The state herald., 1918-08-23
cess profits last year were from u y
400 per cent.
Coal Men Pile Up Wealth.

Inc pennsylvania and West Vir.
giafa 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 bltuminous
operators. the report shows. made un-
usual profits. One mine made 1925
per cent on Its capital In 1915 and 4.337
per cent In 1917. Another made 1872
per cent in 1915 and 59S3 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 800
per cent In 1915 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 1915. those for
the larger companies ranging from 25
to rs per cent that year. They showed
excess profits In 1917 Of from to IS
per cent.
Small dealers In flour and grain,
with capital stock Of from $1,000 to
$1,000, made excess profits that ranged
rs high us $40 per cent.
The report also shows that the small
dealers in furniture and other house,
hold goods made enormous profits Inst
year. with excess profits as high as $50
per cent
Retail dealers In tobacco made enor-
nous profits of the smokers Of the
country. the highest being 8,176 per
cent. and the average approximately
80 per cent In 1915. 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
amy extraordinary increase In profits
over those Of 1910. One company with
$3l .0O0. 900 capital In 1915 earned ST..
600 900, then boosted Its capital stock
to $96.OO0.O00 and then earned $685.
900 1000. A $10.O00.000 concern which
earned $4,GOs. 900 In 1915 made $685.
900 In 1917. A $16,000.O00 company
made &4.713.000 In 1917. against $4,-
100 600 In 1916.
A tin plate mill with $40. .0o0. 900 cap
itnl made 64.O0O. 900 net profit In 1917.
against 110O00.OO0 in 1915, or an In
crease Of u per cent on Its capital
stock.
Transportation. public utilities, and
light and power companies. with very
few exceptions, Jared exceedingly well
during 1915 and 1917. Their profits
In 1910 generally ranged from O to 80
per cent on their capital stock. while
they nearly all made excess profits In
1917 Of from 8 to IS per cent Profits
Of the large public utilities companies
In 1915 and 1917 ranged from II to %
per cent
Steam and electric railroads In 1915
made from II to 207 per cent pronts,
while In 1917 they made proilt1 In
excess Of 1915 that ranged between Is
and 20 per cent, according to the ~
port.
Marine. IRE, and life insurance con-
Germs enjoyed unusually large In
creases in profits. One company
earned 4o3 per cent more on tn CAP
ital stock In 1917 thaa 10 1915. AM
other capitalized at S70O.0 900 increased
Its income from $s24.0oo In 1919 to
&3.77s. 900 In 1917.
How Dry ooods Men Farsd.
A list of 2.0o2 clothing and dry
goods merchants, including department
stores. showed profits for 1917 IN ex.
cess Of those over 1915. a. high a.
1918 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 1915, the report shown. The gro
GERS made only q small profit In 1917
in excess Of their 1919 profits. OF the
1883 concerns listed In the report,
however. only Q dozen show profits Of
less than 20 per cent on their capital
stock in 1915, the year before the Unit
ed States entered the war. and the
profits Of some concerns that yenr
were as high as 1873 per cent. Most
Of the groccrs. both large and small
concerns the Yeport shown. mnde nv.