Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-11-27
Warm Weather Helps Railroads
in Relieving Freight
Congestion.
BETTER TONE IN FINANCES
Speculation Shows no Defect 10 Gener-
al Unsatisfactory holiday Trade
Assured-Dairy Products Are
StronRer-Export Trade Re.
turns Are Favorable.

New York. Nov. 2.-Bradstreets Nov.
% will say OF the state of trade.
Favorable conditions still govern the
trade situation. The mild, open fall
weather is complained OF as restricting the
movement CT winter goods at retail and
delaying collections at few points but
1t is not to be forgotten that present tenn
peratures favor the continued growth of
the cotton crop and larger yield than
heretofore expected, while II Is enabling
The railroads to make far better fight
against the prevailing freight congestion
than was earlier deemed possible. In
financial circles the tone Is rather better.
The feeling grows that much needless
speculation has been liquidated without
revealing any important structural de-
fects in the general business world. From
Western centers the report comes that
money has ceased to flow to the country,
and that the return movement has begun
Bank clearings show gains over last week
and last year. in keeping with the general
ly acknowledged increased activity in all
business lines. Export trade returns look
better than preliminary reports fore
Swallowed. The outlook is apparently for
heavy distribution OF Christmas goods.
particularly jewelry and fancy articles.
Spring business, too, is in n more forward
condition than in previous years.
The railroad situation is certainly re-
markable one. The complaint is no long
er one of car shortages. of lack of motive
power even of insufficient yard facilities
The fact is becoming apparent that the
business of the country offered to the
railroads is so large that new measures
must be devised to meet new conditions.
Even among railroad men the use OF
water routes as a relief to the congestion
is welcomed At several centres the one
drawback to an otherwise ideal trade sit
uatiOn Is the difficulty OF obtaining sup
plies of fuel, iron and steel, lumber and
manufactured merchandise which have
been bought but cannot be delivered to
consumers because of freight blockades
The anticipated reaction in raw cotton
came promptly on time and the sympa-
thetic weakness manifested last week has
apparently disappeared The strength
of the spot cotton situation has been a
| notable feature, the actual product ad.
vancing early. even while futures were
shrinking. The net gain on the week
| ha been nearly one-third of a cent in fu.
lures and one-iifth of a cent in spots.
| The strength of the raw material has beer
| of benefit to the cotton goods market
which, however, remains quiet but steady
| The wooden goods situation Is without
ployed and the raw product being takcr
| ilDerally at firm prices. Leather anC
hides have ruled steady in price, and
manufacturers of shoes report quite good
orders for the season.
| The iron trade situation is rather
stronger than week ago. Pig iron prices
| immediate delivery. are slightly higher.
| The fuel scarcity still dominates the sit
uation and prevents production approach
ing more nearly to a parity with consump-
ton. Plate and structural mon are
| heavily sold ahead, and the latter con-
tinues quite active, despite the advanced
stage of the session. Good sized trans
actions in steel bllets are reported oc-
curing at Pittsburg. There Is little new
to report among the finished products
Heavy hardware is reported quieter a,
| Western markets but light hardware is
active. and the only complaint is of de-
| layed deliveries.
Dairy products naturally feel the in
| fuence of the advancing stage of the
season. The talk Of war in the sugar
| trade has suddenly ceased coincident ap-
parently with the discovery by the beet
sugar men that prices now prevailing are
Improbable. and that recent arrivals OF
California beet sugar might better be
stored than put on the market. The
| strength Of the raw product is undated
Business failures for the week ending
I November 20. number POI as against 2t
last week, and 223 in this week last year