Arizona republican., 1904-02-15
LOWERING PRICES
A Feature of Livestock
 Trade Last Year
Comparison of Figures With Those of the Year Before - Other Compari- sons Between the Two Years.

Washington, Feb 14.-The annual summary of domestic trade move ments for 1903, as reported by the de- partment of commerce and labor through its bureau of statistics, indi- cates that the distinctive feature of the livestock trade at the interior markets was the lowering trend of prices compared with those of 1902. At the end of 1902 hogs averaged $6.2S per hundred pounds at Chicago, com pared with $4.50 in 1863, in spite Of a reduction in the annual supply at five markets, from IS, 763, 104 head in 1901. 10 15,614, ,139 head in 1902 and 15,014 S11 head in 1903. Beef cattle prices fell from S6.75, the annual average 'of ! 1902, to $4.90 in 1903, with receipts at four markets increasing from 7.244.467 head in 1901 to 1.71O,559 head in 1902 and S,326.OSS head in 1863. The grand | total of live stock received at the five markets-Chicago Kansas City, Omaha. St. Louis, and St. Joseph was g, ,9S3,6O1 head in 1903, in contrast with 32.673,2S6 head in 1902, and 34, 143,- l 776 head in 1901. Provision stocks of cut meats on December 31, 1903, were 147,O2S,9 ,951 pounds against 17s,616. 100 pounds a year before at five markets reporting
 Important among staple movements at interior centers are wheat receipts | at eight markets. For the crop year to January 1. 1904, a total of 157.55-,- 2Sj bushels was reported, compared with 174, 4,7S6, 255 bushels in 1902, and 161. .393. .479 bushels in 19G1 Most mark ed gains were made at Kansas City | where 2, ,131, ,766 bushels arrived in the last six months of 1903, in contrast with 196S4, 300 bushels in 1902 and 15.- 656, 954 bushels in 1901, indicating how rapidly southwestern wheat growing areas have expanded. During the year Minneapolis milling drew heav- lily on this areas output giving a north-and-south current to the domes- Il tic wheat trade and competing with the gulf and lake ports for the control of traffic
 Trunk lines to the seaboard carried S2. .O29, ,00O bushels of grain from Chicago and Chicago points alone in 1903. av- | eraging 154S,0O0 bushels per week, against 75,945O GOO bushels, averaging 1.433,COO bushels per week in 1902 and | 1O6. .S52, ,OOO bushels, or 2,O16.OOO bushels per week in 1901. Flour shipments showed a tendency to diminishing volume. 4,675,26S barrels, SS,213 per week, having been sent in 1903, com pared with 4.S9S. .599 barrels, 92. 426 weekly in 1901. While the grain move ment is more variable, and flour ship ments have decreased, provision ton mage made gradual gains. The av- craze weekly shipment of provisions was 271O6 tons in 1903. 26,110 tons in 1902. and 25.59i tons in 1901, or a total of 1.436,631 tons, 1,3S3,851 tons, and l. ha
 Shipments of grain by the Erie canal from Buffalo during the season of 1903 reached the total of 17,499, 117 bushels, of which 4,6S3,61O bushels were wheat, | 6,566,2 bushels corn, 3,S15,759 bushels oats. 2,003,90 bushels barley. and 429,- 551 bushels rye. Shipments in 1902 were 16,1S2, 634 bushels, and in 1901, 1S.02S,6 eco bushels were shipped.
 The average freight on wheat by way of Erie canal from Buffalo to New York is reported at slightly less than 4 cents per bushel.
 At five points on the North Atlantic seaboard 259, ,233 bushels of grain were received during 1903. Of this amount Portland received 11,979, 461 ! bushels. of which 3477, ,925 bushels i came from American and S,501 536 bushels from Canadian sources: Bos- ton, g, s14,664 bushels; New York, 125,- O69.551 bushels: Philadelphia. 37. .79S. .O7S bushels; and Baltimore, 51.6SS,4 479 bu- shels. These ports received 24O, 725. 1S3 i bushels in 1902.
 II Coastwise traffic on the Great Lakes in 1903 amounted to 56,S26, ,69S net tons received, compared with 54,074729 tons in 1902. Gains were made in grain from 13O, 700, 9S7 bushels in 1902 to 165,- Il al- S.255.117 net tons in 1902 (the year of the anthracite strike) to 13,346 343 tons in 1903 Iron ore receipts decreased from 27,S9S,424 gross tons in 1902 to 24075, 1858 tons in 1903.
 The month of largest freight receipts was June when s,414,OS6 net tons were reported. Of coal shipments, 13,32S,- 026 net tons were sent to coastwise points and 6654,21S tons to foreign points on the lake shores. Of coast wise shipments, 9.39S, ,333 net tons were soft coal and 3,931. .693 tons hard coal. Reports from 160 firms supplying