Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-02
LOCAL FINANCIAL NEWS.

1t is now semi-officially announced that
| the semi-annuaI dividend on the Capitol
Traction stock, to be paid next Aprii vii,
| be ; per cent instead of ols. For some time
past it has generally been supposed ttat
| this stock was TO pay per cent dividend
| and its rise in selling price to 1s9 and over
| is attributed in part to this belief.
1t is also said that more is III store tor
the stockholders than the increase in the
| dividend. but exactly what shape II will
| take is not positively stated. 1t is thought.
however, that II is proposed to Issue a $40
certificate for each share OF stock.
| For some reason trading in Lanston when
| 1t is at all active is carried on with more
| vim and animation than is apt to be the
| case with any other security. An illustra-
ton was given today at the meeting of the
stock exchange. when Lanston was the
main feature of the days business The
| total aggregate represented by the sales Is
very large for day. and while the sell
| ing was somewhat general. the buying was
practically done by one broker.
When the stock was called offerings were
| made at IS of several blocks Of various
sizes, which were at once taken and the
| bid renewed until all that was for sale at
| that price had been bought. In the course
of this active buying a block of 800 shares.
one of unusual size. was taken. and the bid
repeated promptly for another similar lot
The principal seller had no more lots OF
| that size. and. the sequel showed. not
much more stock.
What he had for sale was taken by the
persistent bidder who raised his bid as high
as lG;A. and all stock held by other brokers
| found the same purchaser. The bid of 1914
was made for 500 shares without result, and
before the stock was passed in the call
| bid of 16% was made for all stock that
was for sale. without any limitation as to
| quantity. As result the bid closed at
| 1878 and the stock was offered at l6ls.
| A selling order of unusual size encoun
| tered a buying order of still larger di-
mansions, and one consequence was that
| the best bid made by the principal buyer,
| namely. f61s, not only reached. but
maintained Another consequence was "A
scene of lively trading. and while to con-
siderable extent it took the form of "A test
| of the extent of the orders of two brokers
the interest was not less than when the
brokers generally participate. This latter
happens a rule when Lanston comes up
| for one of its field days, which are quite
| plentiful in the career of this stock.
The range of trading both in the pre-
| ferred and the common stocks of the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany was rather restricted. There was
neither very strong buying or selling.
In the case of the preferred stock what
trading was done was from o. to $685. end
at the close 1914 was bid and "a was asked
The common sold from 80 to 35A. and
the stock was to be had at the close at
the latter figure, while 35ls was bid.
All the Gas stock that was to be had at
67ss was taken and more was wanted at the
same figure. There was no stock offered for
sale less than 67$t.
Nothing was done in Mergenthaler except
practically to record bid of 1913 and an
asking price of 1914
The bid today for Capital Traction stock
was 147k. while there was no stock offered
for less than 149.