The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-09-02
CONN. NATL BANK SEES PROSPERITY AHEAD FOR
 AMERICAN SHIPPERS

were only 904 thousand bales on Au- gust 1st, compared with 95s on the same day last year. During July, 30,- 1 677,0OO spindles were active compared with 3o,o23,00O a year ago.
 Pig iron production for July was 1.- SoS thousand tons compared with 1,- SIS the previous month and 2,561 in July 1913. July production recorded over the previous month. August 1st saw 18S furnaces in blast with a daily capacity of 64,0OO tons.
 Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes for the first half of the year were only 9,624 thousand tons com pared with 16,125 thousand for the first half of 1913. Shipments for this year are estimated at 37 million tons to compare with 49 million tons last year.
 The unified tonnage Of the Steel Corporation at the last report was A. 159 thousand tons compared with A. 033 thousand tons the previous month. The developments in Europe will re- move the foreign competition and may cause heavy exports to the L1atin-Amer jean countries The~ steel business generally should benefit rather than suffer from European conditions. The last quarterly report of. the Steel Cor poration shows earnings of over 20 million dollars compared with less than 8 millions for the previous quar- ter Earnings for the last quarter, however, left a deficit of million dol lars. The Corporation has declared it's usual. dividends.
 No authoritative reports on copper are being issued until conditions be come settled, but the quantity of cop per needed for European consump- uon will naturally decrease and ex- 1a.a large enough to make up the loss. As a. result of the present conditions, the visible supply of copper has increased and prices have decreased.
 The visible supply of tin in the world. on August I. was 1e,s76 tons country's visible supply was 1,297 tons. The price of pig tin has about doubled, the increase being caused by the discontinuance of tin imports. The visible supply in this country is very small and we produce very little of the raw material.
 Anthracite coal shipments for July were 5,392 thousand tons compared with 5,488 thousand tons a. year ago. The demand is irregular. The Bitu- minous coal situation should be greatly benefited by the war, as much export trade instead of going west, and the western coal must take care of this country's demands.
 Gold production in the Transvaal for July was 732 thousand ounces compared with 655 thousand ounces 9 year ago. This is the largest months production since June. 1913.
 Commodity prices have been arbi- trart1y advanced in most cases, all though some of the advances are jus tif1ed by changed conditions resulting from the European war. The prices fiees I7saTy been. increased as much as 5 per cent. or 10 per cent. in the wholesale mar ket. although the actual average in crease in commodity prices justified by conditions should not exceed i per cent to 2 per cent. The greatest prices and these have no doubt been occasioned largely by fear of a. short age of commodities. There is no basis for fixing prices on imported goods, goods which are usually brought in from the countries now can get for them, as no more can be had for the present. Prices gener- ally will advance, but many of the sensational advances already recorded are not in any way justified by con- ditionS As an example: The big crop of sugar ibeets and tffe fair crop of cane sugar coupled with the unus. uaIly large supply on hand at the re- fneries should have held sugar prices at very little above their former level.
 The corn crop is about the same as last year, which means that it is below the average of the past ten years This will make feed high enough to cause growers to market a fair percentage of their dive stock this fall. Live animals on the hoof at the farm have not advanced in price, although meat prices have ad- vanced materially. There is good reason for some advance in the farm prices of live animals.
 With the large crops produced this year, the farmers would have been compelled to be content with cornpar- .atively low prices had it not been for the European War. The total volume of all craps produced this year sets a new high record for this country. and because of recent and prosp ect- i've price advances, the total amount received for these crops will be lar ger than ever before. It is estimated that the 1 principal crops will bring the farmers six billions of dollars. crops and live stock raised this year and these together with the minor will bring the farmers about eleven billions of dollars.
 It will be impossible for. us to i'm dicate in this report the future trend of business further than to say that business in this country must improve whether the European lificulties are settled or whether they continue in definitely. if this country continues to maintain an absolute neutral attitude.
 Four years old Thomas Bromley, so Highland avenue, played on table