The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-04-05
the erection and extension Of fac
tufies mas started.
tOnliIinns ItcIIer Than ExneIien


as the several smaller wars or re-
beilions winch are now taking place.
the cost u things has been head down
and commodity prices generally have
not takaa the upward shoot which
Vas So freely predicted Prices are
little, If any, higher than they were
at the BEGINNING OF 1913 and only
eighty higher than they were dur
ing the latter part of lSI2 The re-
tan prices OF those things Classed as
provisions" are lower than for years.
The slowing down of wheat exports
will probabiy help TO reduce the price
of -four ana living expenses can hard
~ he Conpla ined of IN view OF other
conditions.
Some wage reductions have oc-
CURED ami others are threatened, but
these reductions when made, are
not large and are quite in line with
The selling prices Of manufactured
products. In lines stimulated by war.
some material wage advances have
been made, notably by leading pow
der manufacturer,
Congress has adjourned an extra
session is unlikely and a good rest
from the weekly scares Of threatened
business regulating legislation will
naturally tend to promote the gen
erai Improvement, The personnel Of
the recently announced Federal
Trade Commission seems quite salts
factory ami the personnel of the COM
mittee appointed by the National
Chamber Il Commerce to co-ope nate
with the Federal Trade Commission,
aueurs well for the business inter
ests Of the country, az these men are
recognized as above any possibility
of an Inclination TO favor any par
uCular ci lss or interest.
In the clearlngs OF banks We once
had a fairly good index OF business
and inan sial operations. After "A few
years these figures Will again be a
dapenda BILE index. bat Che change
caused through the operations Of the
Federal Reserve Banks makes a com
parison OF present clearings with
hose M corresponding periods OF pre-
vious years hardly fair. February
exchanges amounted to $il,901, 00o.-
600, being about : per cent less than
the same month last year, For the
country outside Of New York the
900. 000 a year ago.
dends for March. 1915, equal those
1856 600. 600. as compared with $44,-
for the same month year ago, Feb
ruary dividends for 1915 were only
same. n is a hopeful sign that divi-
decline was only about per cent.
out the decline was general as LOS
OF l5S citles showed 3 falling off.
The large IL creases shown ny Min
ntapolis. Duluth. Galveston. III Pa
40. Kansas city. Witcnita. Fargo and
a number Of other cities Indicate that
i4e increase in activities, " hen II mas
occurred, has not been confined TO
any particular section u the coun-
try.
For tho month Of February BUSH
T. 4
pared vita cny $50 year ago. and
the total liabilities were s2s, 900 600.
compared with only $21,o0e.o00 a
year ago The total assets of the faA
ID concerns were, however. somewhat
larger this YEAR, totalinE SIG 900 600,
compared with only s11.00e.000 for
the concerns falling in February.
1914 rAe failure situation. when
cDmpared with year ago. looms
large bar VIXEN compared with De-
cAmber and January just past. the
figures sho. 4 decided improvement.
Financing in February.
FINANCING in February totaled
s264 000. 200 the largest month s
showing since April of last year,
while February. 1914 figures were
only 5000, 600. Railroad finauc-
tng for February amounted TO sl75.-
900 ,0o0. which eaualed the total Of
all Hnau7,inP in the same month O.
year ago The new issues were al
most entirely bonds about $50.
GOO Of notes going out and not much
more than $1,000. GOO IN stock Is
suex
"DNIdead and interest d.sburse-
uents for March are estimated at
10000 Doe as com pared with $li5.-
GOO eco q year ago. Almost $4,000
600 of this amount is In dividends.
and more than $50 coo eco is interest
on s266e 0Un. 600 OF outstanding
bonds aid notes, Dividends paid Will
be on 50 SEA 000. 600 of stocks The
gain over last year is in interest pay
ments. dividends being practically the
Building operations for February
in $50 cities are estimated at $780,
coo. 0o0. compared with 100000
n year ago. Heavy gains were shown
for New Ycrk Philadelphia Cleve-
land. New Haven. Minneapolis. ~.
Paul and Atlanta. Decreases are re-
ported av fifteen principal cities. IN
Guiding Chicago Boston, 81. LOUIS
and Baltimore. and on the west coast
by San Francisco, Los Angeles Port
land and SEATTLE.
Foreign trade totals for February
are not Vet available January inn
norris we're sfa2.e 900 900. compared
with sls5. 600. coo for the previous
January. aud exports Were s26s.0oo,-
0Ho. compared with &204. 100000 Tor
January. 1914 our favorable ball
auce of trade for January was nearly
SAG, 5000 eco compared with $4s.-
0Oo. 900 year ago Except Tor the
fact thar February was short month
and contained four Sundays and two
HOLIDAYS, as well as holidays for reg
lstratIon i'm many parts or the coun-
try. the showing will probably be
lust as good but some decline i'm "X-
ports during March u to he expected
the prime reason being Interference
with shipping on the part Of the al
lied fteFrS- md he activity of Ger
man submarines.
Many Idle Cars.
Final figures for last year show
total railroad gross earnings 10 have
declined for the year nearly per
cent. while net earnings declined
more than = per cent. these figures
being taken from the reports of 4ls
railroads Preliminary reports show
that for tanuary, fifty-siX roads earn
ed gross If s9e. 100000. compared
with Sos. eG0. 600 q year ago: de-
cline OF nearly 10 per cent. These
are roads in agricultural sections. and
the Improvement in their condition
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