The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-20
TRADE OUTLOOK
 CONTINUES GOOD
At the South Prospects Ara
 Particularly Bright
COTTON BRINGS HIGH PRICE
Plenty of Money Is In the interior and at All centers for Ordinary Trade Purposes-The Coal
 Situation.

New York. September 10.-Bradstreets tomorrow will say:
 Jobbing distribution continues very ac- tive and retail business is improving.
 Now that the corn crop is practically made, anc the only possible changes are those of quality, the disposition to book fall and winter orders is unrestrained at the west and northwest At the south the tone of trade reports is notably cheerful. largely owing to high cotton prices, be- cause crop accounts are not so favorable as a week ago. Collections are on the whole good, and the consensus Of reports as tc this and as to money conditions point to good supplies of the circulating medium in the country at large. What stringeney Is noted. condition usual al this time, Is limited largely to the em- ployment of money in speculation. The claim Is nude that plenty of money is in the interior, and, indeed. at all cenlers for ordinary trade purposes.
 Tho selling positions seem to be the strongest side of the price situation, ex- cept possibly in the cereaIs and agricul- tural products generally. Even here the fine financial position of farmers enables them to market their products slowly, and no accumulation of moment is record ed except in cattle receipts, which this week surpassed all records. Notable strength is exhibited in manufactured goods, the textiles leading in volume of demand and in strength of prices, in keep Ing with. advances or firmness in the raw materials. A large distribution of cot ton goods ic going on at the west, and the firmness in the eastern trade Is not able in view of the relatively quieter tone of demand. Woolen goods are firm ana the mills are actively employed
 The coal situation deserves notice. The delay in the ending of the anthracite coal strike throws increased pressure on the bitiminous product and prices for that article are now at least one-quarter higher than the low point before the strike began. Anthracite production is slowly but surely increased as more mines are open.N and miners go to work, but the necessities of some retail buy CTS make fancy prices for what is left. long season at full time will be nec- essary to restore stocks of anthracite to old dimensions.
 Hides have eased in price, but leather Is as strong as ever because the shoe puSihcHo ID 6OOd. 1IuIuDeF COnllnueS dC- tive the strength of prices being nota- ble. There has been a slight easing of the car famine as to coke and coal sup plies and the furnace situation in the valleys Is therefore bettered. Foreign iron and steel are repeating the benefit and the European invasion of iron has now reached the mississippi. British pig iron for quick delivery is selling freely in Pittsburg and Chicago. Foreign steel is being bought for mills in the central west and large quantities of rails, these for next years delivery are being bought abroad.
 In finished products, export tin plates, Americans, have about all the business that they care to accept. Rails, plates and structural iron are all heavily sold ahead. The ore trade on the lakes Is as active as ever, every nerve being strain ed to handle the business offered. Tn oth- CT materials the features are the re- newed weakness in tin and copper, the boom in the former metal appearing short lived Hardware Is notably active at all markets.
 Wheat. including flour, exports for the week ending September IS aggregate B. 4S5,32S bushels against 5,444,--- last week Corn experts aggregate 40,50S bushels against 91.512 last week
 Business failures In the United States for the week ending September IS num- Der 182 as against 197 last week and 158 in this week last year.
 In Canada for the week lS as against IS last week.