Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-09-03
EVANGELICAL AND OTHERWISE.

! Georgetown Gas Company. which made
such strong claims to the commission
that less than dollar gas was ruinous
that it was permitted to retain the
charge, even when the Washington
| Gas Company, of it's own violition.
made the cut to S5-cent gas.
The Effect to Date.
| To date the effect of the reduction in
| the price of gas has been drop Of
| three points in Washington Gas shares.
or from &c to IS, with sellers at 73 at
the close, and II the best bid. Mem
| bers of the stock exchange are looking
for further recessions, If the measure as
enacted stands. They also claim that
the price is not high for "a per cent
dividend payer.
| Georgetown Gas is largely owned.
| legally or otherwise, by the Washington
Gas Company. and as the latter has not
| been receiving dividends on its holdings
, from the cut of Is cents per thousand
cubic feet enforced on the former cor
poration.
By the way. the question of the legal
ity of the Washington Gas Company's
holdings of the Georgetown Gas Com
pany is still unsettled and has been un-
der consideration for over two years in
the courts.
| Our Foreign Trade.
| Russia is taking 100000 a day in
| divers and various goods from the
| United States, Great Britain s2.500.o 900
| and France. s2.500,000. based on the
| value of exports for the last few
i weeks and on six days a week. This
| on exports valued at about $4,000, 900
n RI ind Not. rtar
| the prosperity at present prevailing
had it's chief impetus.
Exports to South American coun-
tries have increased over last year
| IS per cent and are over 300 per cent
| greater than in 1914.
Improvement in Banking Position.
| There has been a notable change in
| the banking position of the country
| The plethoric money conditions of a
year ago have given away. says the
/ September circular of the Continental
/ Commercial Bank of Chicago. to a
somewhat healthier banking situation
i Business, and especially that relating
| TO exports, without any development of
wild speculation. has expanded and is
Slowly absorbing the additional credit
which the great influx of gold has
created. This in itself is reassuring
and has resulted in firmer and
healthier money market, affording to
! the banks slightly more profitable
BUSINESS without danger of stringency.
| however. interest rates are still con-
| slderably lower than the seasonal
average. and the feeling seems to be
that they will continue so long as the
great influx of gold continues.
w nat the enormous addition to our
stock OF gold coming from war orders
will mean for the future depends
| largely upon ourselves, as does our
ABILITY to hold the greater part of the
| new trade that has come to us out of
the war. 1t is generally conceded that
there is certain to be some readjust-
ment following the war, but as to its
extent, opinion differs materially Bank
ers and others take the position that
much depends upon the spirit of CO.
operation on the part of our govern
ment in the way of adopting such
measures as will provide tariff com
mission to protect us from severe
foreign competition, proper shipping
laws, enabling the United States to
compete with the shipping of foreign
countries, and the lifting of the ban
from combinations to the extent of al
lowing a community of interest among
those engaged in export business.