Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1906 — COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL

CbiCaQO. industries, indicate a susproduction and distribution and bank •exchanges again show larger. New demands for finished products add to the pressure upon facilities, but prompt deliveries cannot be negotiated from lack of adequate transportation. Price changes command more attention in a higher general average, the developments having steadied hides, firmed up leather, lumber and wool, and turned, dearer for iron and steel, owing to greater cost of ore for next season. Values of foodstuffs in the primary markets have also been affected, but these are mainly slightly lower and harmonize more closely with the abundant supplies. Retail dealings reflect a seasonable expansion, and, although the jobbing branches show more quiet, reorders frequently appear in dry goods and footwear for Western points. Interiftr advices denote sales of merchandise thus far equal to expectations and demand for heavy-weight apparel ? improving with colder weather. Mercantile collections throughput most of the tributary -region are prompt, and it is encouraging that defaults make a small total and include none with heavy liabilities. The conditions predicate consumption exceeding all former proportions anfl, the outlook for business of increasing aggregate during the rest of this year is decidedly promising. Manufacturing steadily gathers strength for future operations. * Notwithstanding the advancing eost of materials and labor little hesitancy is observed In entering upon heavy undertakings. This is emphasized in the number of new enterprises initiated ind additions to existing plants to rc lieve the present pressure. Iron and steel producers find the efforts to accumulate surplus stocks beyond them. Failures reported in the Chicago district numbered 19, against 22 last week and 21 a year ago.—Dun’s Review of Trade. r~ ~ ' | Greater confidence, reN6V lOrk. (suiting from the election; ‘ marked advances in wages of railway employes; the greatly improved collections; large filling in arders, indicating heavy consumption; good business on spring aeeount; a continued scarcity of labor, and record breaking outputs of iron and steel, are pre-eminent features of the week. Weather conditions, except in portions of the Northwest, have been quite favorable; retail trade has been active, business from jobbers has been larger than ordinary, and wholesalers report heavy orders booked for spring delivery. As for a long time past, however, complaints of slow deliveries on orders are almost universal, cotton, dry goods, lumber, coai and Iron and steel dealers all complaining. Car congestion 'explains some of this, and, with present prices of grain, accounts for slow movement from the farms, but scarcity □f labor Is reported largely responsible for the backward deliveries of dry zoods. —Bradstreet’s Commercial Report