The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-14
COMM VERGE
HIGH PRICES NOT A CHECK
Consumption Continues Heavy-All
Industry Active and Labor
Becoming Scarce.

New York, Feb 14-Bradstreet's to-day says
Distributive trade and productive industry fee!
the influence of the springlike weather, slightly
better collections. steady and even strong prices
for staples, some Improvement In the railway
transportation situation and cheaper and better
supplies Of coal at tho east. An additional favor
able feature not as vet given full consfdera-
ton is the signing of the new bituminous coal
wage scale, by which any possible unsettlement
from this source Is prevented. Mild weather
makes for increased activity In outdoor work.
while active movements in lumber. structural
iron and steel. builders hardware and q myriad
of other lines lead to the belief that the pres
eat season, Notwithstanding higher prices Of ma
terials will witness immense building opera
tions. .
In this connection cognizance must be taken
Of the reports coming from widely separated
sections indicating a scarcity Of labor. In the
south increased railway building, numbering OPP
erations and diversifcation of industry gen
orally has drawn heavily upon labor available
for the cotton lelds, and a less than ordinarily
might have been expected increase in acreage
Is therefore looked for In this line. balance
| to this, however. may be found In the present
high pric" of that staple. In the northwest gen.
eraly speaking. 1t might be said that manual
| labor the country finds ready market.
| All in all, the situation is one practically never
equaed before at this time. confirming earlier
| predictions that the first half Of the year 1909
was secure beyond peradventure.
| Perhaps the most notable feature in the entire
situation is the fact that present high prices
do not vet seem to check consumption. In
| the strongest situated industrials of all. those
of cotton manufacturing and of iron and steel
Eproduction, insistent demands eliminating In
enlarged sales, gives testimony to the increased
| purchasing power of the country at large Cot
! ton and cotton goods have led the way this week
| spot cotton advancing one-third Of a cent and
! future deliveries nearly one-half cent, partly
| because of manipulation. it is true, but ulti
mately because Of the active shipping demand
| for cotton goods. even at the higher prices dom
| mating.
The dry goods trade the country over sends ex
| cPllent chief
BILE is the car congestion, which limits sup
| plies Of coke reaching furnaces and checking
| deliveries. Foundry iron is In good demand and
Bessemer sells readily and freely where obtain
able at SCI to $21 so per ton. Production Of pif
iron still fails to meet consunlptive requirements
Increased demand is noted for structural mate
rails, steel plates. merchant bars and rails. Thu
distribution OF hardware Is increasing, and build
ing promises to be very active. An aditiona
steadyng feature in iron and steel is the pros
pect that all classes of iron wil1 be a1
eanced. the increase varying from 25c to 81 %
and the average being In the neighborhood of I5c
Copper strengthens steadily from week t
week.
Lack of snow is complained of in some POI
tions of the northwest limiting the loggin
output, but that in Maine is very large, an
on the Pacific coast an unprecedented activit
is noted. In the south and southwest the outpu
of lumber Is enormous.
Wheat, including nour, exports for the wee
| aggregate 2.s56,5s9 b,i, against 3965,e16 Las
week, 3,175,4s1 in this week a year ago an
1914 .sTs in 1901. Wheat exports since July
aggregated 155,421,977 bu, against La, 800, II
last season and 125. e3s.337 in 1900. Corn e,
ports aggregate 1880, ITO bu against 2.400.31
last week, 52T,3e6 a year ago and 1890. 400
, 1901. For the fiscal year exports are "A. 631
|, 1ss bu against %, 55s,+ss last season and 124
I27 ,216 In 1901.
!. business failures in the United States for ii
/; week ending with Feb. II number 214, again
|, POS last week. 265 in the like week in 100
226 in 1901. 1919 iii 1900 and 100 in 1899.
5 Canada failures for the week number a.
= against q last week anu 25 in this week ye
ago.