The Colorado statesman., 1918-08-24

| - to 80 per cent In 1916, and an ex
cess profit of 10 per cent IN 1917.
| The dlstillers of WHISTLES and spir-
its mmde profits in 1916 that ranged
from . to S23 per cent. while their eK-
| cess profits last year were from II to
400 per cent.
Coal Men Pile Up Wealth.
The Pennsylvania and West Vir-
|. ginia soft coal mining companies made
enormous excess profits in 1917. ac-
cording to the report. The large COM
| panles all made profits in 1916 ranging
| from % to 100 per cent.
In 1917 all Of the large bituminous
| operators the report shows, made I'M
usual profits. one mine made 1,626
| per cent on its capital in 1916 and 1887
| per cent In 1917. Another made 81.
per cent In 1916 and 5,9S3 per cent In
| 1917.
Profits of the midcontinent bitumi-
| nous operators were smaller, averag
Ing 80 per cent.
The big oil producing companies OF
| Illinois, Indiana. New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio. Kentucky, Tennessee. and
| West Virginia made from 2S to 1906
per cent in 1916 and enormous excess
| profits in 1917. The Texas Oklahoma
and Kansas oil companies showed
similar profits for both years.
All of the garment manufacturers
made gigantic profits in 1916. those for
the larger companies ranging from %
to 10 per cent that year. They showed
excess profits in 1917 of from 5 to 30
| per cent.
Small dealers in flour and grain,
with capital stock of from $1,000 to
! $4,000, made excess profits that ranged
as high as SO per cent.
The report also shows that the small
dealers IN furniture and other house
| hold goods made enormous profits last
| year, with excess profits as high as 3oo
| per cent.
Retail dealers in tobacco made enor-
nous profits off the smokers OF the
country, the highest being 3,176 per
cent, and the average approximately
| so per cent in 1916. These profits
were doubled during 1917.
Auto Builders Wax Fat.
Most of the automobile companies
hit high marks In earnings in 1915, but
they went still higher in 1917. The
| largest listed, however, did not show
any extraordinary increase In profits
| over those of 1916. One company with
| S31, 100000 capital In 1916 earned $ll,-
100000, then boosted its capital stock
| to 500 100000 and then earned $23,-
100000. A S19,000,00O concern which
earned $4,60S, 900 in 1916 made So,25S,-
600 In 1917. A $16,000,000 company
made S4,713,OO0 In 1917, against $4,-
100000 in 1916.
A tin plate mill with $40, ,0O0, 600 cap
ital made S54 900, 900 net profit in 1917,
against S19,O00000 in 1916. or an in
crease of 72 per cent on Its capital
| stock.
Transportation, public utilities, and
light and power companies, With very
few exceptions. Jared exceedingly well
| during 1916 and 1917. Their profits
in 1915 generally ranged from to 80
| per cent on their capital stock. while
they nearly all made excess profits In
1917 of from to 35 per cent. Profits
of the large public utilities companies
| in 1915 and 1917 ranged from IL to %
per cent.
Steam and electric railroads in 1915
made from II to POT per cent profits.
while in 1917 they made profits In
excess of 1916 that ranged between 10
and 20 per cent, according to the. re-
port.
Marine, fire, and life insurance con-
Germs enjoyed unusually large In
creases in profits. One company
earned 493 per cent more on Its cap
ital stock in 1917 than in 1916. An
other capitalized at 100000 increased
it's income from S324,0O0 in 1916 to
| S3,77S,0O0 in 1917.
How Dry Goods Men Fared.
A list of 2,092 clothing and dry
goods merchants, including department
stores, showed profits for 1917 in ex-
l91 .43 per cent on the capital stock.
The concerns making the enormous
profits, however, were the smaller
| firms.
| Retail groeers and provision brokers
made their enormous war profits
| in 1916. the report shows. The gro
GERS made only small profit in 1917
| in excess of their 1916 profits. OF the
| ,633 concerns listed in the report,
however. only dozen show profits of
| less than % per cent on their capital
stock in 1916, the year before the Unit
| ed States entered the var, and the
profits of some concerns that year
were as high as 1913 per cent. Most
| of tile rrocers. both large and small
| CONFORMS thp rppOrt shows. made nv