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Show JIBES IN PRICE FEATUREJN WHEAT Speculators Bid Up Market and Improved Shipping Conditions Help. CHICAGO, Dec. SO. Notable jumps in price marked the close of the year in the wheat trade. Many speculators wiio at the la.st found themselves unable to make, deliveries on December contracts bid tiie market up 7c a bushel in some cases. Signs of improved shipping conditions led to briFk advances, too, on more deferred , deliveries. The close was nervous, to 4c not higher, with May at ?1.7Pi to ?1.74H and July at $1.4Hfc to $1.4SVi. Corn gained 'r, to 3c and oats to IH-fflSgf. Provisions finished unchanged to ?cc higher. Excitement for the December wheat shorts resulted from the stubhornness with which they had held out for some generally unlooked-for peace settlement or other surprising developments of a b ea ri sh n a t u re . Pro m th e ve ry b eg i n -ning of the session, however, circumstances circum-stances favored the bull side of the market mar-ket and there were comparatively few of the tardy unfortunates who were caught by tihe utmost squeeze of December values. The principal element against any downturn in the general market today to-day was the fact that indications pointed to heavy clearances for Europe. In this connection it was reported that North American shipments to Europe this week would total 7,0io,000 bushels, as against previous estimates of only 4,000,000 bushels. bush-els. A larger supply of ocean tonnage at the eastern seaboard wa-s said to be rapidly rap-idly releasing railway facailit ies from concestlon, and there was a well-accepted forecast current that wheat shipments would be in no danger of a trainmen's strike until the completion of a union referendum vote two months or more In tihe future. Holiday realizing sales appeared ap-peared to be chiefly responsible for some unsettling of values just before the day came to an end. ' In corn, as in wheat, there was a i scurrying t cover on the part of elev-i elev-i enth-hour bears. Prices were also lifted as a result of shipping sales here, said to ; aggregate 60O.000 bushels, all to be de- ! livered nt the eastern seaboard within ; thirtv days. Oats hardened in price owing to the upturns in other cereals. Trade, however, how-ever, lacked volume. Provisions shared the firmness of grain. One reason was tihat shipments for the week turned out to be materially In excess ex-cess of the corresponding total a year ago. RANGE OF THE DEADING FUTURES. Open. High. Jxw. Close. Wheat Ma.v . ..S1.71U 51.75U $1.71U $1.74V4 July . 1.38& 1.31 1.30 1.31 Corn Slav . .. .98 -S21; .93 July . .. .91 .9T's -91 .92 Oats n , Mav . -. .53 .54 .o3 .53 Julv , ., .50; .518 -60?i -ol Pork Jan. . ..27.00 27.00 May . ..26.70 26.70 26.50 26.60 Lard Jan. .. .15. CO 15.35 la. CO lo.30 May.. . .15.67 lu.75 15.65 lo.75 JanibS.13.72 13.72 13.62 13.72 .May . ..14.22 14.25 13.32 13.20 CASH QUOTATIONS. M'heat, No. 2 red. nominal; No. 3 red, $1.77- Nns. 2 and 3 hard, nominal. Corn. No. 2 vtllow, KL'fi U3c : Xc4 yellow. yel-low. 9ltl(.91c; No. 4 white, 90-fi90V2C Oats, No. 3 white, 52U52y4c; standard. stand-ard. 5-' 53e. Rye. No. 2. nominal. . Hurley, 90cfi 51-24. Timot I iv. $3.50'7,.Y50. Clover, J12.001M7.00. Pork, $2S.5fl. Iird, $lo.3.r. Ribs, $13.00(0.13. SO. |