The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-01-28
Indictment Weather Has Been a
Clog on Business.
Best Reports to Agencies Come
From the Northwest.
FAILURES ARE LESS.
Industry Still Leads DIstribu-
tion I'm Activity.
Foreign Trade Shows Gain in
Imports and Loss in Exports.

Indictment weather has retarded dis
tributive trade. railway traffic and some
forms of production throughout II wide
area. The result is some ~irregularity in
the reports from different sections The
Northwest sends relatively the best re-
ports in advfces that spring business is
in excess OF Il year ago, and II IS 10 pc
noted that the Northwest shows an I'M
prOvement over recent rather oepresseo
conditions. The cold weather, however,
has accentuated the dullness at the
south growing out of lower cotton
prices and brought business and colec-
fions down to a low ebb as mpar
with the exceedingly prosperous ccndl-
ffOnS ruling a year ago at TINS time.
The eastern Seaboard has felt the cnleL
force of the storm in interrupted rail-
way and street car traffic and rsduce9
arrivals of country produce and caused
q partial suspension of coal mining ana
shipping. This is a seasonaole VISTA
ton, however, and has been rallied nom
quickly. Failures are below the normal
for this season of the e
Industry still leads distribution III
activity. The volume OF new buying IN
iron is light but specifications are com
ing out freely and current productlon IS
above the maximum. Seasonable IN
hnences affect sales of lumber but thaI
Industry is in a very strong position IN
the Northwest. The southern lumber
and naval stores industry SHOWS genera
Improvement and even in the racine
Northwest there are signs OF reactlcu
from the late intense depression. An
thracite coal is strong and acuNe WIN
stocks small. and in bituminous it IS a
question of deliveries rather than OF ue-
mand that worries the trade
I'm d~istributive trade the
ness of cotton goods demand Is stlH q
feature, but signs Of improvement are
seen here. In wooden goods the strength
of the raw material seems to fore
shadow good trade despite the unWll-
ingness of some buyers to accept recent
advances. Hardware seems to be IN
n-nn-r7v~n Iar1ran1 the GOnnfTX over.
Iron and steel prices are steady at re-
cent revisions except in the case OF Ola
material. which is weaker. Copper
seems easier after the late squirt ana
lead is lower. Shoe buying for spring
is not yet brisk at the east but manu-
facturers have fair orders on hand and
shipments equal a year g at TINS
time. Leather is strong despite weak
ness in hides, u to quality rather than
The tendency is for general buying
to expand at the east, though progress
in agreement on prices is slow
@Business failures in the United
States for the week ending u 70,
number Us against 304 last week: az ln
the like week last year. 2S0 in l9OS' 5v5
in 1902. and 23S in 1901. In Canada
failures for the week number AZ as
against 81 last week and IS in this week
r. G. Dun & COS Weekly Review of
Trade says:
storms at home and complications
abroad tended to check activity IN COM
merciaI and financial markets, but most
Industrial lines continue busy. testify
ing to confidence thar trade Interrupt
ton will be brief. Prior to the PAD
weather there was a Hoeral olstriou-
ton of merchandise at steady prices,
but subsequently a sharp advance oc-
Cured in retail prices of food products
owing to restricted receipts at points OF
heavy consumption Country mer-
chants at the south have large stocks
that move slowly because of the decline
in cotton and collections are SLOW
New England manufacturing plants
are we'll engaged. especially in ma
chinery. 1ewelry and textiles, but buy
ers have left the Boston FOOTWEAR mar
kets without placing contracts owing
to disagreement as to prices. Foreign
at this port for the last week
shows a gain of S772.S24 in imports ana
a loss of 81. 69O,177 in exports, as com
pared with the same time in 1904 Rail-
way earnings in January were only a
per cent larger than last year.
production of pig iron continues at
the maximum rate, yet there IS no
evidence of a reaction Ampie Mater
supply has made it possible to main
tain Connellsville coke al
the remarkable average OF SoU,VVO
tons weekly, and prior to the storm
there was no difficulty as to transpor-
tation, but traffic is now delayed. The
output of sheets and bars could not be
increased materially, and tin plate
mills are fully engaged Even steel
rails are beginning to feel the effect of
confidence, several large
contracts increasing the amount of
business on the books to about 1r0OO,-
600 tons. Railway bridges will take a
large tonnage of structural steel, and
extensive building operations are
about to begin. 50 that this division of
the industry is in a fairly Encouraging
position. Pipe mills are assured of
full activity for some time to come
and preparations are being made for d
very large trade in agricultural imple-
v-nntu Machinery houses arc also i'm
better condition, partly BECAUSE of the
markets make less uniformity favor
able returns. Textile manufacturing
conditions remain practically without
alteration Much of the best news
comes from wooden mills, which have
large orders on hand.
Buyers of cotton goods in the pri-
mary markets continue to limit their
operations to immediate needs, and in
many cases nave deferred business en-
tirely in the expectation of much bet
ter terms later in the season.
Undoubtedly future conditions in
both branches of textile manufacture
must depend largely upon the raw
materials. Moderate supplies main
tain packer hides. There is no pres
sure to purchase in any department
and stocks of native steers are &C
cumulating rapidly. All foreign hides
are firm and some grades advanced.
Failures this week 3O5
in the United States. against 3O2 last
year, and 43 in Canada, compared
with % a year ago.
Bank Clearings.