Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-01
LOCAL FINANCIAL NEWS.

Whether IT was due TO the general mar
ket conditions or the languor which came
from the repletion Of the Thanksgiving din
ner Is an open question, but 1t was without
doubt mighty slow at the meeting today OF
the stock exchange. One OF the brokers
was SO impressed with the lack of any
stir or hustle and the soporific atmosphere
Of the place that he asked the presiding
officer who did not have much else to do
except to answer questions unless it was to
ask them. whether cots could be provided
in the rear of the desks.
Mr.. Hfbbs. with that diplomatic and
happy reserve which so characterizes him.
replied that he thought the cots would De
very appropriate, but he did not know
whether the members could be accommo-
dated In this respect
The payment of the December interest
and dividends which was emphasized by
some of the bonds being quoted for the nrse
time ex-interest did not seem to have any
influence and practically there was neither
buying nor selling.
AS a rule the bonds were quoted at ng-
ures which were less the amount or the
interest paid. Some Of the bonds Of the
pany sold for 3d. which is less than the last
sale price with the interest on, ana
there was not enough OF the bonds on the
market at that figure to supply the de-
mand
The preferred stock of the Washington
Railway and Electric Company sold at the
lowest price that it has reached since the
rise to the present level some months ago.
There were three lots sold o ma range or
from 90 to S9B. and an offer was made to
buy or sell the stock at 1875, which was not
accepted At the close the stock was for
sale at S9a4, while the bid was an eighth OF
d point below.
After the three lots of fifty shares each
had been marketed there was no further
pressure to sell and the trading came to
end. Nothing was done in the common
stock.
When the stock OF the American Security
and Trust Company was called. an inquiry
was made as to the value of the rights to
the proposed issue of stock of the new
storage company into which that depart
ment Of the companys business is to be or
ganized. A bid for the rights was asked
for. and one Of 80 was made, which means
that the market value Of the stock when
issued will be $13U, the par value being
S1O0
The bid for Telephone stock advanced to
so. Before this was done the calling of
the stock reminded the president of a bad
experience he had in getting responses to
calls on the telephone. AS one of the d.
rectors of the company is a member of the
exchange. he suspended not the business
but the attempt to do business, in order to
tell the representative of the company what
bad service the subscribers were getting.
Other brokers became interested in this
purely informal Interchange of views that
was taking place and echoed the opinion
that had already been expressed, that
there seemed to be somewhat of a general
agreement that the telephone service at
present Is rotten"
The director listened with the suavity
and courtesy of manner which never fails
him apparently and then suggested that
perhaps as The stock seemed to be going up
this was an effort on the part of the en-
ployes to bear it until they could get what
stock they wanted.
With this conclusion IN a rather inconse-
Quential matter that had come UP in an en-
tirely inconseQuential fashion every one
seemed to be satisfied and the call con-
tinued to drag its weary length along.