Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-08
Hartman Stocks Buoyant;
Market Generally Strong.
STEEL COMMON is ACTIVE
Government Crop Report Furnishes
No Surprise.
HEAVY PROFIT.TAKING SALES
American Shares Ruled Firm in Lon
HEAVY PR0F1T-TAKING SALES
American Shares Ruled Firm in Lon
don Market Over the Holidays
Here, With Slight Changes.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. September S.-The stock
market today was generally but by no
means uniformly strong. All the stocks
bearing the Hartman label We're quite
huoyant, but otherwise the maximum ad-
vances in the railway list were not par
ticularly extensive.
The Industrial and miscellaneous shares
moved 'irregularly, with exceptional
strength showing In United States Steel
common and Republic Iron and Steel pre-
ferred The railroad equipment shares
were for the most part heavy and Ameri-
can Locomotive broke very sharply after
an early advance of over one point. The
selling in the last named stock was ap-
parently based upon misgivings with re.
gard to the rate of dividend which. ac
cording TO precedent, ought to be fixed
about a week hence.
Strength Not Explained.
There was no particular explanation of
the aggressive strength of United States
Steel common. which was one of the
most active features of the whole market
except that furnished by the familiar ar
gument that the stock will look cheap
when it sells eX the quarterly dividend to-
morrow. Rather vague reports were cur
rent, however, that the next dividend on
the stock would be declared at an ad-
vanced rate. although this would seem
to be improbable in view of the practical
certainty OF tariff revision next spring.
Brooklyn Rapid Transit was moderately
active. but moved irregularly. and little
was done elsewhere in the traction group
In general way the aggressive
strength of the Erie shares. Southern Pa
cffic. Union Pacific and in smaller degree
Baltimore and Ohio, was associated with
the address delivered by f. III. Hartman
at Portland, Ore, yesterday. Whether
that was a sufficient explanation of their
exceptional animation might be open to
question, but at all events it was the
most immediate and only direct reason
which was advanced.
American shares ruled firm in the Lon
don stock market over the holidays here
but this mornings quotations showed
them quoted at small and irregular
changes in comparison with New York
closing prices of Friday. Operations here
1or foreign account showed, however a
considerable excess of purchases and the
arbitrage firms were particularly large
buyers of the Erie issues
Crop Report Figures.
ferhaps the most important news of
the day was that set forth in the gov
eminent crop report. although the figures
furnished no great surprise of the grain
trade As will be seen elsewhere, the con-
dltion of the spring wheat crop tallies
closely with that of year ago. while
material reduction in the condition of the
corn crop was exhibited
Money market circumstances were a
shade hrmer than those of last week. but
the change was not material enough to
excite much attention
Ihere was very large increase in the
volume of business in comparison with
saturdays dealings. but naturally there
was considerable concentration of ac-
tivity In the stocks mentioned above.
quite heavy profit-taking sales were con-
quoted throughout the day, but these
round little reflection in the tone of the
STOCK market until we'll along in the
afternoon, when the dealings assumed a
more irregular appearance and a number
or substantial reactions from the days
highest levels were scored