The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-04-16
REVIEW 0E TRADE
Iardy Spring Weather Delays
the Seasons Business
9
lAB0R CONTROVERSIES
They Continue to Prove a
Disturbing Factor.

New York, April 15.-R. G. Dun & Co. S
weekly review of trade tomorrow will
say:
Tardy spring weather following an I'M
usually severe winter makes it difficult to
restore satisfactory trade conditions. but
is encouraging to find at many points
this unreasonable weather the only cause
of complaint. and there is always hope
that the early losses may be made up.
at least in large measure, when the nor
NAL conditions arrive. IN the meantime
sales of dry goods are restricted and
stocks in all positions from producer to
consumer are larger than is desirable
Aside from the cotton states. where bust
ness is brisk the weeks dispatches indi-
cate that early gains were maintained
but little further progress occurred. La
Dor controversies are still an adverse fac
tor.
Railway earnings in the first week of
April were 10 per cent smaller than last
year.
No definite check to progress in the
lron and steel industries is discerned. al
though it lacks uniformity and in some
departments it is difficult to find encour-
egemeEt
Firmness and activity continue in the
} Chicago packer hide market and foreign
dry hides are held steady by the prompt
absorption of arrivals.
Failures this week number 225 in the
United States against 212 last year and
Is in Canada compared with 16 a year ago.
New York. April 15.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say:
Trade is still irregular with unseason-
ably cool weather the chief but not the
pnly drawback. In some sections, notably
the south and portions of the east and
west, brighter weather has helped trade
and incidentally crop preparation, but the
poor winter wheat crop outlook in the
Ohio valley, very cool weather in the
take region and high water or frosts in
the western part of the cotton belt have
affected business or retarded spring plant
ing Foreign trade returns have seemed
to favor the manufacturing rather than
the agricultural interests.
Most measures of trade point to small
er volume of business than a year ago.
but it is to be noted that, while a slight
decrease may be shown in gross railway
earnings for March, the first quarters
earnings will fall a little behind a year
ago, showing that in volume of products
moved there is little difference from a
year ago, and that the railroads have SO
far this year almost held their own.
= The industrial situation has not been
entirely favorable. Iron and steel COKE
coal. lumber and naval stores interests
note either increased activity in produc-
ton and consumption or improved de-
mand from various sources, but the cotton
goods industry is curtaling production
steadily. There is less activity in shoe
weather curtailing demand or diverting it
to rubber goods which have been active.
and the building and other industries are
marred by labor troubles which, while
not involving large numbers of men, re-
suit In annoying and expensive delays.
The wooden goods demand is not UP to ex-
peetations. The strength of a large num-
Der of staples. such as hides, leather iron
and steel, cheese, tea. -four. copper and
lead, is noticeable feature.
While spring trade has been disappoint-
ing in many lines and immediate business
II not up to expectations, the number
of markets reporting good ordtrs booked
for future delivery is large. Collections
show little or no improvement.
Iron is rather quieter this week, less