Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-02
Bradstreet's Finds 1901 the Great
est Year in United States
Expansion.
SERIOUS DISTURBANCES
Have Been Overcome Without Com
mercial Disaster Gross Railroad
Earnings IL Per Cent Better Than
Ever Before Great Increase in
Iron, Lumber and Leather.

New York, Dec. o7-rho annual review
of American trade, finance and industry,
prepared by BradstrcCt'S and given pub
Iicity to-day declared 1901 to he a RECORD
breaker among the five preceding years
of expansion enjoyed 10y the United
states. Its prc-cmincncc, the review stat
ed. was all the more notable hccauso IL
suffered from SricS of ConmrrClul nap
pcuings that in Il normal year would have
proved depressing If not disastrous. Ehu-
mcrated in the latter were tn" machlulSts
and steel strikes. the stock panic of May,
the failure of several imprudently man
aged combinations. the efforts of some
combinations including that III copper 10
fix prices, the shortage in corn, cotton and
oats, and the assassination of president
Mckinley.
Summarizing the general situation the
rcVicW said:
Briefly summarized the year las seen
transacted an aggregate OF general busi-
ness, as reflected in bank ClcarineS. far in
excess of any preceding period; has Wit
messed stock speculation, rampant h'-
Nond the dream OF old time brokers check
ed and curtailed by on" of the sharpe st
stock paniCs in history, and yet with a re-
markable minimum of disturbance ut gem
eral financial operations has watched gen.
oral industry and production grow untl
new and larger figures We're needed To tN-
press the outputs of coal and iron and
steel ana leather and lumber, and a null
itude of other branches; has seen the
freight transportation facilities Of In"
country, strained to tho breaking point
prove insufficient to handle tho Nolum" of
business offered and finally has witnessed
volume of holiday business passing all
previous bounds both of quantity quail
Nv. all of which are evidences of the vast
y increased pun, haSing power of the Scn-
raj public of late years.
From the standpoint OF present csti-
mates, Clcarings this year Will exceed the
highest records of preceding years by one
fourth. Gross railroad earnings have in
creased l. per cent and net returns have
gained IL per cent over the best preceding
year.
Pig iron production will not bc far from
me seventh larger than the heavi' st ever
before reached Shoe production and ship
ncntS and therefore presumably leather
production show almost as large gain.
Iron ore production and shipments W r.
never before eQualled. Anthracite coal
will be fully ten per cent larger than last
year and per cent heavier than the rec
ord. The bituminous production promises
as heavy gain over past records.
Woolen manufacturing has been helped
by low cost of material and good demand
Tor clothing.
The agricultural interest has been fa-
vored by heavy advances in farm products
which have done much to counterbalanc t
reductions in yield.
The bank learings were estimated at
Sis, 900 900, 600 a gam of IS per cent over
last year and . per cent over the record
year of 1899.
The failures for the year were 1o,,15
with aggregate liabilities of Sl3ooU.t0l and
assets of so 10000. As to this showing
the review says;
There is u gain of So per cent i'm num-
Der over 1eo0 and of nearly T. per cent over
1892 but back of that year comparisons Ia
Nor the current one. Liabilities have not
Gained 50 heavily as shown by the fact
tnat they are only - per cont larger this
year than last and Sc per cent larger than
in l>99
In only three of the last 70 years i'm fact
were liabilities smaller than they We're
this year A point often lost sight of is
that there is u constant accD ssion ot new
individuals, firms and corporations i'm bust
ness each year which furnishes a basis
for the recording Of numerous unsucl ess-
1ul ventures"
SOME HIGH PRICES.
A. to prices. the review says:
"Nhcat has reached the highest point
since ISIS. corn and oats are higher than
for almost decade and other produce has
symluthizcd. Food products as a whole
uro higher. than in tho general pric- Of
lrH.
prices as whole for coal coke, chem
ioals and drugs are = per cent lower than
February, 1890, ANA december, 1893. If
other products follcW the lead of food pro-
ducts as is not unusual a further advance
Of the former is likely. Food products
largely imported, like coffee and sugar.
have reached low water mari, prices ON
large productions"
In summarizing the foreign trade. IN
review declares that tacr, has been 90
falling OH in the demand abroad for Amer
lean iron. steel ana conner. i,Nuorts Wtr,.