The Wichita daily eagle., 1903-12-26
DuN'S TRADE REVIEW
Holiday Conditions Prevailed
and Exchanges Closed
+AKES ACCOUNT OF STOCK
few Labor Disputes Are Now
in Progress.
tAKES ACCOUNT OF STOCK

New York, Dec. 25.-R. G. Dun & Co. s
weekly Review Of Trade tomorrow will
Say:
Holiday conditions have prevailed in the
markets and most of the exchanges are
closed until Monday. Manufacturing
plants are stopping for inventories ana
repairs, in many cases the extent OF idle
! ness being considerably more than for the
corresponding season in recent years.
There has been a liberal volume of busi-
ness in holiday goods but reports are
somewhat conflicting in comparison with
1892. An encouraging sign is the report OF
good collections.
Agreements are being made with but
little friction as TO wage reduction except
in the case of coal mining and several idle
plants have fixed the dates for resum-
ing work
Few labor disputes are in progress ana
steel producers look for much new busi-
ness early next month.
ENGAGEMENTS Of gold were checked by 4
sharp recovery in foreign exchange al
though receipts have raised treaspry gold
holdings far above all previous records
and money is unusually easy for the
season.
Owing to the decrease in speculation,
, bank exchanges for the week were 16I
per cent smaller than a year ago at New
Yark. while at other leading cities there
was a gain.
Leading interests in the iron and steel
Industry brought more stability to the
situation by deciding against any further
reductions in quotations and there are
numerous indications that prospective pur-
chasers do not intend to delay placing
contracts beyond the season of inventory
and repairs.
Expressions of opinion are heard in
many prominent markets that orders VIII
begin TO appear about the middle of jan
nary and a liberal volume of business VIII
be placed for work TO be done early in
July.
Shoe shops are receiving few new orders
and there is little effort at present to in
crease activity. Eastern wholesalers are
more cautious regarding additional con-
tracts for spring lines, but western jobbers
are seeking supplies literally.
Conservatism is still the leading charac-
teristic In every department of the cotton
goods market Mills are steadily curtail-
advances ia finished productions. Pur-
chasers OF cotton take only for urgent
needs and refuse to pay the quotations
asked for distant delivery. No demand
for China is seen and the export division
is doing nothing, prices being well beyond
the views of foreign customers Cotton
has again risen above all records for
quarter Of a century and fluctuations OF
s. 80 a bale in a single session is no longer
considered exceptional while exceptional
trading OF million bales daily is not un-
usual Few cash sales are reported and
the planters are not receiving $6S for their
cotton yet the mills that have no raw
material on hand may be forced to pay
the prices or else stop work Exports
have continued on a liberal scale Grain
moved within narrow limits no special
news appearing other than a new record
FOR wheat production in Australia. Prices
are firm.
Failures this week numbered 2S4 in the
United States against 209 last year and 2
I'm Canada, compared with Il year ago