The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-16

but the aggregate production IN guam
tity and value has been holding up with
remarkable regularity for more than a
decade, a fact which goes far to prove
the correctness of the claim that we
have passed the point of danger of great
crop disasters In the United States. This
does not prevent people who like to keep
we'll informed from getting hold OF every
scrap Of reliable news from the field
bearing on all the important crops.
One feature of the financial district
which does not ind place in the current
daily records is the renewed activity in
a large way OF international syndicates
There are many of these representing i'm
llanse capital. whose business it is to
back enterprise and get behind and under
a great variety OF exploitation projects.
These syndicates are of great variety and
specialize their work. They take IN
everything from mining, railroad con-
struction. development of water power
and the application of invention and
scientific processes. Large sums have
been invested lately by some of these
syndioates and important contracts en-
tered into involving development work for
many years ahead. Little is heard about
these enterprises as negotiations are car
rled on quietly in fact, almost entirely
without newspaper notoriety Advertise
ment is the one thing they seem to avoid.
There are not many of the big mar
ket leaders present on the stage of Wall
street. So many of them are away That
IL seems strange to the uninitiated thar
the stocks in which they are known to
be interested can keep so strong and &C
tive. Mr.. Morgan gave no sign OF re-
turning from Europe and neither does
Mr.. Schiff William Rockefeller and
James Stillman are abroad and Mr. Har-
riman is soon to join them. John w
Gates, too intends to sail soon. Mr. D.
G. Reid has Just returned and since ne
got back there has been great activity
in the Rock Island issues and Canadian,
which are recognized as his pets. N y.
Ream says he is getting ready to quit
active business. Thomas f. Ryan has
been saying the same thing for couple
of years, but he is one of the men who
will never quit until the undertaken car
ries him to his last home. Mr.. Ryan
just now Is doing the background, deep
sea work incident to the amalgamation or
the Traction interests of New York Mr..
Hawley is one of the men who stays right
here on the job, and his stocks are among
the live things In the market. Mr.. II. Z.
F'rick also Keeps himself within the reach
OF the ticker, and his market interests are
supposed to be very heavy. OF Mr.. Frick
1t is said that he has more than recouped
the enormous losses he suffered during
the panic year, when he is reported to
have dropped more than s50,oOO,oo0.
That erstwhile Joke" Hooking Coal
and Iron, continues to attract attention
for the remarkable strength 1t displays in
the face of unfriendly criticism. 1t at
tracts attention all out of proportion to
the size of the property and has arrayed
against 1t q number of spectators or
unusual conversational ability who refuse
to believe that there Is anything in the
certified reports of oil on and near the
lands of the company. The stock ex-
change had a good laugh two or three
days ago over a story of the antics of a
little group of chronic Bears on the spe-
cialty who were victimized by a ticker
boy in a big commission house, who
called off fake sales for about 5000 shares
and broke the market 10 points in about
10 minutes He had the bunch crazy.
The story got wide circulation and cost
the victims many d cold bottle.
There are no indications of setback
in the iron and steel trade. The speed
may not be quite as rapid as some had
predicted, but it will be fast enough.
Railroads are beginning to send in their
orders for rails and new equipment, and
everything points to a swelling volume
of business.
For months there has been a steady in
vestment absorption of the preferred
stocks of many of the industrials. In fact
very few of the preferred issues are neg
lected The near approach of the passage
of the new tariff law has added to the
demand for this class of securities.
The declaration of dividend of so per
cent on the stock of United Metal Selling
company, amounting to S250O,000, is one
of the cheerful incidents of the week.