The times., 1898-12-18
LOCAL COMPANIES STRONG
General Demand for Stocks
and Bonds.
MUCH ACTIVITY NOTED
street Railroad. Bank. Trust COM
pany and other securItics-Prices
Going up-saIes ON the Exchange
Largest In Many Yeurs-Good In
dications OF Prosperity.

The present condition of the invest
ment field in Washington is receiving the
attention of a great many people who
year or two ago had no money to invest
and knew nothing of the local situation.
The present very cheap rate for money
makes any investment that is safe and
pays or 5 or per cent. most desirable
TO a large number OF people who have
surplus over that required by their busi-
ness, or who wish simply to have an as
sured income and do not care to engage
in business actively.
1t is to be said safely and conservative
ly that the securities of the local corpora
tions and those others largely owned here
which are listed on the Washington
Stock Exchange, form a most attractive
list from which to choose investments.
Moreover the business prospects of the
city are so bright and its already
| achieved prosperity is so real that there
can be no question as to the increase of
dividends of many of the companies and
the corresponding enhancement In the
value of their stocks and bonds.
The street railroads are several of them
in the best condition in their histories,
| earning good dividends. giving satisfac-
ton to the public. increasing their busi-
ness and showing excellent promise of
increasing their dividends at an early
date. The extensions into the suburbs
which were a few years ago regarded
with suspicion as risky. II not foolhardy,
ventures are now paying or almost pay
ing for themselves and have ceased to be
burdens on the city lines. AS the suburbs
fill up with people in the next few years
of prosperity these extensions will be
among the most valuable parts of the
systems. The arrangements of most OF
the roads are careful and conservative
and far-sighted and composed OF the best
known men in the city.
The railroads are chosen as examples
of the general condition of prosperity. be-
cause II is easy for the average man to
see for himself what they are doing in
this respect. The banks, the insurance
companies, the safe deposit and trust
companies are all in good condition, most
of them earning good dividends. some of
them ON the point of paying dividends or
increasing their dividend rates. The
light companies all pay good dividends.
Several of the out-of-town corporations
whose stocks are owned here are in
most fourishing condition. and paying
BE iOtdbAs fciuaPS eAAO -hSi
genthaler Linotype Company and the
American Graphophone Company.
The best evidence possible of the con-
fidence of the people in these companies
and of the large amount of money that Is
seeking for investment is to be seen in
the business done by the Washington
Stock Exchange recently. Records for
the amount of business and for prices are
being broken every week. The average
number of people who attend the meet
ings of the exchange is larger than for
many months and even years past.
During the first two weeks of December
there were 12S2s shares of stocks dealt
in, and about s20 go in bonds. The value
of the stocks roughly estimated was con-
siderably over 5000 The magnitude of
this business Is better understood when
IL is stated that exclusive of Pneumatic
Gun Carriage the entire sales of stocks
last year were only COCO shares. Exclu-
sive of Gun Carriage stock the sales for
or more than a sixth of the entire num-
ber last year. The weekly record was
five times as large as the average weekly
record last year.
The difference in the value of the shares
sold was even greater, as the prices of
nearly all the active stocks are now far
above that of last year
These figures as to prices are most con-
vincing in this regard They are thor
oughly remarkable also and quite unex-
ampled In the history of the city: