The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-17
WEEKLY TRADEREVIEW
ExPANsIoN IN THE NATIONS
 EXPORT TRADE.
Domestic Situation Also Gains Rather Than Loses in strength-ship- !, ments of Spring Goods
 is Begun.

New York, Jan. ls.-Bradstreets tomOr- row will say:
 With the much needed expansion in ex- port trade now actively in evidence, one of the few important missing elements of national prosperity has been supplied. Ex- n0rt trade in Dec ,mber proved to be bet ter than anticipated, and so far In Janu- Rry only encouraging elements have de- VeioDed. The domestic situation also gains rather than loses in strength. While reg ular spring trade can hardly be said to have opened, activity is steadily increas- Ing. The volume of shipments of spring goods is evidence of the desire of con sumers and distributors to obtain pos- session of goods earlier. Winter goods has been maintained at good volume by general lower temperature. In only few scattered instances Is there any complaint of retails being at all heavy. Conhdepce in Q heavy spring business in- creases as that season approaches. All or the industries remain exceptionally act i've. the possible exception to this being where shortage in fuel. due to railway congestion, limited production, as in the case of soft coal and coke in the West.
 The strength of leading agricultural sta- ples notably wheat, corn and oats among the cereals, cotton among the textiles and hog products among provisions has been the feature of the price situation. Cotton has shown little or no diminutlon of strength. Export business contipues very heavy and the price of the manufactured
 
 Wool is strong and available supplies are closely held. Machinery is well employed on spring and summer goods for mems wear.
 Despite much semt-bearish talk and holders by buyers the Iron and steel site uatiOn loses little of Its old strength. 1t is noted also that foreign markets are on the whole frmer.
 Structural material, bar and plates ap- pear active demand though fancy premi- ums for the first mentioned have disap- peared. The coke situation does not bet ter much in the central West. Buyers of pig iron are reported backward in com Ing forwQrd for large future business, but are eager enough takers of current supplies. Apparently the expectation that the spring Wlll see lower prices is still firm. but~c current demand involves con- siderable buying from time to time. A grt- cultural implement manufacturers have bought freely of steel bars at L1ttsburg. Higher prices on wire and wire pro ducts do not check business il. ths line. Lumber notes considerable ntotest ana activity for an ordinarily dull period.
 The great mass of staple prices gener- ally maintain undiminished strength, mo- tably in this respect being hides, which are quoted at trtfie higher and leather, which is firm at prevailing quotations. Copper holds nearly all of the advance 1t recently gained, despite beartsh statistical features Eastern shoe shipments show slight gains from year ago and manu- IACtuEef8 are QuAlH puSJg lhCA6h NSAlA~ piaints of the small margin of profits are still universal.
 Wheat 0ncluding hour) exports Tor the week ending January i6 aggregate 4,S5e.- 6z4 bushels. against b,0Ss,9ol last week. 4.e9O. .202 In this week a year ago, and B. e36,O54 in 19M.
 Wheat exports since July aggregate 14O.- $40. 800 bushels, against 15S,004,1S9 last sea- son and lO7, ,s6S in 1900.
 CsaFn exports aggregated 2,4 ,612 bush- els against 2,956,986 last week, zyS,ySS a year ago and 51S4.550 in 1901.
 For the fiscal year exports are 15,91S,- and I0S 935, ,495 in 1901
 Business failures in the United States for the week ending January 15 number 2S2 against S36 last week, zM In the like week in 1902. 200 in 1901, z6S in lSOo and SOz in 1899.
 Tn Canada failures number g as against 30 last week and S5 in thls week year ago.