The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-31
The YEAR ENDS WITH The BULLS IN CONTROL
With Dull Trade Wheat Holds Firm
to the End and May Closes at
Il 841sc.
Increasingly Bad Reports as to Win
ter Wheat and Lack of Snow
Covering.
Cash Wheat Dull, as the Flour Mills
cs Will Be Closed Until
a Monday

Minneapolis Chamber Of Commerce Dec.
S1.-The bulls in wheat got an early grip
on the market this morning and gave the
shorts another uneasy time of it, If any
one thought that the year was to wind up
with smash in May he had miscalculated
for there was enough news Of strength
ening nature to firm the market, and 1t
was evident from the first that no big de-
cline was to be feared, while the market
midway in the session looked as tho a new
high point might be made and the old year
end with May on a higher level than ever
The little preliminary trade of the scalp
tng order marked by scattered selling by
pit shorts who hoped to take a profit on a
break at the close, gave way quickly to
covering, when it was learned that in Chi
cago the session would be cut short by
over an hour. the Chicago board voting to
adjourn at noon as a mark of sympathy
for the victims Of the theater fire in Chi
cago The war news brought nothing vi
tally new. the situation so far could be
learned remaining as acute as ever, with
the possibilities of q clash in degree
I1essened. New York sent an early report
OF the sale of twenty loads Of wheat for
export. Liverpool was up Ad, London,
hs@%d higher, and Paris a triflo easier.
MINNEAPOLIS had 5o7 cars against so7.
Duluth had 65, Chicago 81, Kansas
City, 2i2, 900 bu and ST. Louis, 10, 900 bu
with no comparisons at these points on
account Of holiday a year ago. Mime
,apolis stocks increased by about 100000
'bu. so far on the week The bids at the
seaboard were later said to be h@&c
higher than yesterday all around, which
made the reported sale of 20 loads look like
the real thing. The local cash market was
not very active and there was no rush for
the wheat The mills will close tonight
and will be down until Monday next. hence
the millers were not active buyers. while
elevator men were inclined to hold out
for price concessions.
The Price Current out for the week
with a report less favorable than any
thing it has so far printed regarding win
ter wheat stating that while the crop is
mostly under snow eastward from Illinois,
the western fields are generally bare.
Fields appear brown to a considerable ex-
tent inviting some apprehension, altho the
popular belief is that the root growth is
sound. This was a strong report. No one
has ever accused the staid old Price Cur
rent Of being an alarmist. When other
papers are printing scare heads and crops
are reported ruined, the Cincinnati publi-
cation usually holds to conservat tism, with
the result that whatever Il, does say is
usually taken by the ira de--at full value
That 1T notes a win ter lat condition not
entirely satisfacto' Ais pretty fair evil
dence therefore that there has been little
improvement generally since the earlier
state and government reports which made
the staads much lower than at the COR
responding time year ago. The forecast
IS for colder weather in Kansas and Ne
brasla. tonight and tomorrow.
Primary receipts were 1,004, 900 bushels,
and shipments 425 900. Wheat and flour
clearances were 333, 900 bushels.
The market closed firm on very light
trade. and the business year ended with
the bulls in control of the situation and
confident of renewed interest and higher
prices to open the new year.
, May closed at S41sc, July at $3.50 and
December at size.