Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-04

concerns are working as high as 90 per
cent, but probably the average would be
about so per cent.
Prohibition Hurting Saloon Business
AN important iron plant in Knoxville,
Tenn, writes that its percentage OF IN
crease in business over the first part OF
the present year is about 100 per cent.
The plant was operating so per cent OF
it's total capacity In January and FEB
ruary and Is now practically running full.
foundry company In Connecticut reports
full time now, as compared with % per
dustries showing signs Of but little IN
crease are the brewing and dlstllllns
plants and those manufacturers making
such accessories as bottles, brewing ana
distilling machines and saloon nXtureS.
The apprehension caused by the prohlo1-
ton movement has had rather severe
and widespread effect upon these inter,
ests and even the election has not helpeo
them much. A mailing company IN WIS
consn gives the consensus OF opinion Dy
writing: We can report present condi-
tions as bad. with a discouraging trade
outlook due to the wave OF reform Whlch
is affecting our industry.
Business Improvement General.
Business in general. concluded Mr..
Lewis, "as reflected by the members or
the ASSOCIATE shows distinct improve
ment, but anything even remotely re-
semblins q boom is not dlscernible. Up
timism, tempered by conservatism and
strong desire to keep confidence to the
fore. represents the spirit OF practically
all our members
At the Office of the General Electric
Company which supplies at least one
third of the electric plants that are useo
i'm this country and many that are used
in foreign lands. ! was told today that
since the election, orders were beginning
to come in slowly but steadily and that
the Inquiries for designs and estimates
were as great as at any time In the MS
people are beginning to think of great
things. and are planning great enter
prises Since tine beginning of October
there has been a gradual advance In the
business of the General Electric Company
i'm all it's shops and at ali its agencies
throughout the country. There has been
no huctuation. but steady growth or
business. and 1t has not been conhned TO
any one section or state, put the I'M
provement has been evenly distributed
throughout the entire country. The vol
ume of business done by the company
during the last quarter Of 1908 will be at
least 81 per cent OF that done during the
same period Of 1905. and at least I'D per
40 ner cent greater than the orders re-
ceiyed in the corresponding period of 1907.
A large amount Of orders were placed i'm
mediately after the election which had
been held up to await the result OF the
presidential campaign.
Every man in the Office is as busy as
he ever has BEEN said one of the officials
Of the General Electric Company. in re-
ply to my questions They are draw
ing plans furnishing estimates and con-
sptN in, ~ -
our work except for big central stations
for public utilities We have not got to
that yet I cannot particularize without
giving you a catalogue of our machinery.
But there is an inquiry for everything We
make In the mining department the
zinc lead and silver miners are beginning
to come in to inquire for new machinery.
Until recently we have not seen anybody
in that line Of business since the panic.
1t has been absolutely dead The copper
all along. but are now picking up faster
and are talking about increasing their
capacity.
Railroads Show Great Activity.
The greatest activity is shown by the
steam railways. Many of them are con-
templating "A change from steam to cleo
tricity, particularly in the west. There is
great deal of planning. engineering and
computation going on with such changes
in view and some negotiations. That
field promises the greatest development in
the near future. The progress of chang
ing from steam to electricity among the
steam railways will be much more rapid
than it was among the street railways
when 1t once gets started. The New York
Central and the New Haven roads have
been the pioneers in that direction, and
have pointed out the way. The New
York Central plant Is the largest in the
world, and has been remarkably success
full It has demonstrated the practicable
ity, reliability and economy of electricity
as a motive power for heavy trafi1c, and
several other railways have been await
ing the result of that experiment be-