Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-04
RECORD PROSPERITY
SHOWN BY BANK REPORT
American National Reviews Trade
Conditions and Forecasts BUSH
moss for January.
BIG GAIN IN BANK CLEAR1SGs
Total Volume Of Commercial Opera
tons Has Never Before Been
Observation-Disclosures Report Larg-
cr Net Earnings.

Record operations in most manu-
featuring lines, heavy increases I'm
building operations and railroad ton
mage and unusual Wholesale and retail
business generally. is. I'm brief. the
story Of the present business i'm this
country" says the American National
Bank. in it's general letter on trade CON
ditions and business forecast for tho
month Of January, made public yes
tcrday.
The total volume OF commercial
operations being recorded each day. the
letter states. has never before been
equalcd, and instead of the usual hull
or let-down In heavy lines 1t is evil
dent that the present activity will con
tinue.
Bank clearinGs for the month Of No
vember were $4,000, 900 900 compared
with $1,000. 100000 for the same mont
Of last year. Tho gain for the coun-
try outside OF New York City was 80
per cent, making an average gain In
GLIDING the metropolitan city Of 10 per
cent for the entire country. Out OF
100 principal cities, only thirteen
showed smaller clearings than a year
ago. while Ill cities set entirely new
high records.
DIVIDENDS SHOW
DECIDED INCREASE
Dividend and interest disbursements
for the month of December were sl47,-
100000, as compared with $4,000. 900
last year. Tho dividends will total
$5T 100000, as against si7.00o.000 a
year ago. while interest payments will
increase 100000 over the figures for
last year. The maturities for tho
month Of January will amount to $780,
100000, the major part Of which arc
railroad bonds.
Business failures during the month
OF November were 1,4s1 compared with
100 for the same month OF last year,
and the liabilities of the failed con-
Germs were less than SIS, 900, 600. as com
pared with S25.o00.o00 for those firms
Germs failing last month covered more
! than one-half of the liabilities, the net
liabilities being only about sS.00O,000.
Building operations in 160 principal
cities of the country last month agEre-
gated S73.000.000. as compared with
! s4s.o0o.00o. for the same month Of last
year; $59.000.000 two years ago. and
ST. 100000 three years ago. Out OF
the 100 cities, 12S showed gains over
last year for the month and the de-
creases recorded in thirty-two cities
were slight
RAILROAD EARNINGS
SHOW BETTER TIMES
| Gross earnings for all steam rail-
roads for the month of October were
Soll ,UUU,UUo, as against f2if.OUO,OOo Tor
the same month Of last year. An in
crease of not quite per cent was
shown in operating expenses So far.
as reported the gross earnings for No
Vember show AN increase of 80 per cent
! over last year. with very slight in
crease i'll operating expenses, so that
when all returns are in net earnings
for November will probably show an
increase of between 80 and 40 per cent.
! During the month the number OF
idle cars increased by nearly IL, 600.
! leaving $4,000 cars on the first of the
month. The increase was wholly in
| flats and coal cars. the number of idle
box cars decreasing for the month,
largely because of heavy grain ship
mcnts.
The winter wheat acreage is APP
| parently about 10 per cent less than
last year, and the condition OF the crop
/ is not so good. deterioration having been
reported from many sections. and par
ticularly from the heaviest wheat grow
! ing sections. Labor conditions, the
letter states, have further improved
during the month. and many strikes
which appeared serious have been set
tied in record time.