The Washington times., 1902-01-18
JANUARY THAW In PRICES.
BradstreeCs Comment on the
Weeks Trade.

Weeks Trade.
morrow will say:
The January thaw in prices arrived
this week. and securities, food products,
coffee, and sugar among the groceries.
and copper among the metals, have all
weakened and closed lower on the week.
The causes for this movement have been
in many cases technical, and the general
been weakened. =
If tnythiug. IN fact. improvement may
be expected to follow, a striking example
Of this being in the cereals. High prices
have killed of export trade. but this
seems to have revived this week on the
decline. In distributive trade the situation
has certainly improved. A larger spring
business has been done in cotton and
wooden goods
"Advices from the West are OF an en-
larged spring jobbing business. and coll
lectiors remain satisfactory. Northwest
advices are particularly good, agricul-
tural implements and dry goods being or
dered and shipped in large volume. Trade
in the Southwest continues satisfactory,
but the lack CT needed moisture for the
winter wheat crop is a disturbing ele-
ment. tending to dull the edge of trade.
More is doing in leading Eastern tex
tile markets, prints and ginghams moving
well with jobbers, while a good business
is also reported in wooden goods. Though
the new prices made were rather lower
proyer1ent noted in Southern trade.
Business failures for the week num-
bered 29l. against 346 last week, 290 in
this week last year. 255 in 1900, 2S2 in
1899, and s09 in 1893"
Dun's weekly review of trade tomorrow
will say:
"Readjustment of prices continued dur
ing the second week of January. and the
general average reached a much lower
point than prevailed when the year OPEN
ed. Manufactured products were scarce
ly disturbed. but both staples and securi
ties suffered. Business conditions are
sound. liberal distribution and prompt
payments being reported except at few
Southern cities.
Cotton still fails to command a
price proportioned to the estimated
crop, and as consequence, the re-
turn to growers is insufficient to sustain
business at the rate established by the
previous years most profitable yield.
Transporting interests are less behind
with deliveries. and railway earnings for
the first week of January show gains Of
"a per cent over last years phenomenal
figures, and 14.7 per cent over 1900.
Viewed in the light OF about 90 per
cent less speculation in Wall Street bank
exchanges at New York are remarkably
for the week. falling below
those of year ago. by only Isl per cent.
and compared with 1899. the largest pre-
ceding year, this is gain of Sc per cent.
AT other leading cities the weeks gains
81 per cent over 1901, and 23.S
per cent over 1899.
Nothing has transpired to disturb the
bright outlook in the iron and steel in
iustries. Deliveries of fuel are less de-
ayed, and furnaces are operating more
FULLY, while mills receive material with
iair degree of promptness. Quotations
Ire maintained firmly.
Footwear producers have at last made
general advance of from 21s to cents.
Annual inventories made such unsatis-
actory exhibits that manufacturers
'ound no difficulty in agreeing on higher
prices.
Grain reacted sharply from the high
point. and large Western operator wSs
.aught with more than he could carry
Torced liquidation of this long account
acflitated the work of manipulators for
decline. Another unsatisfactory fea-
ure was the recent falling off in foreign