The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-11-07
BUSINESS IS
IMPROVING
OCTOBER WAS A GOOD MONTH IN
AL LINES, ACCORDING TO THE
TRADESMAN.

The Tradesman this week says: DC
| tober rolled up a new record for tn
hardware trade in the South, exceed
/ ing the expectations of the most e.
perieuced dealers. Business was I'm
| usually good all through the month
| and what was equally as interesting
| collections were also unusually good
| Alone at the close of the month job
| bers began to feel slightly the effects
| of short cotton crops in certain dis
| tricts. burt this is so slight as &c
| amount to little. The high price OF
| the staple has made good the short
| age in strictly cotton neighbOrhOods
| and the general improvement in other
| lines of trade has helped to even
matters in sections not affected by the
! cotton crop
The feature of the hardware trade
| this week is the beginning of the hOII-
/ day movement which is materially
| felt in the larger jObbing centers ;
! specialties and articles incident TO
the holiday trade have moved at a
lively gait. Retailers have had a
| pleasant experience thus far this fall
1 and are ordering as if they were fully
| confident of the closing months of the
! year Caution on the part of manu-
facturers has prevented the jObbers
securing large stocks and some have
been inconvenienced by delay in ship
ments, but this caution promises to be
a blessing for the business as a whole.
Manufacturers are now preparing
their lines for the coming spring sea
son and preliminary preparations indi-
cate that the manufacturer sees no
storm clouds ahead for the business.
The average dealer processes now to
see in the next year a building boom
for the entire country and they are
making preparations accordingly.
Prices have remained pretty steady
for the past month and few advances
are anticipated.
Lumber.
Save for the car shortage that has
existed in numerous points the past
month, October, closed with few I'M
pleasant features for the lUmbermen
Of the South. In the pine sections
business has been unusually good and
the month witnessed the heaviesI
movement of the year. Railroads are
still buying literally and car manu-
facturers are actively in the market,
Indicating that there viii be no short
age of demand for some months. The
building season in the north is near
ing a close but manufacturing con-
sumers are making good what is lost
in yard trade. In the South building
operations appear as active and earn
est as at any time this year.
In the hardwood sections operators
are well pleased with their lot, al
though in some sections timber is
getting scarce and the harvest sea
son has curtailed stumpage operations
materially. Logs are very scarce in
many mill centeTs but country mills
are making their maximum cut
Prices in hardWOOds are gradually
climbing, both for choice dimensions
and for common stock. Poplar, quar-
tered oak, cherry, and chestnut have
brought record prices this week and
the tone of the market is excellent.
Iron and Coal.
Southern pig iron manufacturers
are holding pig iron firmly at $15 per
ton. Reports have been current re-
Gently that some concessions have
been made on this price, but can
vasS of the various Offices either in
person or by other means of inquiry
elicits but little information on this
score. The So per ton rate appears
to be a level that has been reached
and will be maintained for a while at
least. While some mention has been
made that foreign iron has been land
ed in the east, there is no appTehen-
sion that this fact is going to disturb
the future conditions. It may have
the effect of keeping down the quota
lions for a while. The manufacturers
of pig iron in the Southern territory
have repeatedly announced opposition
to a runaway market anyway and
therefore at the SI5 per ton price a
large quantity of iron is going to be
sold. Orders are now being taken
for iron with delivery into the first
half of the coming year, beyond the
first quarter. The probable make for
the last two months of this year and
the first three months of next year
has been nicely covered. The make
is going to be held up in this terri
tory. The production for October
went above 10000 tons in Alabama
with a corresponding increase in the
output in the other Southern states
The blowing in of the CHATTANOOGA
furnace of the Southern Iron and Steel
Company was one of the features Of
the Southern Iron market for the lat
ter part OF the past month.
Charcoal iron is attracting attpn-|
ton as well as basic iron and the
statement is made that Southern
manufacturers of both commodities
are feeling the effect Of a pronounced
improved condition. Basic iron in
large quantities has been sold recent
~. while charcoal iron will be shfDped
o.
ture- The railroads Of the north have
been making an inquiry as to South
eTn charcoal iron. The price of this
commodity is going up some, so to be-
the level ere long. Local car wheel
works are melting a large quantity of
iron the charcoal product being their
supply There are not many charcoal
furnaces in the South but what there
are can find a ready demand for the
goods.
Cast iron pipe and fOundries and
machine shop interests throughout
the entire South appear to have a
good line of orders in hand and the
melt with them will be healthy for
some time to come. This means ac-
tivity at the furnaces.
The raw material supplies for IRON
making are holding up steadily. the
OILY interest wherein there is the
least apprehension being coke and
this is receiving some attention