Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-28
AS A STIMULANT.
The Cold Weather Has Won
derfulIy Braced Business.
Retail Trade Started First, Followed
by Wholesale Activity.
Some Good Points Also Noticed in the
& ' Industries.

New York, Nov. 21.-Bradstreets
summary Of the state Of trade, tomor-
row, will say: Continued cold weather
has offered a needed stimulus to retail
trade in all seasonable lines, but par
ticularly in clothing and wearing APP
uarel. This in turn is reflected in bet
ter recorder business with jobbers at
interior centers. who also note more
interest in holiday goods, fancy groc-
cries. furs and kindred lines. In Whole
sale trade features are rather stronger
in the tone of cotton goods which are
held more firmly by agents and httie
bettr feeling in wooden goods. Flrmhess
Of prices Of agricultural produce Is
another element which is to be TAKEN
account of. The agricultural interest
and those interested in dlstfupltlEe
trade Seem at present to De naNiis
their innings and appear well SITUATED
whereas the manufacturing and indus
trial branches send forth nearly all the
pessimistic reports. The prosperity OF
the grain and food producing popula-
lions north and west of the cotton,
lumber and naval stores, interests at
the South u.s. in fact, the Chief basis for
the conservative confidence in the gem
ernl business outlook expressed by
many observers.
There are some good points even
among the Industries. Although iron
and steel production is limited and
shutdowns are numerous, there is a
greater tone, particularly in crude iron,
due to the growth of the feeling that
prices are now grounding on the bot
tom.
Finished products are rather dull and
domestic buyers are rather reserved
but the extension of the reduction in
railway rates to other lines or iron and
steel gives prospects of a large export
business to come. Other metals are dull,
with copper and lead weak.
Wheat, including flour, exports for the
week ending Nov. &c. aggregate "SJl, .67
bushels, against 2,H4,27 bushels, last
week
The advanced stage of the season is
against much doing in the building lines.
but that in October and November, ia
vored by open weather, has been larger
than expected, giving hope Of better
things to come, provided the employees can
be induced to be quiescent. Lumber is
quiet for domestic trade, but export de-
mand Is active. Cold weather and STOW
favor an early getting to work in the
northern forests. Hardware sales con-
tinue good, all things considered. and
some railway work reported abandoned,
some time ago. has been resumed, while
leading systems announce liberal eNpelI-
dtures for next year.
Cotton has shown less of the excite
mcnt, but no loss of the strength mani
tested, last week In fact, nearby futures
are slightly higher than a week age,
while spots are steady at nearly three
cents advance over last year at this date.
Large receipts and reported less active
export demand neutrallzc to some extent
the uneasiness as to the supply growing
out of past short crop estimates. Unless
all signs fail, the crop. this year. will fall
considerably below that of last year,
namely 10. 727,OoO bales.
Business failures for the week Give
days. ending with Nov. rs, number 1G7,
against "a, last year, 49, in the like week
of 1902, 1S9 In 1901, Isl in 1900, and III in
1899