Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-16
MARKED ANIMATION
Material Increase in Activity
in Today's Dealings.
EXCELLENT DISTRIBUTION
Decidedly Firm Tone Follows a Dull
Opening.
FAIR VOLUME OF BUSINESS
Local fractions Scored Substantial
Observation-Disclosures Take
Upward Trend.
FAIR VOLUME OF BUSINESS

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. December 16-During the
first hour of business the stock market
dull, listless and uninteresting af-
fair. in respect both of the volume OF the
transactions and the movements in prices.
subsequently, although for no particular
reason so far as novel developments were
concerned. the market at large assumed
n decidedly firm tone, and there look
place a material increase in activity. An
excellent distribution of speculative In
tcrest was manifested throughout the
business session.
There was a marked increase In ANNA
ton III the local traction securities and
notably IN the Interborough Metropolitan
issues The common and preferred
shares. along with the Az per cent col
lateral trust bonds. all scored substantial
advances and the strength displayed was
generally, although somewhat indefinitely
referred TO the progress making IN lor-
mulatinS a plan of reorganization Tor the
system.
The industrial and miscellaneous stocks
moved in unison with the remainder or
the market. General Electric was excep-
tionally strong.
The United States Steel shares bene-
fitted from the announcement that the
Pennsylvania railroad bad awarded con-
tracts for something over 13o tons or
steel rails but generally speaking, the
price movements In this department were
unaccompanied by any new facts or novel
gossip.
Consolidated Gas Strong.
Consolidated Gas was strong, probably
on the idea that the long-awaited deci-
sion in the eighty-cent gas case might
be handed down by the Supreme Court
The court
will take its usual recess next week. and
will not reconvene until early in Janu-
AIRY.
American Smelling was smewhat less
prominent in the transactions than OF late
in spite of the more positive reports In
circulation with regard to the magnitude
of the opposition concern which is under
stood to be in progress of formation.
A fairly large volume of business wa.
transacted in the railway share list and
firm tone commonly prevailed there
The Anthracite coal stocks which were
particularly heavy yesterday all moved
upward extensively, notably in the in
stance of New Jersey Central:
Other strong stocks were the WABASH
shares, Union and Southern Pacific, the
Hill stocks, Chesapeake & Ohio. Colorado
Southern and New York Central The
regular quarterly dividend was declared
on the shares of the several so-cafled
Vanderbilt stocks.
Foreign Account Sales Trivial.
American shares were heavy in the
London stock market in common with the
other departments there. but operations
here for foreign account were upon a
trivial scale.
In a measure perhaps. the firmer tone
of the stock market might be referred TO
the slightly easier conditions which pre-
vailed in the money market. 1t Is the
more common impression In banking cir
cles, however that more active conditions
must be reckoned upon In the money
market during the remainder of the year
and probably up to the time when there
should take place the usual heavy return
of currency from the interior.
The foreign exchange market was again
decidedly reactionary.