The Washington times., 1922-07-09
.TRADEQU|ETER
DURING WEEK,
REVIEWS SHOW
Bradstrset- Dun Report Says
Holiday Creates
Dullness.

Holiday Creates
Dullness.
Quieter conditions In the general
last night by the weekly trade re
views. The holiday and weather
worked together to create dullness
Bradstreet's food index number
stood at $3.26, compared with 1921
At the end Of the preceding week
Of the eighty-one commodities Of
all kinds quoted, twenty-six ad
vanced, ten declined and forty-fivt
remained unchanged.
Advances were noted in flour
wheat, red; corn, rye -four, pork
mess; cheese. sugar, raw; sugar, re
fined; beans. eggs, lambs, live; print
cloths, gray goods, brown sheetings
linseed oil, hides. hay. pig iron
basic. pig iron. southern; car wheels
old, Chicago: steel scrap, Pittsburgh
steel scrap, Chicago; cast iron, Chi
cago; coke and spelter. .......,-.
The items which declined In
cluded wheat, spring; barley. short
ribs. butter. coffee. cotton-seed oil
apples. hogs. live; pig iron. Besse
mer and lead.
The following items remained
without price change: Oats, corr
flour, hams. tallow, lard, tea
tapioca, peas, peanuts. potatoes
rice, molasses, raisins, currants
prunes. lemons. live beeves. live
sheep. Pacific hops. New York hops
condensed milk, evaporated milk
macaroni. cotton, ginghams, Ohio
delaine wool, Ohio half-blood wool
refined petroleum, crude petroleum,
gasoline, leather, Bessemer- steel
biilets, open hearth steel billcts,
steel rails, steel bars. philadelphia
old car wheels. wire nails, tin
plates, copper. antimony, tin, vel
low pine, Adirondack spruce. Penn
syivania hemlock and Douglas fir,
Discussing the general business
situation, Bradstreet's notes the fol-
lowing outsta anding elements:
Trade has been quieter, holidays
and weather Irregularities reducing
operations In both trade and indus.
try. but the fading Of the menace OF
a general strike of auxiliary railroad
workers has made for a quite cheer.
full tone. The transportation indus
try has continued to function with
strikingiy little friction, despite the
.walkout Of the railroad shopmen, or
mechanics. For this, the partial
nature Of the strike-all the shop.
mon not going out-and the failure
Of the strike to be extended to track
workers, telegraphers, and clerical
workers, was mainly responsible.
Passenger and freight movements
have been only slightly interfered
with. despite the holiday rush.
THE deadlock In the coal trade
has continued with little apparent
effect Of the talked of Government
interference in that trouble, but the
effect Of the midyear holidays and
Of the unsettled railroad labor situa.
ton has been to lower coal produc.
ton and advance coal and coke
prices. The fluctuation in the latter
product In recent years is shown by
the fact that prices are double those
Of q year ago. but only half those Of
two summers ago. The general COM
modify price movement IL upward.
advances outnumbering declines
nearly three to one, but the weekly
food index IL a shade lower, due to
seasonal influences on some prod.
ucts. Bank clearings show a good
gain over last year, and failures
have decreased In holiday week"
Dun's review Of conditions says as
follows:
The obstacles to business re.
covery have been increased by the
railroad labor troubles, but there
has been no general setback. Holi.
day interrutions, inventories and
vacations have added their restraint
upon operations. yet evidence Of
improving conditions IL still pres.
ent. With the issuance Of another
months statistics of production II
Ia seen that previous gains have
been extended, as In the iron in.
dustry, and the expansion Of manu-,
featuring means that more work.
ers are finding employment. While
continued tdieness results from
strikes at coal mines and elsewhere,
progress is not wholly checked by
these drawbacks and each week
brings the disputes nearer q settle.
ment. That prices may be further
advanced II adjustments Of the con,
troversies are not soon effected ID
conceivable, and certain commodi.
ties have already risen sharply in
cost because Of the restriction OF
supplies.
Even In some lines where out.
put has not been curtailed by labor
difficulties. prices have tended
strongly upward under the stimulus
OF q broadening demand, and
monthly index numbers have re.
flected the changed position of diff.
ferent markets. The pressure for
prompt deliveries, which has been
Of comparatively recent develop.
ment. demonstrates that some con.
sumers' needs are urgent, and
various sellers who formerly took
the initiative in negotiations now
await buyers action"