The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-11-23
NEW YORK EXPERT REVIEWS SITUATION
 IN FINANCIAL WORLD

lN FINANGIAL WUkLU eFhe Barron Financial News serv1ce.s New York. Nov. 2S-Many brokers
 are daboring under the delusion that
 the Stock Exchange is to be kept clos. ca until January 2, so that the lnsur- tance companies, savings banks and some other financial institutions can
 dress their windows with Jury Sv prices. There is httle point in their i belief, as the insurance companies by a ruling of the State Insurance Depart
 ment are permitted to report their securities according to July 30 prices. As far as the savings banks are con cerned at least two-thirds Of tnelr an- lvestanerts are in real estate mort gages ,and, of the security holdings, all are in such high grade bonds that
 there is little Likelihood Of any great depreciation in them moreover. n lesumating the strength of the savings banks it is the a1nortized value of these bonds rather than the market value which is of prime consideration It as likely that other institutions will not
 be complained against is they use July 30 prices in appraising their assets in l the event that they care to do SO I Many Of them are not at all concerned for they have already charged off de- lpreciation in security holdings.
 EI. fEhaff. president or Ia9 MIS- souri. Kansas & Texas Railway. who Is in this city reports that general
 business conditions in the southwest are very quiet. The weekly earnings Itof the M. K. & T. are showing some l Improvement over last year, but Mfr, ISchafr said this was not because Of any greater trafdc. but rather because icomparisons are being made with a. time Of unusually poor earnings. Last year the road suffered a Severe con- N Ia. -Ha<- .-Gs s7-. k and a later flood. No particular boom in business is expected in the near future. Cotton is moving freely along the lines and the road is busy ship ping horses to seaboard points for
 transportation to the war zone in Eur
 The General Chemical co. has deciar- led dividends amounting to slightIy
 more than $2.ooo. 900 in the calendar t year 1914, including an extra cash diy1- dend of per cent on the common stock. This compares with $1s ss49, ,116 I distributed in 1913; $1,263.584 ia 1912, and $1.z39,0T8 in 1911. The dlsburse-
 ment during the current year was the . largest in the company's history. To-
 tai profits in 1914 give every promise
 of exceeding by about $1Oo.O0e the net proffts of the record year 1913
 I Subsidiaries Of the American Light
 & Traction co. continue to show good
 results Owing to rate reductions at t tS6N6Ta15 OI4 EnG DEOQ6GIlGS anu 1ucTGdS- ed taxes by various municipalities the
 consolidated net earnings Of the sub $ tsidiaries are slightly behind those of the corresponding period of last year. but this decrease is being rapidly a1b-
 feogbed and 1t is expected that before ahead of 1918.
 Boston Elevated in all probability ] : will have to earn net profits $500 ,00l greater than in the previous year fl 1t is to show dts six per cent. dividend
 fully covered. The record of net prof 2 it's for the last four months has been g so favorabde it is understood, that ! little doubt is expressed that the road
 lean meet the double obligations oi E some increase in wages, the Roylstorl 2 Street tunnel. and at the same time 2 learn and pay It's six per cent dividend k If the company can nave $350,000 out
 of new gross for net 1t will be achiev-
 ing most creditab1e record On the } basis of four 1nontllH business this
 would mean that 75 per cent of addi-
 tionaI gross was being saved for net
 profits.
 CT. L. Watson 8 Co.9
 The investment market has improv- E ed so much that the Committee Of Sev. en of the largest bondho1ders, whicr
 Ihave been supervising dealings in un-
 listed bonds since July 30. have re 6 moved all restrictions from these op. eTaTE0nS. EfuE when 1C comes 70 GH( ' question of reopeniag the Stock Esx- : change, we see no reason to abaudor 7 the policy of conservatism. The re : opening continues to be urged b1 : small interests looking only to thsil : immediate pocketbook, but careless o ' inviting, by premature action. a con, . dition exposed to contingencies of ac
 cident or disaster which might SC d back recovery six months or more d4 Conservative interests. happily, op r pose this agitation. Tn our judgnen : the situation within their province ha. 5 been adnnirab1y handled by the mem z bers of the Stock Exchange Commit z tee, who deserve high praise for tlei z tskilfuI work in conjunction with ou : leading bankers. in meeting q crisi that had no exact precedent. It woui, ', be unwise to risk the ground of recov cry already won by careful and cir
 leumspect measures. and the course bes
 for all in the long run is to raah1
 haste slowly.