People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1896 — THE TRADE REVIEW. [ARTICLE]

THE TRADE REVIEW.

BUSINESS SHOWS ING TENDENCIES. Certain Lines of Commerce Have 11» proved, but the General Sltuatlo» . Not Very Encouraging Hints o. > Gold Outflow. R. G. Dun & Co.’s weekly revic trade says: “No Important change has occuin the general condition of busiu during the week, and, if trades in sc. respects looks worse, in other respoc they look better. Some failures ut magnitude have occurred, which bavt caused much apprehension and unwillingness to lend among bankers, and there have been somewhat less favor able features in the dry goods market, but in iron and steel conditions are slightly improved, and in boots and shoes considerably more hopeful. The labor controversies, mainly in the clothing trade, still cause much interruption of that business. Foreign trade is a little more satisfactory, exports from f-’w York for three weeks showing an rease over last year of 6 per cent, \%..ile imports have shown nearly the same rate of decrease, and there are not wanting signs that the domestic markets have been somewhat overstocked by many kinds of foreign goods. In general, the course of domestic prices tends to favor the mar keting of staples abroad. “Wheat has gained about a point, but corn and cotton remain unchanged. Receipts of wneat at western points continue surprisingly large for a most unfavorable season, and make it hard to believe that the crop of 1895 was as small as estimates represent it, for such receipts amounted during the last week to 2,901,724 bushels, against 1,849,432 bushels last year, and for four weeks of March have been 11.884,205 bushels, against 7,4< >,361 bushels last year. There has been a slight increase in Atlantic exports this week, but in four weeks exports (flour included as wheat) were 5,488,118 bushels, against 6,488,109 bushels last year. “Cotton had a lively rise with the covering of short sellers, but began to decline again a week ago and has been lagging ever since. The receipts from plantations continue quite as large as in the same weeks of the last short crop year and stocks in sight,“with the quantities known to be held by European and American mills, make up an aipple supply for the rest of the crop year. “In the dry goods market the latest indications do not warrant expectations that the mills will continue full production throughout the season. The demand for woolen dress goods is the best feature of the woolen market, and there is about as much difficulty as at any time in men’s wear departments, the operations of clothiers being hindered not only by the prevalent strikes but by slackness of immediate demand. The sales of wool have fallen to less than half a week’s full consumption. A striking feature this week has been a sale of 350,000 pounds of American wool for shipment to England. “The iron and steel markets have disclosed a similar feature, for a little Alabama pig has been sold for export by the Slose company, though few imagine that much business of that sort is possible. The combination of lake ore producers has at last announced its prices for the coming season, $4 for first-class Bessemer, $3.40 to $3.70 for Mesaba and $3 for non-Bessemer ores, and it is calculated that with coke at $2 per ton Bessemer pig can be produced at about $12.25 at Pittsburg, which is now the current price there. But the slow marketing of finished products is still the main trouble. There has been a little more activity this week and the Carnegie works have sold 10,000 steel rails to Japan, thus scoring a noteworthy success, but in the main the market is as inactive and insufficient as it has been. “A heavy failure in Texas will also swell the aggregate of returns for the past week, which include 259 in the United States, against 234 last year, and thirty-nine in Canada, against fortytwo last year.’’