Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-29
RAIN AIDS DISTRIBUTION
Some Sections Get Footwear and Other
Districts Winter Wearing Apparel
COKE SHORTAGE STILL TROUBLES BADLY
Dun Reports strong sales of wOOIens,
but No Forward Buying of Cotton
Goods, Though Current Trade
AbsOrbs Supplies.

NEW YORK, Nov. 2s.-R. O. Dun & Co.'S
Weekly Review OF Trade tomorrow will
say:
Weather conditions have provided the
only important developments ut the past
week in the business word. Excessive
rains In some sections, notably the south
west, facilitated the distribution OF heavy
footwear, overshoes ana kindred lines,
points Increased the movement OF winJer
wearing apparel. These influences, to-
gether with a large Thanksgiving trade in
food products, stimulated retail dealings
materially. Jobbing and wholesale trade
is fully maintaineu, and manufacturing
plants have orders lar ahead, but in many
cases the coke shortage retards operations.
hallway officials are making every effort
to relieve the freight congestion, especially
IN the vicinity OF PittsDurg, but thus lar
there is little evidence OF Improvement.
Gross earnings are FULLY maintained tor
by 63 per cent and those of 1870 by l64 per
cent, while II is anticipated that higher
freight rates will offset the advances In
wages, sustaining net earnings.
Inquiries tor pig iron become more ur-
gent as the scarcity grows more acute, and
additional furnaces are added to the idle
list, but the fuel. supply Is not improved.
Coke commands high premiums, owing to
demand OF consumers, and iron Is similarly
held at an abnormal position by the Insult
rcent supply. Foreign pig iron has not ar
rived at specified dates, while new orders
have been placed abroad covering distant
deliveries. II Is fully apparent that dOmes-
tic needs Will continue ~ eAceed avaiiRole
supplies for many months to come.
Inc pressure Is less severe in the vSTious
finished mes. aside from structural steel
an railway equipment. Numerous pro-
Jected additions to mileage, improved ter
minals and increased rolling stocks insure
activity at the shops for months to. come.
Machinery houses, boiler works and
makers of heavy hardwar are all far be-
hind with orders and practically every sec
ton of the iron and steel industry Is en-
tlrely in control OF sellers, prospective pur-
chasers having to make all the concessions.
Minor Metals Weaken.
Minor metals, on the other hand. are
generally weaker, tin being especially de-
pressed. Silver bullion has fallen to much
the lowest price on record, the Intrinsic
value of a silver dollar now Oeing about
80 cents.
ward freely for spring goods. The leading
shoe manufacturers have taken large lots
OF leather, especially hemlock sole, giving a
frmer tone to the market and reducing
stocks. Foreign dry hides are In limited
supply and we'll held.
There is no inclination to place large
orders for distant delivery of cotton goods,
the limited stocks and buyers are often
compelled to hunt for desired lines of staple
cloth.
Printed wooden and patterned goods for
spring are selling strongly On forward
business. The better tone that appeared
some weeks ago in woolens has finally
caused a moderate advance in staple lines
for spring.
Failures for the week numbered 213 in the
United States. against l2 last year and
sixteen in Canada, compared with twenty
five a year ago.