The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-01
WEEKLY TRADE REVIEWS
RRADsTREET AND II. G. dun a. CO.
on BUSINESS CONDITIONS.
Industrial Situation Has Improved
and Railways Have All the Traf-
he They Can Handle.

NEW YORK. July 31.-Bradstreets to-
morrow will say: Weather. crop and
trade conditions are seasonably favorable.
though irregularity and weakness in some
staple prices reflect readjustments OF con-
sumption TO enlarged production. Copious
rains in the corn belt and i'm the Western
cotton region have removed some OF the
uneasiness existing as 10 the out-turn Of
these two great crops and. despite this
baekwardness. the outlook for general trade
has been measurably helped. Iron and
steel buyers are sta. backward. Prices OF
the cruder forms tend lower. pig iron and
billets business declining this week, though
formation of pool to maintain prices In
the later product is noted. The Industrial
situation has improved. the railroads are
having all they can handle. with talk Of
congestion again being heard and the coun-
try's returns Of cereal aud food products
promise better than year ago in so far as
quality is concerned.
"A favorable feature this week Is the re-
ported Improvement IN foreign demand Tor
our breadstuffs. considerable quantities OF
new wheat and old corn beng reported
taken. Accompanying this is an improve
ment in the outside interest in the cereal
markets. World S stocks show little or no
change for the week.
The first six months OF 1905 witnessed
record-breaking production OF pig IRON, anu
the same is true OF the fiscal year ending
June 80. In addition 1S6e0 tons OF pig
iron were imported. ard the imports OF other
iron and steel, partly manufactured, make
our imports OF foreign iron equivalent TO
over 100000 tons. This. added TO the pro-
duction of 1S,73o.oo0 tons, indicates total
consumption in the past fiscal year OF D.
$4,000 tons, a total of 100000 tons larger
than that of the previous year. The IN
dustrial situation is. on the whole, quite
satisfactory.
The situation in the cotton goods trade
is apparently no clearer. Reimports or
American cotton from Europe are report
ed heavy and large numbers OF spindles are
idle. The same Is true In the English IN
dustry, where short stime rules. Despite
the almost certainty that the crop has
made favorable progress during the last
week, prices of new crop cotton are higher
now than two weeks ago. A fair summer
business is dong in dry goods WOODEN
manufacturers are doing fair business
and buying steadily of raw material TO
cover orders already booked The result
/ is notable steadlness at the highest price
| reached for raw wool.
mo special activity is noted in leather
| and shoes i'm the East, thought number
/ of buyers are still In the Boston market
| Hides are rather higher, but shoe ship
ments from Eastern points are s2 per cent.
larger than this week year ago and Tor
/ the season fully 10 per cent.
z Wheat, including flour, exports Tor the
week aggregates 3,lsl, AZ bushels, against
i 2lSl,ySe last week ana 4,ooc,oS7 this "ccA
/ last year. Corn exports for the week ag-
gregate s2S, $50 bushels. against l,5ol .SSS last
| week For four weeks OF the present
cereal year they aggregate 5.ss1.ess bushels.
4 against 423,S26 in 1902.
Railway earnings indicate an aggregate
| for the third week nearly IA per cent
larger than the same week year ago:
1 Business failures for the United states
1 this week number $780, against lsS last week
| and leS in the like week of lSo2-
r. G. Dun a Co.'S weekly review or trao ls
the solid basis upon which Legitimate trade
| is established is furnished by the equanim-
| ity with which commercial ana hnahciai
| institutions regard the recent speculative
| collapse Much more harm has been done
to the country's manufactures and trade
by the inflated prices OF stocks IMAM tne
| denression in stocks Reports almost
| unanimous as to the heavy distribution oi
! merchandise and this Is shown statisficai'
! Nv by the increase in railway earnings thus
| far reported for July l25 per cent over last
| wear and 231 per cent. above 1901.