The Topeka state journal., 1918-08-17

stock Breeders Made Money.
/ Stock breeding showed substantially
| increased profits in nearly all the IN
CO.. IS listed. The industry also showed
large profits for the previous year
| One concerns profits were 255 per
cent more in 1917 than IN 1915.
In q list Of 2S7 laundries few
| showed no increases. but the vast ma
| tority of them showed substantial ad-
yances over the year before. The in
crease of one concern was over 1,00t
per cent.
| About 200 hotels were listed in the
report. Nearly all of them showed in
| creased earning, but in the case of the
larger hotels the percentage of in
crease was not large. Some of the
| smaller ones had big increases. Most
restaurants also showed considerable
| increased returns.
The theater and moving picture
| business was fairly profitable. Many
| starting on a "shoestring" reaped
staggering profits. One with $500 cap
ital earned $63,000 in 1916, but its
profits dropped down in 1917.
Amazing Baking Profits.
The report furnishes striking evi-
dence to sustain charges that food
dealers and manufacturers have been
helping themselves literally from the
nations pocketbook. OF 216 concerns
listed under the caption Bread and
Other Baking Products" profiteering
OF an amazing character was shown.
Few of them showed increases of less
than 20 per cent on their capital stock.
Profit In Canning.
In the canning industry, one COM
pany which earned 377 per cent in
1916, earned Loaf per cent in 1917. OF
So canning firms listed, % had earn
ings of more than 10 per cent on their
capital. Most of them. however, re-
turned a higher invested capital than
the capital stock.
The manufacture of syrups. mo-
lasses and glucose netted much in
creased profit. Ice cream was an es-
pecially big money maker; A com, ,
pany with 1 II million dollar capital
made ss,s1s,oo profits, "a Rer cent
more than in 1915.
Flour Mills Got Plenty.
OF more than 500 flour, feed and
grist mills listed, only several failed
to show largely increased profits. One
2H million dollar concern made
$4,000 in 1916 and s1.2oo.ooo in
i917. Another with $12.50o capital
made $4,000 in 1917, or 345 per cent
more on its capital stock than in 1915.
Cases where profits jumped more than
100 per cent in the flour. feed and
srist milling business were too numer-
GUS to mention.
Harvest for Packers.
There was a general upward rise IN
most packing companies profits. The
largest concern listed had a capital of
800, 100000 upon which 1t earned
s49,000,0o in 1917, against S3O,0OO,-
900 in 1916, or an excess or 1S per
cent of net income to capital stock
for 1917 over 1916. After deducting
its war profits of $5,32S.ooo, the COM
Germ capitalized at 100000 earned
s2,19z,00O in 1916, and $4,244,000 in
1917, or 2.o51 per cent more on its
capital stock.
Several thousand concerns were list
ed in the various branches Of the
iron and steel industry. Among the
steel plants and rolling mills the larg-
est concern had a capitalization of
ss6s, 100000 upon which its net in
come for 1917 was given as $165, ,000,-
| 900 against Sill, 100000 for 1915.
Riches In Autos.
Most OF the motor car industries hit
high marks in earnings in 1915. but
they went still higher in 1917. One
company with $31, 100000 capital in
1915 earned s17.O00,oO0 then boosted
| its capital stock to $96, 100000 and
then earned s23,000,o00; a $19,0 ,000,-
900 concern which earned $4.608,0 900
in 1916. made s5.25s.ooo in 1917.
Tin Plate a Gold Mine.
A tin plate mill made s54,o0o,o0o
in 1915, or an increase of 72 per cent
on it's capital stock. A steel castings
company increased its earnings 220
| per cent on its capital stock over
1915.
Scarcely no increase in earnings
was noted in the explosives industry
for the reason that enormous profits
were made in 1915.
| Startling Profits in Shoes.
| Leather manufacturers, including
the dealers in hides, and makers Oh
boots and shoes and trunks and va
lises, made profits in 1916 and 1917
that are startling. Scores of boot and
all the way from 20 to more than
| 1000 per cent in 1916.
| Liquor Also a Profiteer.
The distilIers of whiskies and spi-
rits made profits in 1916 that ranged
from to 823 per cent, while their
excess profits last year were from Il
to 400 per cent. The profits of the
brewers ranged from 25 to IT'S pei
cent in 1916, and their excess profits
in 1917 were from to SO per cent
most of the large breweries making
an average OF AZ to 80 per cent II
1915 and an excess profit of 10 pei
cent in 1917.
Enormous profits were made ir
aluminium products. one concern hav-
ing a capital of $2,000,0o0 maxim.
/ 172.97 per cent in 1916 and exces.
| profits of 117.26 per cent last year.
| The profits of most of the copper
| smelling companies was 200 per cen
in 1916.
Profits of the Mid-continent bitumi
nous coal operators were~smaller thar
those of the Appalachian operators
averaging so per cent. One middle
westen mine, however, made 4oS pei
cent in 1916 and 954 per cent in ex
cess profits in 1917. The report fur
ther shows that profits of the western
both years.
Copper mining companies earning
ranged from 103.36 per cent. the low
est, to 972 per cent in 1915. Non,
showed an excess profit in 1917.
The big oil producing companies o