Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1904 — COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL

Special telegrams from correspondents of the International Mercantile Agency throughout the United States and Canada report a eheei* to the exceptionally good general trade in the Southwest due to wet weather, an improvement in the central West following moie "’Seasonable conditions, but some disturbance in returns as to increased labor troubles and in the conflicting reports of the Condition of tlie winter-sown wheat.

A depressing influence is shown by the strike of lowa soft coal miners and dissensions in Pennsylvania, in addition to bitterness of the struggle between strikers and tlie militia in Colorado and the prospect for another tie-up of the Mew York City building industry. Advices from tlie Southwest are that winter wheat lias improved, with good rains. In the central West tlie plant is generally well rooted, but thin on the ground. Western centers say good corn is scarcer than for years. Reports are numerous of the poor condition of cribbed corn.

Chicago and New York mail orders and reports from visiting buyers begin to point to the prospect for an increasing volume of business in staple merchandise and retail trade has been the best in a long while. In Pittsburg the March business in steel and iron is the best in six mouths, with tlie tendency to larger outputs and some advances in prices.

Speculative activity in stocks has turned on tlie results to follow the dissolution of tlie Northern Securities merger. Conjecture lias pointed to a probable renewal of old projects looking to further community of interest in the railroad world, especially in the transcontinental field. Manifest accumulation of Union Pacific on a large scale Is the most substantial basis for a flood of rumors.

Money has ruled very easy, railroad triiiHc is reported rather belter, cheerful conditions exist in the coal trade, the copper market is active and improvement is reported in the iron trade, with some doubts professed, however, of the maintenance of tlie United States Steel preferred dividend rate. Tlie latter will be fixed on Tuesday next. Canadian wholesale merchants and manufacturers report good gains in nearly all lines now that railroads have gotten free of the car congestion handicap. Demand for .iron and steel is better than for some time. Coal companies are planning to increasS their outputs. Requests for spring and summer goods are noteworthy and bank clearings are increasing.