Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-08
BUSINESS FEATURES.

L "A
comparison is made VIII the CORE
spending week last year Prices We're
then tending upward In many branches
lof industry, new business was coming
forward more rapidly than it could be
/ handled, and in the security market all
records for activity and high prices
were being surpassed. Later events
have demonstrated that the situation
was unhealthy. and speculative ex-
and readjustment. Conservatism was
then the exception; it IS now the rule.
] Prospects for steady gains and their
maintenance are brighter under the
present system. Legitimate trade will
continue to suffer from the losses IN
speculation, and the high rates for
commercial loans will initiate against
industrial expansion, but in the long
run larger degree OF caution should
| ing to the leading markets In great
number and testify to the sound con-
diton of business at the interior.
Manufacturing plants are busy turnout
New England, aside from cotton mills,
and there is notable activity in wearing
apparel at the south, dry goods jobbers
being very busy at Baltimore, while
prospects for large fall retail trade
are bright everywhere. Already there
lis traffic congestion at several points!
despite the fact that crops have only
| just begun to move, and railway earn
| ings in August show gains OF 9.3 per
cent over last year ard ia per cent
over 1901. Foreign commerce at this
port for the last week was much larger
than in the same tins last year. ex-
ports increasing sS20.616 and imports
$2,367,T29. Prices Of commodities dur
| ing August rose slightly, according to
Dun's Index Number. which was
saS.541 on Sept. /, against $9I.S91 a
month earlier. The Labor day holiday
| last year partially offse; the large diff
ference in stock trading in effect upon
bank exchanges at New York, but there
| still appears a decrease Of 24.e per
| cent AT other leading cities, however,
an average OF 1875 per cent occurred.
The cereals are higher in price on
| the whole, altho the markets are ex-
l
delayed the harvesting of spring wheat,
| and insects were reported as injuring
cotton. Movement OF grain is very un-
satisfactory, western receipts of wheat
for the week being only 4,51S,230 bush
Ieis, against 6.0T0,542 bushels last year,
while exports from the United States
aggregated 24l5,29S bushels. compared
With 46o0.S96 a year ago. Corn moves
more freely than last YEAR, receipts Of
3.073,0S3 bushels comparing with S73,-
| So, and Atlantic exports of 624.S06
bushels largely SURPRISING the low rec
ord of 3S.454 year ago. but the figures
| IL 1902 were exceptionally small
Insolvencies during August were
smaller than in the previous month by
lover one-third, but compare less fa-
yorably with the corresponding month
lin recent years. In view of the pre-
carious situation in Wall street, it is
gratifying to find that the weak con-
Germs were apparently eliminated in
July, the August record showing light
liabilities in brokerage and financial
lines. All commercial failures were ST.
| in number and s10.s77,7S2 in amount.
compared with $40 In August. 1902.
when liabilities amounted to only S.
o6S,525. The increase in defaulted in
| Gebtedness was confined to manufac-
turing failures, of which there were
241, involving $7.74S,6S5. against 213
last year, with liabilities OF only ST.
762,1S0. Seventeen large defaults ac-
counted for s5,460,2S5, or two-thirds Of
the aggregate in this division, the 9th
| err 224 failures averaging but $10,216
each, which is less than the average in
five of the preceding nine years of the
decade AS to trading defaults, the
August record was particularly encour-
aging. 544 failures for s2,946.852 COM
pairing with $50 a year ago with liabil-
I;+ta. ~ 60 9921S2