Arizona republican., 1902-04-01
A GOOD START
FOR THE YEAR
The Domestic Business of the
Country for Two Months
Statistics of Internal Commerce Care
fully Gathered by the Treasury
Bureau Conditions in All Sections
and All Markets Are Improved.

commerce, issued by the treasury bu-
reau of statistics, reports the progress
of trade movements in the different
parts of the United States for the first
two months of the calendar year. These
figures are gathered through the CO.
operation of the commercial Organiza-
tions, trade periodicals and transpor-
tation companies, and present from
month to month records in comparison
with the corresponding period for the
preceding year. The receipts of wheat,
for example, at the four leading spring
wheat markets for the seven months of
the crop year ending with March l,
1902. were 144, $50 ,226 bushels. compared
with 107, 759,027 bushels for the corre-
spending period of the preceding year.
This increase has given a decidedly
stronger impulse to traffic and values
throughout the entire northwest where
return to good harvests has stimu-
lated immigration to an extraordinary
extent. At the four winter wheat mar
kets the condition is reversed. Receipts
for the first eight months OF the crop
year ending with March 1, 1902. We're
40.4S1.520 bushels, compared with ST.
S99,542 bushels in 1901. The output of
flour at Minneapolis for the first nine
y -
504, ,405 barrels. compared with 2,250060
barrels for the corresponding period of
1901, and 2.S53.714 barrels in 1900. The
average shipments per week thus far
this year have amounted to 2S3,301 bar
rels, compared with 4,497 barrels in
1901, and 300,S44 barrels in 1900 The
northwestern stocks of wheat in store
at Minneapolis and Duluth show that
Minneapolis reached It's maximum in
| the week ending with January 25, while
the stocks at Duluth still continue to
accumulate, awaiting the opening of
lake navigati
The traffic movement of live stock at
five western markets-Chicago Kansas
| City, Omaha and st. Joseph-falls be-
hind that of the preceding two years.
For February, 1902. those markets re-
ceived 41,3S7 cars; for 1901 Al 1893 cars
and for 1900, Al. 500 cars. The numerical
receipts, however, for the two months
ending with February continue to. ex-
! ceed those of the preceding two years.
The arrivals of cattle, hogs, sheep,
horses and mules aggregated 5,617, ,276
head, compared with 5,409,14S head last
year and 5,114.356 head the preceding
year. The average weight of hogs re-
ceived at Chicago for February of this
year was is pounds lighter than for
February, 1891. For the two months
ending with February this years live
stock receipts at Chicago amounted to
1900 carloads more than for the corre-
spending period of last year. AT Kan
| Sas City receipts and shipments show
fall in numbers. Carload arrivals
| have decreased from 22. 900 cars in the
| first two months of 1901 to 1854 cars
for the corresponding period of 1902:
the volume of traffic is thus being un-
favorably affected by the reduction i'll
supply. Likewise the feeder movement
decreased from 1887 head in the first
two months of 1901 to S5.374 head during
January and February of 1902. At
Omaha receipts declined, but Ship
ments and local consumption have been
considerably enlarged over last year.
AT this market the average weight Of
hogs has fallen off 20 pounds compared
with February 1901. Receipts and ship
ments at St Louis bear out the same
| general conclusion. both for February
and for the two months ending with
February. AT st. Joseph, however, an
advancing tendency is still in control
of receipts for February and of receipts
and shipments for the two months end
is particularly active, though the
feeder movement is losing ground.
Stocks of cut meats at Chicago, Kan
sas City, Omaha and st. Joseph are no.
ticeably larger than they were at the
end OF February in 1901. For the nine
weeks ending with March I the ship
ments of cured meats from Chicago fell
off from 124 million pounds to 104 mil
lion pounds, though there was a gain
of over 13 million pounds in dressed
beef shipments. Throughout the list
there is tendency to lighter trade ac
tivities i'll produce, though there are
many noteworthy exceptions in the
commercial activities of the great in
terror markets. Lumber and wool at
Cincinnati show liberal gains over the
first two months of 1901. At St Louis
wool receipts are two and a half times
larger than in the first two months OF
last year. The receipts of broom corn
at Indianapolis for this year to the
end of February amounted to 1,532.OOD
pounds, of which only 196.S0O pounds
were shipped. The hay trade shows re-
markable increases of receipts at New
York. Cincinnati. st. Louis and Chi
cago out of eight leading markets re-
porting in the east and west.
On the Great Lakes there are signs
of an carly opening of traffic. The bu-
reau's reports of winter traffic show
that $50, LOG tons were handled. mostly
in trans-lake business. during Febru-
ary OF this year, as compared with
16S, ,3S2 tons during February, 1901. For
the first two months of this year the
freight carried was 363.525 tons, com
pared with 36S. 49, tons in 1901. Their
were 1.2S5 arrivals of vessels repre-
Senting registered tonnage of 1858, 691
, tons at "a different ports participa ting
in winter traffic The trunk line move
ment of flour, grain. and provisions
from Chicago and Chicago points east
ward for the first nine weeks of the
current year averaged 17S,O6S barrels OF
flour, compared with 191,975 barrels for