The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-11
ANNUAL EASTER RUSH
This the Feature of a Week Filled
: With Favorable Trade flmens.

New York, April 11.-Bradstreet's of to-day
says: . @-
Favorable features this week are the annual
rush OF Easter buying at retail, which is re.
ported Of excellent volume, some Improvement in
tie reasserting demand with jobbers at in
terror markets resulting therefrom and slight
but still perceptible Improvement in the labor
situation, growing out Of mutual concessions
Prices during the month Of March showed excep-
tiOnal strength, despite seasonal changes down.
ward on the dairy products, grains and fuel
partly counteracted, however, by advances In
live stock and meats. Lumber and building ma
terials of all kinds have remained In exceptional
good demand in spite Of numerous strikes and
finished products In iron and steel show strength,
but the cruder forms, such as pig iron, have
weakened perceptibly, ostensibly because Of the
lowering Of quotations of southern iron but really
because with improved transportation and better
supply Of coke have come an enlargement Of
| iron products to the highest point ever known
1T Is, OF course, too early to measure the de-
| velopment Of fall trade. Some interior markets
report good orders but large eastern centers note
holding back Of buyers of cotton yarns, and the
demand for heavyweight woolens is reported to
have been checked by higher prices. Raw wool
has again weakened, though the statistical posi-
| tion is very strong.
Railroad earnings are quite favorable, gross
| receipts for March indicating increase Of be-
tween 10 and II per cent, while net returns for
! February show gain Of per cent on an in
| crease in gross receipts Of IA per cent. Rela-
| 1tiveiy the best trade reports came from the
leading western markets, but all centers report
| satisfactory spring trade done at wholesale.
| 1.-The iron situation, as already pointed out, II
| one of marked strength in finished, but of IN
| settlement and even weakness In the crldel
| FORMS Northern pig iron has weakened In sym
| pathy with the reudjusment of southern prices
| last week. Foreign markets are also reported
| easier. For immediate delivery $21.50 is in
sisted on for pig iron at Pittsburg, but 500 woult
be accepted if buyers would offer 1t for the lat
| ter part, Of the year. Buyers, however, are no
| eager and are holding off, evidently expecting
or hoping for lower quotations. Domestic raj
,f,1f <,,I1S4 f.~Af
Of this being reports of American and Canadian
roads requiring steel rails abroad. Structural
orders are in large volume, notable instance o.
tis being for requirements for Improvement
to plants controlled by the leading interest. Th
strength Of old material is notable featur
in the iron trade at present Among the othe
metals. copper and tin have weakened again
but lead retains It's old frmness.
''The leather situation is genrally one o
strength. The spring rush is over at the eastern
shoe centers but shipments, while less than las
week. are heavily in excess of year ago.
1.-THE situation In coffee is an interesting one
After decline early in the week. which brough
future deliveries to the lowest prices ever re
corded and on which decline an extensive liquida
tion of the former bull interest reported,
slight upturn was noted, due to reports tina
Brazil will adopt radical measures, such as burn
Ing surplus supplies Of low grades in order t
tighten the load on the market. This is regarded
however as hardly possible Of fulhlment. Afte
further decline, due to dullness in the refine
market and pressure of supplies, sugar ha
'teao1ed at What Is said by authorities to be th
bottom.
Wheat, including flour, exports for the wee
ending April 8, aggregate 1888, 2s5 bu, agains
3,13O,9T4 last week, 3s42,O12 bu in this week
, year ago and 6,640. Sol in 1901. Wheat export
since July 1 aggregate 17S,212.774 bu againt
2O2, ,6S7 ,636 last and 1872 971 1892 in 190(
= Corn exports aggregate 2654,732 bu agains
O6S last week. 159,565 a year ago an
,623. SS4 in 1901. For the fiscal year exports al
40 800, 269 bu against "A, ,623 COZ last season ar
$50 S75 ,4S9 in 1901.
Business failures in the United States f,
the week ending with April number 153 again
!4o last week 1S2 in the like week of 1902, 2.
d in 1901, $50 in 1900 and 243 in 1902 -rr-.