The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-20
IN FINANCIAL CIRCLES
fThe Barron Service9.


 change has decided to enter a vigor- |ous defense in Washfngton shortly when the attempt is made, through a.. congr ressiona1 hearing to bar the mails and wires to that organization if it refuses to incorporate. With a. n1ennbefship of HOO extending from coast to coast, the New orl< Stock
 Exchange has been run as private. club, but has most stringent regula-s tions for it's members The exchange officials argue that if the organization took corporate form 1t would lose members.
 Following it's policy of a year ago the Bethleliem Steel Corporation has declared a per cent dividend on it's preferred stock to lie payable in quarterly instaln1ents during 1914. The disbursements wtH con1e from 1918 earnings. sThis concern is con trolIed by Charles M Schwab and, lately added to it's activities by aS- sunning charge of the Fore River ShipbufIding Co., The latest of Mr. Schwab's public utterances have been of a decfd ediy bearish tendency as re- gards existing condit ons and the out look for the future, yet his dividend action was taken in Wall street as in. dicating "a possibI enehange of mind. That the steel industry has started to come back is indicated in re- ports from various misunderstanding centers of the middle west. Cleveland advices state that some of the plants in that section are nov operating at 50 per cent of normal capacity as compared with 25 per cent a few weeks ago. Pittsburg plants have started up many idle furnaces ac- cording to .adyices from that city; Price cutting continues however on operate more fully their margin of profits will be smaller.
 At the annual meeting of LehiRh Valley Railroad stockholders to be l lheld tomorrow no changes m the Eboard are expected The next dfvf- dend will be paid in April, uuar- 1ter1y 1-2 per cent disbursement | following the decision of the board to change the payment of the 10 per I icent dividend from a mi-annual to aa uarterly basis. The regular semi annual per cent was paid this
 month, which has been the rate since 1911. Tn. the latter part of 1913 the icompany's revenues fell off as re- l suit of the lessened demand for coal. l due to the moderate weather. With I it's liberal upkeep policy. however, the lcompany will have no difficulty in covering it's 10 per cent dividend re-
 quirements in the year ending June l30s next. s.ssF ! Reading stock continues to act in a
 manner that is depressing to the bulls 4 Y sSS Y S@1 <A1 s4t4y x0446ItuES nave been inotably heavy, and from this prob I ably various rumors have been start ed that the Government has in it's possession documentary evidence of a ldamaging character that will figure prominently in the rate case now be- I ing tried before the Interstate Com merce Commission.
 Added to the already long list Of f Mexican corporations that have been i obliged to suspend dividend payments 1 is the Mexican Light & Power, Linn Iited, which has just passed the quar- terIy dividend of 1 per cent on the ] $15, 6s5 5000 common stock. Stock Iholders needed no explanation, but a Istatement issued by the directors says that the condition of affairs in Mexi- leo has not improved since the pay- Iment of the last quarterly dividend in l October
 ] Rudolph Keppler has been elected ichairman of the law committee Of the I Stock Fxchange, and Henry K. Pom Il roy vice-chairman. Charles M. New coube has been elected member of the above committee to fill the va cancy caused by the resignation oi F. K. Sturgis