The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-07-26
FALL TRADE SHOWS
NO DIMINUTION
Weather Conditions in East De-
pressing in Some Lines
IRON AND STEEL ACTIVE
Bradstreet and Dun Feel Optimistic
Over the Situation-Fuel Famine
Is curtaiIing the Production
of Pig Iron.

New York, July -Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say:
Crop conditions, particularly as to corn
and cotton, have further improved and
the confidence In fall trade shows no
diminution. but rather an increase The
best advices come, as heretofore. from
the northwest and southwest Weather
conditions in the east have been depress-
ing to trade in seasonable goods, and
fall trade in drygoods promises to be
late, as heretofore indicated in this col
umn. A further Improvement is, how
ever, noticed in shoes and leather, and
wool is again higher In price, despite
manufacturers holding back buying.
Among the industries iron and steel are
easily first In activity and relief from
the so-called pig iron famine is sought
in freer importations. The fruit season
is now in full swing and sugar consump-
ton Is at its full and promises to be
very heavy. Anthracite coal, stove
sizes. has reached the pinnacle, produce
Is still high, despite fattering crop pros
poets; oats have suffered the predicted
squeeze and passed the highest price of
generation, range cattle and Texas
hides have surpassed all records, and
fine tobacco has also reached the best
on record quotations. ION the other hand
the cereals, cotton and hog products re-
fiecting the improved crops reports are
lower. Coffee, though galvanized by
speculation, drags painfully owing to ex-
listing large stocks and good Brazil crop
conditions. Railroad earnings show gains
bank clearings have begun to show the
gains earlier predicted over last years
totals, reduced as they were by hot
Weather and drouth effects on specua-
ton. With pig iron consumers clamoring
for supplies, the balance of this years
production already booked and free buy
ing for the first half of next year at
only 81 per ton less than at current
rates. and foreign iron imports large,
the iron and steel trade in the cruder
forms possesses exceptional elements of
strength. Buyers of structural are en-
gaging far ahead steel fill orders are
large and bar and sheet sales are large,
though not as heavy as last week In
hardware the activity Is notable and the
change of season appears to bring no
let up in the demand. Tin and copper
have weakened under freer offerings.
Wool Is not especially active, but is
held at leading eastern centres Some i'm
provement is noted with New York dry
goods jobbers, but the feeling grows that
the season will be rather later than usual.
Cotton goods are practically unchangedin
price. Reports of southern mills under
bidding Fall River for print cloths at
tracts some attention.
Wheat including flour, exports for the
week ending July "a, aggregate 3,9SO969
bushels, against 3.775, 222 last week and
6,974 526 in this week last year.
Wheat exports since July 1 aggregate
49, 1896 bushels against 10. 7S7, 647 last sea-
son.
Corn exports aggregate 1911 bushels
against 13O,570 last week and 1,155.276 last
year.
For the fiscal year corn exports are
459, 4O5 bushels against 7,164,043 last season.
Business failures for the week ending
July "a number IT'S as against TIA last
week. 1879 in this week last year, 1888 in 1900,
40 In 1899, and 1889 in 1898.
For Canada failures number 16. as
against II last week and 80 in the week
| last year.