The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-03
Last Weeks Business the Best
ofthe Season.
Railway Earnings Show Slight
Gains Over Last Year.
is STILL UNSETTLED.
Industrial Outlook Is Not What
1t Should Be.
Confidence I'm the Future Con-
tinues 10 Increase.

New York, sept. S.-BradstreeI s
says:
Further expansion in fall trade is
noted at leading centers and the last
week in August has seen the largest
business done since the opening of
the season. Crops have made fair
progress. Collections have been moth
ing to boast of, backward in fact
Failures were more numerous in Aug
ust than in July in nearly all sections,
and few large suspensions of manu-
featuring concerns have swelled LA
bilities beyond those of August a year
ego. Recently preceding conditions
were maintained in railway earnings
returns. which show slight gains over
last year.
The Industrial outlook is still an
unsettled one. Efforts to revive the
dying meat strike by extending it to
independent houses have caused some
irregularity of uncertainty in the
market for live stock and for meats.
General price reductions of live ami
mails are a feature. The Industrial
outlook at New York is unsettled be-
cause of the drifting apart of en-
ployers and employees in the building
trades. and the prospects of a strike
of mOtormen in the new subway
Some more assumptions of industrial
operations are noted in different sec
tions. The general tone of labor affairs
is one of irritation. On the Pacific
coast distributive trade is still slow
10 improve.
Wool is firm at eastern centers, with
q fair business doing, a feeling that the
available stocks will bring full prices.
A tendency toward higher prices of
many staples was noted this week.
Poor reports from the harvest in the
northwest strengthened wheat and
sympathetically -four, and the feeling
received support that the crop damage
in the northwest had not been exag-
gerated.
Tin and lead have advanced slightly,
while copper has remained unchanged.
The very heavy export movement in
this latter product has been a feature
Of the country's foreign trade this
year
Business failures I'm the United
States for the week ending September
i number 1s6. against 1s6 last week,
162 in the like week in 1908. 1913 in
1902, 100 in 1901 and 154 in 1900 In
Canada failures for the week number
this week a year ago.
Wheat, including -four, exports for
the week ending September 1, aggre-
gate 1,S3O,511 bushels. against 1,OS4,-
333 last week. $751; 39 this week
year ago, 6,476,299 in 1902, and A.
406.064 in 1901
aggregate 12.464,6 62 bushels. against
2s,2O7.12S last year. 4S.036.596 in
1902. and 59.167,570 in 1901.
Corn exports for the week aggre-
last week. s6s,741 a year ago, 21,196
in 1902, and 55O.S76 in 1901.
From July 1 to date the exports of
corn aggregate 5,2T3,SS1 bushels,
against 9,192,O36 in 1908. 5,775,755 in
1902, and 9.249.Ss7 in 1901.
Dun's Weekly Review of Trade says:
Confidence increases each week as
q larger proportion of the agricultural
yield IS put beyond the touch of in
jury. and Industrial undertakings are
less interrupted by labor controversies.
1t IS not to be expected that the bust
ness world will suddenly abandon its
conservative attitude, purchases being
still restricted largely to such needs as
are clearly discerned, but there is evil
dence of a growing disposition to pro-
vide for more remote requirements
In many lines, particularly dry goods,
stocks have been reduced more below
normal, and fall shipments are eX-
panding in a healthy manner. Dis
JributiOn of merchandise is providing
the railways with a large tonnage,
preparations are being made to han
die the enormous crops, and the gross
earnings of all railways reporting for
August show a gain of IA per cent
over the same time last year. For
eign commerce for the last week at
this port was smaller than a year ago.
exports decreasing $307,277, while i'm
ports fell S904,90S, and this tendency
is largely responsible for the treasury
deficit in August. customs receipts fall
ing about million dollars behind
those of the same month last year.
Quiet conditions have prevailed in the
hide market since the large transac-
tons last week.