Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 122, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1904 — COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL

Dun’s weekly review, CbiMQO. of Chicago trade says: a ‘ Business conditions exhibit continued gathering of strength, the period of resumption now being clearly distinct in the Industrial branches. The main factors encourage confidence in the outlook. The financial situation shows ease and mercantile defaults are small. Weather conditions have been a stimulant to the consumption of seasonable commodities, resulting iu increased retail merchandising. Buying of staple goods for the interior maintained gratifying volume, numerous supplementary orders being a feature. Transactions showed well throughout the leading jobbing divisions, especially in dry goods, men’s furnishings, women’s apparel, millinery and footwear. Local dealers purchased more freely. This trade for some time past has beeii backward, but now presents renewed activity and a better disposition to increase stocks. Manufacturing has steadily gained, and much less idle machinery and larger working forces are seen as contrasted with a month ago.. New building enterprises are in further evidence, assuring, g busy future and the use of enormous quantities bf material. Bank clearings, $187,103,167, are-9 per cent over those a year ago. Choice commercial paper was in fair supply' and money rates firm, 5 per cent prevailing for new business. Failures reported in the Chicago district number 21, against 27 last week and 26 a year ago.

Bradstreets’ weekly Nev York. report has this to say of J trade in general: Despite irregularities, due to warm weather conditions or to reductions in crop movement, trade, as a Wll'eile, maintains a satisfactory volume. Nothing of a boom character is to, .be but many lines show gains over the corresponding period of 19(13; confirmation of this being found 1U beptren record September railway earnings and clearings enlarged over last October's weekly totals. Our foreign trade returns are irregular, in that, while showing record cotton shipments for the season, our wheat export trade has practically disappeared, our export flour trade has shrunk greatly and corn shipments are likewise very small. Provisions experts show a shrinkage, but cattle, oil, copper, iron and steel and general manufactured exports show gains. Exports of leading agricultural products, despite tlie record shipments of cot< ton, are the smallest for any nine mohths reported since 1897. Business failures in the United States for the week ending Oct. 13 number 196, against 195 last week, 203 in the like week in 1903, 203 in 1902, 198 in 1901, and 223 in 1900. In Canada failures for the week number 18, as against 19 last week and 17 In this week a year ago.