The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-10
WEEKLY TRADE REVIEW
CROP INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS
 GENERALLY FAVORABLE,
Distributions on Fall and Winter Ac- counts are Enlarged at Most Mar
 kets-Collections are Re- ported Better.

New York. Sept. 9.-Bradstreet's to. morrow will say:
 Trade crop and industrial develop ments have been generally favorable this week. Distributions on fall and winter trade account have enlarged ai most markets the cor ncrop has pro- gressed another week toward final maturity which. however. this year is later than usual. and several industrf- als hitherto great depressed or oper' ating on short time. have resumed running full. The industrial situation Is slightly less strained than 1t was and the beef strike Is now ended. Tn iron and steel, past and present price reductions have encouraged inquiry consumption has finally overtaken pro- duction and stocks of crude material are smaller.
 With the beginning of the cror movement. which is reasonably heavy for this period. has come improved collections and better railway earn ing returns. August results point to six per cent increase in the gross receipts over a year ago All in all the prospects continue favorable for a fairly active trade in most lines but nothing in the way of record breaking is looked for in general bus mess or in crop outturn.
 A fairly satisfactory jobbing busi- ness has been done at New York In dry goods: slight improvement is noted at Boston and Philadelphia. the dry goods Jobbing trade has opened well. There is a larger movement of shoes from eastern points. more de- mand for leather and some scarcity developing owing to curtailment by tanners.
 Eastern cloth manufacturers are not pushing business at present prices The woolen goods trade Is not active as might be wished. but raw wool is firmly held. and confidence in the statistical positions of that commodi- ty Is universal
 The stubborn strength of prices is perhaps the most notable feature in the entire situation. Bradstreet's gen. eral index number shows a very small increasee on September 1. over August 1. with provisions and groceries. fruits hides leather, oils and breadstuffs showing most strength. The general level of prices at present marks an increase of 7.7 per cent over June 1901 a decrease of 3s per cent from Febru- ary 1900, but a gain of 57 per cent over the low water mark of July 1899
 In iron and steel the features are the announced reductions in steel plates, structural materials and wrought pipe. following decreases in wire and nails. A fair business has been done in steel rails at the west but a very heavy tonnage Is reported held back on hopes that the twenty eight dollar price will be shaded These reductiors have certainly caused more inquiry to be made and in some instances, as in the case of wire and structural materials, new business has actually materialized. Rather more Is doing in bituminous coal at the west and while the improvement Is still on- ly tentative, there is tendency to consistent on at least present quo- tations and no disposition to follow the market downward.
 Business 1ailures in the United States for the week ending September Is, number IA, against 1S9 last week and 165 in the like week of 1903. Fail. ures in Canada for the week number fourteen against seventeen last week and twelve last year.