Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-07
CANNOT sTIFLE TRADE BOOM.
weather Conditions Retard Business,
but Do Not stop 1t.


but Do Not stop 1t.
NEW YORK, Feb. 6.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say:
Urfavorable weather conditions may re-
| tard, but they do not arrest trade and in
dustrial development, which continue in
exceptionally full volume for this season of
the year. Spring trade, as pointed out here
| tofore, is earlier and of larger volume than
in any previous year, and the remarkable
steadtness of prices Is evidence that sta
bility In present conditions Is expected for
The current reports from the dry goods
trade are among the most cheerful ever re-
goods note exceptional activity and
strength, but other lines of spring trade
are busy. Iron and steel are active for this
season, lumber production and demand is
brisk and hardware is in heavy demand
| This progress is being made in spite of
some draw6scks. but tSese very shoTreGm,
prosperity. For instance the notice given
| earlier in the week by the western rail-
numerous classes OF heavy freight, such as
| grain, flour, iron, iron ore and lumber, and
| that in fact hey could only take perish
| able and quick moving merchandise Is evil
| dence that the railroad facilities, as fire.
| quently noted before, have not expanded
| SO quickly or in as great proportion as has
| the volume of business offered.
In the iron and steel trade the fuel situa-
| tion is really but little better. owing to the
! congestion IN car transportation between
the coal regions and consuming points. The
| late spell of mild weather has brought
about an improvement in the coal situa-
tion
! Coli weather was responsible for lower
prices for butter and eggs In January and
| some hog products also declined, nut
| cereals remained steady and textiles nearly
all advanced, as did several kinds of iron
! and steel. copper, tin and naval stores, on,
setting the lower movement in quotations OF
| country produce, coal and coke, petroleum
| hides and some grades of leather.
Owing to the steadiness of the large ma
Of nfiCeg
/ as whole was only slightly downward,
| less than per cent decline being noted for
Chief among the staples showing strength
! Is raw cotton. While buyers of iron and
steel evince tendency to stand on as re-
CARDS distant deliveries. Pressing needs for
| immediate purposes induce numerous small
sales, which make up considerable ag-
| gregate OF crude material.
Finished products are as active as here
tofCre. Rails, structural materials wire,
bars, railroad material and even tinplates
for pipes Lave also been booked, but a good
sized order for steel rails had to be placed
abroad owing to the inability OF domestic
manufacturers TO make good. One concern
reports orders on its books for 5500,0O0 tons,
the largest future business of which there
Is any record. Structural materials are
rather firm.
An additional feature making for present
iron prices is the feeling that iron ore
prices will be advanced this spring. This
taken in connection with the higher cost Of
fuel and advanced freight rates, would
seem TO postpone the Gay Wien the iOHB
predicted downward revision of prices IS
TO occur. Large sales (50,OyO tonsl OF open
hearth steel are reported at Pittsburg
where structural material, plates and bars
are active. Tinplates are stronger and
most OF the mills are In operation. steel
bar manufacturers will adhere to the 80
cent rate. A Pittsburg concern building
telephone conduits has secured a 1880 00L
contract from the Russian government.
Wheat including -four exports for the
week ending February s. aggregate 1856, ,9l6
bushels, against O65 last week Aero 457
in this week year ago and 4,s96Sls in
1901 Wheat exports since July / aggregate
i52 565, ,5sS bushels, against 17O.l466I3 last
sea son and 100 Sa. .459 In 1900
Corn exports aggregate 2,400.3l6 bushels,
against 2,O45 O99 last week, 1cs,145 a year
ago and 4,171, 40 In 1901.
For the fiscal year exports are 22, Sol ,0l6
bushels, against 22.0ls,l3o last season and
ll9. 794 In 1901
business failures for the week ending
with February 5, number POS, against go
last week, 247 in the like week in 1902, $50 in
1901, 23l In 1900 and 1s5 In 1889
In Canada failures for tho week were q,
as against 30 last week.