Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1905 — COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL

Business generally made an increasingly satisfactory exhibit. Less

Chicago,

hindrance was feH in local deliveries, the distribution of leading commodities remained of large volume and new demands upon producers were well maintained. Iron and steel output exceeds all former tonnage records, finished woodwork and building material are in strong request, testifying to further activity in construction, and the shipments of staple merchandise reached an increased aggregate. Weather influences Induced wider dealings in the principal retail branches and the buying of wearing apparel, footwear, household and vacation needs surpassed that of a year ago. This improvement is also found in the interior stores. The result has been a rapid depletion of stocks and urgent demands upon jobbers for reassortments. Manufacturing moves steadily, firmness in prices and new commitments obtained furnishtig a solid basis in the metal, wood and leather departments. Western railroad .traffic again exceeds the tonnage carried a year ago and the local movement of grain ran close upon 8,000,000 bushels. The markets for grain were active in the futures and quotations were manipulated upward, but little change for the better appeared in the cash division. Receipts were 4,142,412 bushels, against 3,883,334 bushels for the corresponding week last year, and the shipments, 4,081,007 bushels, coin-' pared with 3,018,443 bushels. Provisions were In liberal supply and had an easier tendency on larger packing. Receipts of live stock aggregated 288,822 head, against 271,727 a year ago. Shippers bought carefully and quotations declined. Compared with the closings a week ago, prices advanced in wheat 6 cents per bushel, corn 1% cents and oats 1 cent, but receded in sheep 15 cents a hundredweight, hogs 7% cents, cattle 5 cents, pork 12% cents per barrel and lard 7% cents. Failures reported in Chicago district number seventeen, against thirty last week and sixteen a year ago.— Dun’s Trade Review.

Nev York.

Improvement, mirrored forth some ■weeks ago in the phrase "better feel-

Ing,” has broadened and assumed more tangible form this week, stimulated by seasonable weather, resulting crop improvement, better retail trade, improved reorder business and larger sales for fall account. Advices are best from the great surplus producing regions of the West. Irregular weather conditions, largely duo to heavy rains, color reports from Northwestern and lake sections. Crude iron still sags, though finished products, particularly rails and structural materials, are in active demand. Bank clearings are, comparatively speaking, heavy, railway earnings are large, deposits in banks show largo Increases, commodities are apparently going into consumption more readily, and building, as heretofore, is active, with resulting strength of prices. Money is easy and the tone of the securities markets is more cheerful. Failures are few and unimportant. Indications, in fact, are that a corner has been turjied, and that the future is viewed more optimistically than for three months past. Business failures for the week ending June 22 number 157, against 175 last •week, 215 in the like week in 1904, 171 in 1903, 153 in 1902 and 196 in 1901. In Canada failures for tho week number twenty-three, against twenty-four last week and twentythree in this week a year ago.—Bradstreet’s Commercial Report.