Show TONE OF BUSINESS BETTER Marked Activity Says Dun Is Seen in Distribution New York April 12fl G Duns Weekly Review of Trade will say tomorrow The tono of general business has been better this week Marked activity In the distribution distri-bution of merchandise Is reflected In the gains of 159 per cent In bank clearings at New York compared with Itfti and LCS per cent over IKjfl with gains of 153 and 108 for the same period at leading cities outside of Now York Kven the textile markets show pronounced gains Activity Activ-ity In the metal division hap taken pig Iron production so near record figures and some dealers do not see how production of portly finished forms this year Is to bo made to meet tho demand Thr Government report of the condition of wheat on April 1st IB the surest possible pos-sible basis upon which expectation of continued con-tinued commercial prosperity could bo founded Stringency of money Is largely local In New York and does not alter reports re-ports from most of the larger cities of favorable conditions In collections Railroad Rail-road earnings In March were 71 per cent larger than last year and XI I per cent over ISSO according to practically complete com-plete returns Pig Iron production on April 1st according accord-Ing to the Iron Age was at the rate of 2CWG7fi tons weekly This quantity hai been exceeded twice In the history of the Industry on December 1 1SW when 2315 JWi tons were produced and on February J 1900 when the output wan 20S014 tons The remarkable feature of the situation situa-tion Is the decrease of yiytR tons In fur naceslocks during March In the face of this enormous production while In nix months the loss In supplies amounted to C03G5fi tons Quotations arc generally steady for all forms except plates on which 2 a ton more Is demanded without restricting purchases Contracts for delivery de-livery of pig Iron do not as a rule extend beyond thli month and fumade slocks cannot be expected to continue decreasing decreas-ing unless now business comes forward for many furnaces have gone Into blast since the month opened and production on May 1st will probably be at a new high record Speculation has been unusually heavy In food stuffs the local market averaging over OCOfOO bushels of wheat dally Prices receded sharply from the top point of two weeks ago wheat losing about 11 I cents for spot Kcallng sales were accelerated ac-celerated by expectation of a high her rentage of winter wheat condition In the official I report two elements of strength appeared to chock the t decline and caused some recovery Insects were reported numerous nu-merous In the I Southwestern m section and foreign buying was suflleleiii to make Al t bunt ic exports Hour Included GMO bushel bush-el In two t weeks against 3912g57 last year and 3S903SO In ISM In 1 silk goods morn activity IK reported and another trifling advance occurred In raw materials Failures for the week numbered 203 In the United States against 1IW last year and 21 In Canada against 11 last year |