The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-07-19
TRADE FUTURE IS MORE SECURE Dun and Bradstreet Are Both Rather Optimistic
 
MANY IRON BORDERS BANKED
Position of Southern Furnaces Has Been Much Improved by Settle ment of Miners Trouble at
 B'ham-Weather Better.

New York, July 1S.-Bradstreet's tomor-
 row will say:
 Weather, crop and industrial develop
 ments have. been largely favorable and
 coupled with the great ease of money
 make an optimistic feeling in trade and
 speculation. The future seems more and
 more secure, but the more important does
 not in all instances present so satisfac-
 tory an appearance. Warmer weather
 has continued to help retail distribution.
 but has not in all cases made up for
 the disadvantages caused by the part of the backward season. Railway earnings are really fiattering. June returns on nearly 100000 miles of road showing an aggregate gain of per cent on last year. In the matter of actual business, improve ment Is noted in the demand for finished products of iron and steel and lumber
 seems to be recovering from the tenn porary depression noted at the begin l ming of July.
 l The shoe trade and naturally hides and l leather, heretofore backward have begun to show favorable signs and the strength
 of wool and woolen goods is also more l noticeable. The drygoods trade, taken as whole, is rather quiet, but increased interest Is shortly to be expected. The eastern fall jobbing trade in this line is not expected to set in quite as early as a year ago.
 Good growing weather Is reported the country over and corn and cotton re- ports are generally more favorable. The southern peach yield has been large and fruits generally have done well. Iron and steel trade conditions are surprisingly good to none more so than the manu- lecturers themselves, who at the middle of July find their output for the last of the year practically booked. The scarcity of pig iron amounts to something ap- preaching famine owing to restricted supplies of fuel, causing shutdowns of numerous eastern furnaces.
 Numerous orders for pig iron for the first half of next year have been booked by northern and southern furnaces. The position of the latter has been much inn
 proved by the settlement of the coal min- CTS strike in the Birmingham district. Heavy sales of finished material are re- ported at Chicago and Pittsburg this
 week. Bar iron, structural material, rails
 and in fact all of the heavier forms note special activity. Implement manufactur-
 CTS have been free buyers. Hardware has been exceptionally active, but builders
 material leading. Some shovel manufac- | turers report an unprecedented sale, and 1 output of this class of goods. 1 Machinery, saws and stoves are active | at the west Prices are at the top in prac- tically all lines.
 l Woolen goods are still quiet at the east
 but the reports as to the clothing busi-
 ness received from western and southern manufacturers indicate a good business Wool is strengthening perceptibly, east ern quotations being 1sc higher. and the I tone is more optimistic in this trade. It
 has been a waiting market for cotton, the I crop position not being as yet clearly de- l fined to induce new commitments. A bet ter tone is noted in the manufacturing
 branch. particularly in print cloths, which are said to be in increased inquiry at Fall River.
 Wheat including flour. exports for the week ending July IT aggregate 3755. ,222
 bushels against 4.4O4,115 last week and 5,221 8S0 in this week last year. Exports
 since July aggregate 9,7S4,337 bushels against 12, 763, 121 last season.
 Corn exports aggregate 13O.679 bushels against 1s5, ,131 last week and 1.7140S1. For the fiscal year corn exports are 979.794 bushels against 6,O0S. 767 last season. Business failures in the United States for the week ending July 1T number ITO as against 195 last week, POS in this week last year. Failures in Canada number F against 2S last week.