The Washington times., 1924-09-20
TRADE REVIEWS
SEE BETTER
BUSINESS
General Situation Shows
Broadening Demand in
Many Quarters

Moderate improvement In business
during the past week is seen by
Bradstreet's and Dun's reviews.
with cautious buying still some
what prevalent and cross currents
visible in many lines. The tendency
still IL to pay more attention to
current requirements than to fu-
ture needs, Dun;s review says.
while Bradstreet.s says the word
Improvement" must be qualified by
the term moderate"
The spell Of cool weather follow
ing closely upon the summers
highest temperatures has been help
full to retail trade. which has also
been reflected in the wholesale mar.
ket. Conditions throughout the
West and South continue to be.
generally favorable, while the price
of farm products stays in high
been aided by break in the
uniform. however.
Steel Trade.
e'RaiIroad buying continues the
important feature Of the steel
trade. but competition holds opera
|tions somewhat in. check. as the
mills are indisposed to meet con-
cessions that are urged. The chief
activity is in the West. The de-
nand for structural steel has fallen
off. but inquiry for sheet steel
from automobile builders is said
to be greater. Output is estimated
at slightly under, so per cent OF
capacity" Dun's review states.
1.-THE corner appears to have been
turned in the primary dry goods
markets. with the trend at present
distinctly toward restarting ma
chinery. With lower cotton in sight
larger export demands are expected.
Price reductions are reported In
print cloths, drills and sheetings.
while recent reductions in colOred
goods remain unchanged.
I. Optimism in connection with
prospects for fall and winter trade
is growing steadily more general in
the Dominion of Canada, according
to dispatches to Dun's review from
branch offices. Weather conditions
In. many sections have stimulated
retail demand for clothing. under.
wear, footwear and other season
able staples and this, together with
fairly active industrial operations
and the high prices ruling for the
chief farm products, is reflected in
more confident placing OF orders
by both city and country mer-
chants"
Corn Is making slow progress
toward maturity, and 20 to SO per
cent of the acreage in leading
States is said to still need two or
three weeks Of warm weather to
mature. OnA-third Of the countrys
crop will not be beyond frost dam
age on the average date.
. Weekly Food Index Lower.
Bradstreet's Food Index Number,
based on the wholesale prices per
pound of thirty-one articles used for
food, is 1925, comparing with 1927
last week and 1892 for the week
ending September 20, 1928. This
weeks number shows a loss at
three.tenths of per cent from last
week and .1.8 per cent from the
like week of last year. OF the
eighty-two commodities of all kinds
quoted weekly seventeen advanced
as compared with last week, twenty.
two declined and forty-three re-
manned unchanged, as follows:
Increased-Flour, spring wheat.
barley, rye flour, sailed ribs, cheese.
coffee, eggs, oleo oil, Pacific hops,
New York hops, print cloths, Ohio
u -blood wool, old car wheels (Chi-
cag6), steel scrap pittsburgh, anti
n1ony and rubber.
Decreased-Red wheat, corn, oats.
talIow, hams, lard, butter, refined
sugar, cottonseed oil, tapioca.
beeves, hogs, lambs, cotton, gray
goods, linseed oil. Bessemer stesl
billets, open hearth and steel bill.
let's, steel bars. copper, tin and
Unchanged-Corn flour, mess
pork, smoked ribs, raw sugar, tea.
beans, peas, apples, peanuts. pora-
toes, rice, molasses, raisins, cur
rants, prunes, lemons, sheep, con-
densed milk, evaporated milk, maca.
roni. brown. sheetings, ginghams,
Ohio delaine wool, kerosene, crude
petroleum, gasoline, hides, leather,
hay. basic pig iron, Bessemer pig
iron, Southern pig iron, steel rails,
old car wheels Philadelphia), steel
scrap (Chicago). cast iron (Chicagol,
wire. nails, tinplates, coke, lead,
yellow pine, Adirondack spruce and
PennsNlVania hemlock.