New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-02
Clerks Snap Under Strain
of Sitting Up Nights
with War Babies.
100000 SHARE DAYS
NOW TALKED OF
Governors Refuse to Declare
Extra Hollday-Harpies
Back in Street.

With clerks swapping under the
strain of sitting up all night with war
babies and members of the exchange
seriously considering the advisability
of declaring a special holiday in order
to enable their employees to catch up
with their work and sleep. the specula-
ton in war babies continued on the
exchange yesterday az rate that kept
the total transactions of the day close
to the 100000 share mark.
Instead of abating. the speculation
in these issues has now reached that
stage where brokers talk Of 100000
share days as certain Developments
of the near future. There is nothing
in the history OF Wall Street to COM
pare with the present speculative wave.
The only thing like it that brokers can
recall is the wild speculation in Lon
don at the close of the South African
war That movement. like the present
one in Wall Street, was led by the So
called cats and dogs. the more express
sive but less euphonious term oftener
used to describe stocks other than
standard.
Inc craze for the war babies, fed on
stories Of spectators who pawned the
family sugar bowl and are now near
millionaires, has led scores of persons
who know nothing about Wall Street
to brokers' Offices. Cases are cited
where strangers have invaded houses
of standing and begged floor managers
10 take their money and buy some
thing" Where they have wandered in
to houses that care more for their repu-
tation than for commissions they have
in most cases been advised TO take
their money and themselves out of the
Street.
Not all have been 90 fortunate, how
ever. and New Street, where the out
casts of Wall Street gather, is better
dressed these days than at any time IN
wears. Harpies of both sexes who for
months gave the district wide berth
are again very much in evidence, while
the pedler of diamond bracelets, laval
Heres and other trinkets. always on the
alert for easy money, is back at his
own again.
Saloons and restaurants, which only
a few months ago were starving 10
death for customers, are more prosper
Gus these days than ever before, and
that despite the fact that the few
which went out Of business through the
bankruptcy court have had their places
taken by new proprietors. The res
taurant traffic is in the main from the
clerks, who for weeks now have been
working overtime owing to the inabil-
ity of brokers 20 get tra>~ed help.
Those houses wn.ch at the time OF the
depression reduced their stats are now
having difficulty in getting help, while
others who carried full forces on part
wages have in many cases paid in full
the amounts their clerks would have
drawn had times been normal.
This strain on clerks was responsible
for some members sounding the govern
ing committee with a proposition that
the exchange close to-day. The prop
osition was rejected promptly on the
ground that to do so would arouse a
storm Of protest from one end Of the
country to the other. Most of the
banks, always opposed to extra holidays
were against the move and the trading
element of the exchange also opposed il
as dangerous.
The humor of brokers and cler.j has
not been improved by storm of CON-
plant of delayed reports and poor exc
cution. These are multitude and not
all of the complaints are complimentary
TO the specialists who handle the war
stocks. A specialist is a broker who
handles one or a half dozen stocks for
other brokers, and in the past has often
been accused of not losing anything on
his trades. More often than not the
charge has been baseless, but so many
are the complaints that one broker was
quoted yesterday as saying that rather
than have any argument he would make
good any complaint.
The crush has not been lessene6 any
the last few days by the necessity of
declines, ranging from three TO five
the mailing of dividend checks, always
large item at this period.
The market yesterday was one of
wide fluctuations. There were ad-
vances in some stocks, ranging from
five to ten points, Offset by frequent
declines ranging from three to five
points. The heaviest dealings We're in
United States Steel common, which at
one time sold at STA. the highest price
since 1912. Nearly 100000 shares
changed hands during the session. of
which more than 100000 were in Steel.