Show DUNS UEVEBW Business Is Progressing Along Conservative Con-servative Lines New York Dec 7R G Dun Cos Weekly Review of Trade will say tomorrow Business is progressing progress-ing along conservative lines It is without with-out excitement and without great speculative activity but with a confident confi-dent undertone which Is to be explained largely by the fact that leading concerns con-cerns In most of the great industries have orders booked to employ their machinery at nearly full capacity during dur-ing months when curtailment was usual No not reduction in working force has appeared In lie last fortnight fort-night and a readjustment of wage schedules In some branches of the steel trade is affected without trouble Prices of commodities arc generally steady and holiday trade Is brisk at all points The South is particularly cheerful cheer-ful with cotton and thc rice crop coming com-ing m at very full prices There is no cause for alarm in the small volume of new business at iron and steel centers With the first sign of higher prices there came forward such a flood of contracts that mills and furnaces booked orders sufficient to keep thc full force employed for months Hence there has come a more quiet condition with less bidding for products Fortunately quotations were not forced up unreasonably during dur-ing the weeks greatest activity and now there Is no sign of depression On tho other hand bars are more firmly held while many Idle mills have resumed re-sumed In this department and sheet makers also insist on better terms Other forms of finished material aro steady and at most points pig Is unchanged un-changed although concessions are made for Bessemer at Pittsburg Numerous bridges arc being erected by lie railroads rail-roads and a heavy tonnage of structural struc-tural steel is taken Other railway supplies sup-plies ate in active demand with rolling roll-ing stock urgently sought Business in Iron KM particularly brisk at Chicago With slight moderation in domestic buying more attention is I given to ex noi ts tsHides Hides are easier especially for court try lines at Chicago Even after Die decline of the past two weeks the average is above the closing prices of October Wool remains steady and sales are less than half of last year Manufacturers purchase carefully i and tho goods market is unusually dull for the season For the flrstMlme In many weeks thc cereals exhibited strength and some nclvapce was to be expected after the extensive decline Wheat was started upward by thc foreign markets and prompt response here compelled covering of contracts Nothing of Im portance was learned regarding domes tic conditions aside from the heavy marketing at interior cities as Indicated Indi-cated by l Western receipts of 5825103 bushels against 3002798 In the previous week On the other hand exports from the Atlantic coast cities were only 2214400 bushels against 3359077 bushels In 1S99 Failures for the week were 287 in tlie United States against 221 last year and 25 in Canada against 35 laat year |