The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1918-08-30

Ii lOlli - W liO per ceHl III lJIo, dHu
their excess profits in 1917 were from
5 to so per cent, most of the lar.e
breweres making an average profit OF
AZ to 80 per cent in 1916, and an ex-
cess profit of 10 per cent in 1917.
The distillers of whiskies and spir-
its made profits in 1916 that ranged
from to S23 per cent, while their ex-
cess profits last year were from ID to
400 per cent.
Coal Men Pile Up Wealth.
The Pennsylvania and West Vi-
ginia soft coal mining companies made
enormous excess profits in 1917, ac-
cording to the report. The large com
panies all made profits in 1916 ranging
from 25 to $50 per cent.
In 1917 all of the large bituminouS
operators, the report shows, made un-
usual profits. One mine made 1926
per cent on its capital in 1916 and 4,337
per cent in 1917. Another made 1,S72
per cent 1915 and 1888 per cent in
1917.
Profits of the midcontfnent 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 % to 39o
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 rs per cent tat year. They showed
excess profts<in 1917 of from 8 to 90
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 519 per cent.
The report also shows that the small
dealers in furniture and other house
hold goods made enormous profits last
wear, with excess profits as high as 500
per cent.
Retail dealers in tobacco made enor-
nous profits off the smokers OF the
country, the highest being 3,116 per
cent, and the average approximately
80 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 1916, 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 ,OOO, 900 capital in 1915 earned $14.-
600 900. then boosted it's capital stock
to $96OOO,0O0 and then earned $2o.-
100000. A S19,OOO,OO0 concern which
earned S4,6OS 900 in 1916 made S5,25S,-
900 in 1917. A S16,OOO0O0 company
made S4,713,OOO in 1917, against $4.-
1O9, 700 in 1916.
A tin plate mill with 100000 600 CAP
ital made $54,OO0,0OO net profit In 1917,
against $19,OOOOOO in 1916, or an in
crease of Y 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 1916 generally ranged from 6 to SO
per cent on their capital stock, while
they nearly all made excess profits in
1917 of from to So per cent. Profits
of the large public utilities companies
in 1916 and 1917 ranged from IL to %
per cent.
Steam and electric railroads In 1915
made from II to POI 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
its income from S324,O00 in 1915 to
S3,77S. 900 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-
cess or those over 1910, US hlSh as
19143 per cent on the capital stock.
The concerns making the enormous
profits, however, were the smaller
firms.
Retail grocers and provision brokers
made their enormous 'war profits"
in 1916, the report shows. The gro
GERS made only a small profit in 1917
in excess of their 1916 profits. Of the
1888 concerns listed in the report,
however, only a dozen show profits OF
less than 20 per cent on their capital
stock in 1916, the year before the Unit
ed States entered the war, and the
profits of some concerns that year
were as high as 1913 per cent. Most
of the grocers, both large and small
concerns, the report shows, made av-
erage profits in 1916 of from so to 200
per cent.