New-York tribune., 1910-01-02
CONDITION OF TRADE.
Bradstreet's S saws:

Quiet has followed the preceding weeks
rush OF business in retaii lines, while in
wholesale lines statesmen are I'm from the
road and inventorying is general. All OBJ
tainable information points to a satisfac-
tory-in many sections, indeed. a record
volume of business done in the wear lust
closed, and the feeling is general that
still more satisfactory twelvemonth faces
the country's commercial and manufacture
results come from the West and Northwest
while the least satisfactory come from
damage has prevented fullest advantage
being taken of the high prices of cotton
The month just closed is conceded to have
been one of the coldest on record and
some lines of staple retail trade hitherto
tagging nave been greatly benefited. A
heavy tsy snow covering is reported generally
augurs well for that otherwise well stu
ated plant, while the extension of the area
Serious Check to tne fd sDntd gives M nope Of t
There is some complaint, however. in the
northeast that cold. freezing weather ar
and that the soil and the streams will not
be as much benefited as earlier expected
In wholesale and iobbing lines A large-if
not, indeed. record-spring business has
been booked, and it is noted that the holi-
day shutdowns in industry will not be as
Prices of commodities show undiminished
strength. and some of the highest prices of
the year We're made in the last week Cot
ton, for instance. reached and passed l6
cents, price never heretofore reached at
this date since war times. Live hogs also
leading Western markets Cold weather
and interruption to transportation are cred
tied with bringing about this and also af-
fecting the price of wheat which has also
been stimulated by the covering OF Decem-
Der shorts The grain movement, partly af-
light. Coal has been IN improved demand
especially at the West. where stormy
weather threatened serious fuel shortages
Milder weather and the efforts of the rail-
ways will. 1t is believed, ward off this dan
ger, however
Dun's Review says:
Except for the holiday trade which has
been active and indicative of the substan-
tial prosperity Of the country, there has
been the moderate trade recession usual in
the closing week of the year The big
storm has served also to retard distribu-
ton. while the railroad strike continues a
cause of some disturbance. The effect of
the high price of cotton is felt to some
extent in the drygoods trade making for
greater caution on the part Of both pro-
ducers and buyers; but after making due
allowances for these drawbacks the fact
remains that the year closes with general
industrial and mercantile conditions in ex-
cellent shape. and while there ars prob
lens OF high prices involving contentious
between capital and labor. and problems
corporations TO the public. these are no
more serious or acute than those which
confront the business community at all
iron and steel industry ana other trades
the volume OF transactions remains very
heavy. as is clearly indicated by the bank
clearings, which show gains OF 1876 per cent
at New York and OF 1914 per cent outside
New York, and by the railroad earnings
which in the first three weeks of Decem-
Der ran ~ per cent ahead of last year
The reports from the leading trade centres
are almost without exception OF an op-
timisuc character, and the week brings 10
a close a year of recovery from business
depression which even In this country OF
rapid changes has been unequalled in our
records Foreign commerce returns con
tinue to show an immense volume of inn
ports At the port Of New York in the
latest week the imports were $40, ,763. .636,
being S9.b33,34S in excess OF exports S. lgO-
736 larger than the imports In the CORE
spending week of last year and 81 75l ee1
heavier than in 1907