The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-18
WEEKLY TRADE REVIEWS
NEARLY PERFECT SUMNER wEAru
Err INCREASING BUSINESS.
Exports Large. Railway Earnins. 7,
Per Cent Above All Past Record..
and Prices Tending Downward.

NEW YORK, July 7.-Bradstreets 70
morrow will say; well nigh perfect suro.
mer weather helps crops. increases conf
denee In fall trade and stimulates retail an,
summer resort business. Lower prices for
many staples are really an encouraging d.
velopment because favorable 10 A wide,
and freer use of products heretofore i'm
practicable under past abnormal condition.
Six months railway earnings returns two
thirds of the country's mileage Represented
show gain of over Is per cent over the
best ever recorded. while roads thus far "a
porting for the first week of July show a
gain of nearly l6 per cent. These figures
confirm the claim that present business il
the largest ever handled for a midsummer
period.
THE salient features in trade reports this
week are the better tone OF trade advices
from the Southwest. where the feeling
grows that a large business will be done
The unsatisfactory outlook for immediate
and future supplies Of cotton limits actiy-
ity in cotton manufacturing at the East
short time being the rule at all leading cen
tiers; but the wool market is strong with
more doing both in the raw material and
in the manufactured product. Unprece-
denied activity is noted in the anthracite
coal trade. Final returns of foreign trade
point to the largest aggregate on record
due, however, to Is per cent. gain I'm i'm
ports, because exports fell OF per cent
from last year and per cent. from the rec
ord of 1901
The iron trade is quiet enough on the sur
face, but production and consumption are
alike enormous, though pressure of the
latter tends TO ease in quotations for iron
and steel Western markets note reductions
in pig iron and billets, with a large bust
ness done at the concessions, and Southern
iron has been cut without evoking much
new business. Tin and copper are weak and
lower. on larger shipments in the case OF
the former and on alleged oveTproducton
in the case of the latter.
Labor troubles in textile lines at Phila-
delphia and in building at New York are a
bar to activity in all lines affected. Hides
and leather are rather weak at the East
but Eastern shoe shipments are far in ex-
cess of last year for the week and season.
Business failures in the United States
for the week ending with July l6 number
1l3, against 15i last week, ia I'm the like
week of 1902. 2OS in 1901, 202 in 1900 and la in
1899.
Wheat exports. including flour, for the
week ending July is aggregated 1862 asa
bushels, against 2,Ss0.410 bushels last week
3,175, Do bushels this week last year. 522l. $50
bushels in 1901, and 3,029,3S bushels in 1900
For two weeks of the cereal year they ag-
gregate $685. 1874 bushels, against Sl79SS7
bushels in 1902. l0.2Ss029 in 1901 and 5S59 2SI
in 1900. Corn exports for the week aggre-
gate ], 402 404 bushels, against 1.525,OS4 BUSH
els last week, 1869 bushels a year ago,
1,174,0M bushels in 1901 and AIS. loo bushels
in 1900. For two weeks of the present cereal
year they aggregate 2,9Z7. ass bushels.
against 3l5,S10 bushels in 1902, 4514.Sl9 BUSH
els in 1901 and ,227 bushels in 1900"
r. G. Dun q Co.'S weekly Review OF
Trade tomorrow will say: Conditions
continue satisfactory outside the region OF
speculation, many reports indicating furth-
er Improvement. During recent months
the two distributing factors have been
labor controversies and weather conditions.
but each week has brought better things
in these two respects until the outlook
contains much that is encourag ing. Crops
are making rapid progress and the army
of unemployed is diminishing. Retail trade
in seasonable merchandise is fully up 10
the average, and there is less than the
customary midsummer quiet among whole
salers, while the preparations of Jobbers
and manufacturers indicate confidence in
a large fall business"