Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-23
BRADSTREET'S.
r.
Crops Strengthen Belief
in Good. Trade.
Collections Regarded as Fair
All Over the Country.
Railway Earnings Finished Fiscal Year
Much Better Than Expected-Status
of the Cotton Observation-Disclosures of
Butchers Strike Ciouded by Reports.

New York, July 22.-Bradstrect's
state of trade will say, tomorrow:
Good progress by most crops strength
ems belief in favorable trade following
the present season of comparative
quiet and inactivity. Among the in
dustrieS uuietEeSS and even dizziness is
still the feature. but rather more is do
ing in the leather trade, fOreshadowing
later developments in the shoe business
and the production of iron and steel is
being steadily curtailed with n result
ing Grmer tone to pig iron prices.
The cotton goods industry, unsettled
for more. than a year past by erratic
price movements and short time now
faces another disturbance in the strike
of the FAN River print cloth hands.
Stocks speculation widened this week
and bank clearings showed increases
over last week and also over last year.
Money markets are easy, but cOllec-
tions show little change, being claSSed
as fair the country over.
Railway earnings finished the fiscal
year much better than earlier expected,
but it is probable they Will show the
d,
| recorded.
What looked like a satisfactory end
, ing of the meat butchers strike, both
| sides agreeing to arbitrate. is clouded
| by reports of dissatisfaction because
| non union men are retained This
the most important strike of the year
| coupled with the expected STRIKE o.: cot
| ton mill hands. next week. and the ex-
listing lOckOuts Of tail"rs and clrpen-
| tcrs. gives an irregular appearance to
the labor situation as whole.
Warm weather helped retail trace rs
a whole and has facilitated bargain
sales, which have been IA feature 1T a
number of cities. Boston reports shoe
factories fairly well employed, but
| shipments are still well below Il wear
ago. There is better feeling in hides
and leather. though the shoe trade is
backward.
d The crop situation on the whole
shows Improvement, though thu. effects
of winter wheat damage are being re-
allied.
cotton has been again favored. and
ana aside from Il little dry weather
ard SON" reports of insect damag. in
| Texas. the prospect for the crop is APP
| parently without Il flaw.
| Spot cotton and the old crop months
| are without notable change. but real
| iZatGn of the fact that brilliant crop
| prospects have caused over selling of
next fails deliveries has induced short
covering. Aside from this. devrlo"r:rnts
have been few. The dry goods market
has remained rather quiet aside from
som" revival of interest in western and
| Sout hWeStern market COttonS have not
rs vet responded to the recent prize
trade is still rather unsettled
y ~, luction of ten per cent. in wages
WAS followed by Widespread curtail-
m"nt of production and now an"th""
reduction faces the print cloth mill
employees.
! Prospects Of n long and bitter strike.
however. do not seem to effect the raw
material. Spring weight woolens have
been formally opened this week. ana
reflect Tie higher range of raw mater
illS in an advance of 2l&M3 per cent.
Ter varI for finished goods. Most man.
ufart,,ycr; eoam to have filled their re-
uuirc-nrnts for raw material. and wool
is quiet as & whole, though firm ut re-
cen: advances.
Eu"n, - failures for the week ending
July u number 100 against 49, for the
SANE week in 1903.