Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1901 — COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL

Encouraging reports conNew York. inue to come from all jobbing lines. Interior merchants have had a larger trade than anticipated and dry goods houses are well supplied with reassuring orders for all classes of goods. The big rush among the jobbers for holiday goods has reached its maximum, but there will be enough buying to keep houses busy for the next two weeks. The buying of clothing of late has been the best ever witnessed at this season. Complains still exist about the slowness of deliveries, but manufacturers are gradually catching up. Buying of iron and steel continues active in all lines and there is a great deal -of speculation going on as to what effect it will have on future prices. There has been the largest tonnage of pig iron placed for delivery in 1902 that has ever been known at this season. Dun’s review says: Careful search discloses few unfavorable factors in the iron and steel situation. Probably the least satisfactory conditions are found at plate mills, which report an uneven distribution of orders. A few large concerns appear to secure the bulk of new busihess, but heavy orders for cat’s will largely expand the buying, while the new combination will put this class of mills on a stronger basis. It is certain that the greatest force on record is now engaged in the various departments of iron and steel making. Raw material at the South has advanced, but at central points pig iron is steady, though rapidly absorbed. A review of the markets Phipann for the past week develops these facts: While sentiment has been favorable to better grain prices, the changes last week, as during the week before, were really not large or important, so sentiment has really counted for little excepting, perhaps, in preventing declines. Fluctuations, too, have been narrow, even though there has been a pretty fair speculative trade in all the cereals, much of it, however, local and” professional, outside interest being only moderate. Shipping and export demands for wheat have been relatively small, milling demands very fair, while for corn demands have come largely again from sections in the South, Southeast and Southwest, where the crop of 1901 was largely a failure. The best demands have been for oats, and for this reason that grain has been relatively stronger than the others, best prices on the crop thus far having been reached last week. Some little improvement in export demands were noted, The Western situation continues to be the factor in corn. It has not changed to any extent within a week, except that previous predictions of a scarcity are being confirmed. Hashing operations show that the yield ir more disappointing as work progresses, and this may lead to a reduction in the estimates by the Agricultural Depaitment in its final figures. Provisions last week, after being weak and lower on heavy receipts of hogs, suddenly started up and pork advanced 80c a barrel in three days, lard advanced nearly %c a pound, and ribs %c. The week's hog receipts wore surprisingly heavy, being the largest at this season in ten year’s, and were the best of the year, aggregating 281,000, against 241,000 last year. At Western points there was also a big run, and receipts aggregated 626,000, compared with 548,000 the previous week, and were 98,000 more than last year.