The San Francisco call., 1908-09-06
TRADE DOMINATED
BY CONSERVATISM
Disposition Is to Order Only
Necessities Until Election I'M
certainty Is Removed
Building Expands in Western
Cities, but Shows Falling
Off on Whole

NEW YORK. Sept 4.-Bradstreets
today says:
Fall jobbing trade and to a lesser
extent retail demand has been helped
this week by the advent of cooler
weather. the opening of the season of
fall festivities and the continuance of
buyers excursions. Hence the con-
sensus of reports that distribution has
expanded at leading northwestern and
southwestern markets, while there is
further gain shown at many southern
centers. Enlargement of crop move
ments. particularly winter wheat and
cotton. has also made a further i'm
provement in collections. which at
many points are normal But the
weight of testimony in that trade is
still below the same period of last
year, when contraction was already in
evidence. Conservatism, in fact, still
governs buying operations and there is
a disposition to order merely for i'm
mediate necessities pending a clearer
view of the political outlook and the
reaping of the later autumn crops.
Industrial reports show that there is
an expansion in output. Iron and steel
productions of from so to so per cent
of the full capacity and the settle
ment of the Alabama coal miners and
the New England paper makers strikes
further gain IN the output of lumber,
particularly in the south and the Pa
cifc northwest The building trade is
expanding at western cities, but the
preliminary August report shows
larger decrease from a year ago than
was shown in July or June, owing to
heavy decreases at New York city.
Business failures in the United States
for the week ending September num-
ber 210, against 236 last week, $50 in
the like week of 1907. 121 in 1906, 1877
in 1905 and IA in 1904, and Canadian
failures for the same period number IL
as compared with 81 last week and IS
last year
Wheat, including flour exports from
the United States and Canada for the
week ending September 3, aggregate
5,396,026 bushels, against 4,535,503 of
last week and 2.923,71o this week last
year.
For the ten weeks ending Septem-
Der this year the exports are 32,o94,-
327 bushels. against 29,209,11S in the
corresponding period last year.
Corn exports for the week are 40.051.
against 39,10s last week and 507,104 in
1907
For the ten weeks ending September
3 the corn exports are 493,2 ,242 bushels.
against 1S,137.6 $50 in the same period
last year
NEW 1Ohh, sept 4--ts. u. DUN =
Weekly Review of Trade today says:
The steady decrease in percentage of
idle machinery and number of idle
freightcars swells the amount OF
money distributed among wage earners
and gradually increases the volume of
retail trade AS stocks of merchandise
in the stores of retailers become de-
pleted there is more confidence regard
ing the future, and contracts are made
covering deliveries up to the end of the
year; but conservatism still dominates
the situation, and many plans will not
materialize into anything tangible an
til the election uncertainty is removed
two months hence. -
Liabilities of commercial failures
would have compared favorably with
those of the same month last year but
for three large suspensions, one OF
which was speculative and had no effect
on legitimate business. Packer hides
are fully maintained despite declines in
some other varieties, notably country
buffs.