN
blast show that the highest point on
record was reached Feb. |, while tn'ie
was little diminutiOn during IL" n"T'
few months. But, with the collapse nI
speculation during the spring and retI-
izatiOn of the fact that operations Aaa
been OyerdOno, there came steady 70
ductiOn in output. From 296 furnaces
in blast Feb. |, there followed con
tinual shutting down until but POI W'rc
in operation on Nov. |, ard the weekly
production decreased S2,1lO tons. T. 'P
at this rapid rate of declining OUTPUT.
stocks accumulated rapidly, and on
Oct | the top was reached at t'','"f
tons. Business conditions were ahi'S-
factory, however. and demand oHpana-
ed while exports of finished pIuduI'7
grew very heavy when prices roac'Hn
level that made competition pCSsibls
with British and German producers.
Manufactured articles have moved
along similar lines. Quotations cf IRON
and steel products at the hcginnibI of
the year were little below tn irNcS
prevailing Is years previous, and the
fall was almost uninterrupted UNTIL Dc-
tObcr, when the average was DU, h.."s
per cent of the figure prevailing jan l.
1887
II is difficult to select any branch OF
this industry as being pushed harder
than another. Railway supplies " AZ
kinds have sold very freely, alc Lhe
market is flooded with urgenc orders
for freight cars. Structural material
particularly for bridges and ships. hss
been in much better demand than sup
ply. Stcn' ,ails were reduced from I-'
years price Of s35 to s2G, bur IT var
an open secret that the former figure
had only been nomination months prov
to the official change in Septeml'
the opening to 35 cents in July, ana
then gradually lost all the gain. yd'
during the last week there Wa ror1F-
cry TO 27l, Copper has d0U1 Un-.'""
startling. variations remaining wlthtn
the rance Of threofourths Of cen.
T. .r.r 1900 opened with favOrab'"
condition. prevailing in nearly er"'y
branch OF the dry goods trade. Tie
q hoI" lc,. nd continued good for .bF
fir. ll"ro months and then fell aU"y
W, 1y June the market HAD lapspj
into pronounced dullnoss and rr.rI -
. ..,. 'v upward course in prices bean
to tadually decline again The ar
ro- Of buying was remarkable In.
V, .cn goods stocks began 70 accumu-
late again. and their course up to The
close Of tho year has shown pronounced
Weakness in both mems wear fabrics
and dress goods. with the re.alt HAT
4 the gain in prices made las, year e"d
in the carly part of this has been lost
in many 'l.cctons and whe7e any re-
: tairol n all is of limited extent =
A sudden demand from CHINA for
heavy brown cOttons in NAV. Tho CrSi
purchase made for that market in g, ~
eral months was unfortunately check
ed by the outbreak of the Box. .tel-
and since then there has been an on fr-
suspension Of buying for that country
In September another stimulus WIS
FiNc0 10 cotton goods by the rapid li-
vance in raw material which followed
the Galveston disaster and short crop
predictions. Prices resumed their n.y.
ward course, and the market ruYedl
ha Tff
when there was another lull in the de
mand Stocks had, however. been wnIr
cleaned up.
The closing year of the century was
a remarkably satisfactory one for far
mers and planters, Notwithstanding the
fact that some sections harvested
smaller crops than in preceding years
While the south produced less cotton
than in the two previous record break
ing seasons. prices were the highest In.
ten years, and the net profits made on,
plantations was enormous Spr.uE
wheat states lost much grain, bur Kan
sas and other large winter wheat grow.
ers made big crops, and the average
price was high. In fact, the cereals
were all abnormally advanced until
there occurred a natural loss in en-
ports, so that Russian ports were able.
to secure much foreign trade that had.
belonged to American producers. Corn
was put up to within fraction Of 80
cents here, and speculative manipula-
ton forced the Chicago price still high
er. These operations had a naturally.
deleterous effect on expectation, and
foreign surplus countries reaped much
Of the benefit from excessively inflated,
domestic markets,