Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-12-22
THE STATE OF TRADE
comment by Dun's Review on the
Business of the Week.
HOLIDAY DEALINGS HEAVY
absorption Of Outside Plants nv tn.
'''e" states Steel Company
Noted-NtOlent Decline In
Quotations For Corn,

New York. Dec. 2O-R q Drr 6,
W. weekly review of trade SAYS;
Holiday trade has exceeded even thp
NUS sahGulne expectations, and retail
uealiiiss III all staple lines of merchall-
u'se are well maintained, with the bet
yer grades of goods in brisk demand
wholesome conditions prevail i'm most
See.iohs ol the country. although in
parts OF the southwest the season has
lalleh behind the average. Even in
THESE cases reports are encoura ring
ior the future. Industrial plants are
wen employed, orders running far into
the future, and labor controversies are
rare. The only adverse feature of fine
situation is the fact that supplies of
1uel are utterly Inadequate, both for
household and manufacturing uses.
snow Increasing the delay of deliveries
Two events of Importance have oc.
CURED III relation to the leading manu-
featuring industry. The United Statc'
s'eel corporation has greatly extended
It's scope by absorbing many outside
pants and certain desirable railway
connections, It's facilities will be es
peclaliY enlarged as to production OF
PIG iron. which may render unneces.
sary the erection of several new fur.
naces that had been projected. The
other Interesting event was the an.
nolncement of advanced freight rates.
TO take effect Jan. l. showing an aver
age increase of about 10 per cent on
products of iron and steel.
Otherwise the situation is practically
unchanged, the largest producer hay
inG over I.2S0,000 tons of untitled or
ders on it's books. and work is being
pushed as rapidly as supplies of fuel
and material will permit Supplies of
coke do not increase. and many fur
naces are idle. Contracts for bridge
work and track elevation are freely
offered by the railways and accepted
only on condition that the exact date
of delivery shall not be specified De-
spite the fact that rail mills are sold
close up to the end of next year. new
business is offered and urgent buyers
are compelled to go abroad.
Ine BOOT ana SnOc Market.
New England producers of boots and
shoes are not seeking new business,
which comes forward moderately in
the form of supplementary ORDERS The
bulk of spring contracts have been
placed, and most factories are assured
Of steady operation until the end of
March. Forwardings from Boston ex.
coed preceding weeks, but still fall
short of the corresponding week last
year. Prices are firmly held, but no
further advance is reported. While
shops have much work on hand, buy
ers generally anticipate more prompt
deliveries of spring goods than they
experienced on fall supplies. Activity
has been notable in rubber overshoes
and holiday lines of slippers. Although
the larger shoe manufacturers are fair
~ well supplied with sole leather, there
is a steady demand from the smaller
shops, and hemlock was advanced by
the leading producer. Upper leather
and betting butts are quiet and weaker
in tone. Further deterioration in quail
ity Of hides has again produced lower
range of quotations in western mar
kets, and heavier receipts Of cattle add
to the depression.
Collapse of a speculative attempt to
control the December corn option pro-
duced violent decline in quotations.
Receipts have steadily increased ex-
cept where inclement weather and car
shortage restricted the movement.
Cash prices will be slow to reflect the
break in the current months option.
but will eventually weaken materially,
thereby accelerating foreign purchases.
which were only 9,S44,617 bushels fol-
eleven months Of the calendar year,
compared with 1OO,254,471 bushels in
1901. Improvement is evident this
week, 1852 300 bushels being sent out
from Atlantic ports, against only 211,
214 year $50. Receipts for the We
were 3,S34.336 bushels as compa
with 2,519,S51 last year. Nothing
importance has developed as to wheat
prices changing but fractionally.
Failures for the week numbered 26I
in the United States against 265 last
wear and 16 in Canada compared WITH
n year ago.
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