Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1918-08-30

ii made profits in 1916 that ranged
from 9 to S23 per cent. while their ex-
cess profits last year were from j 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. ae-
cording to the report. The large COM
panies all made profits in 1916 ranging
from % to $50 per cent.
In 1917 all of the large bituminous
operators, the report shows, made IN
usual profits One mine made 1925
per cent on its capital in 1916 and 4,337
per cent in 1917. Another made 1,S12
per cent in 1916 and 1888 per cent in
1917.
Profits Of the midcontinent bitumi-
nous operators were smaller averag.
ing 80 per cent.
The big oil producing Coz 4panies OF
Illinois, Indiana. New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and
West Virginia made from % to 396
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 that year. They showed
excess profits in 1917 of from 3 to 90
per cent.
Small dealers in -four 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
year, with excess profits as high as 800
per cent.
Retail dealers in tobacco made enor-
nous profits off the smokers or the
country, the highest being S,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 masks 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, 100000 capital in 1916 earned $l7,-
OO0,OOO then boosted its capital stock
to S96,0OOO00 aud then earned $23,-
100000 A S19,OO0,009 concern which
earned S4,508,00O in 1916 made $685.
900 in 1917. A $16,010,000 company
made $4,713000 in 1917, against $4,-
100000 in 1916.
A tin plate mill with SAC, 100000 cap
ital made $54,00O,OO0 net profit in 1917,
against S19,000,000 in 1916, 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 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 30 per cent. Profits
of the large public utilities companies
in 1916 and 1917 ranged from II to IS
per cent.
Steam and electric railroads In 1915
made from II to 207 per cent profits,
while in 1917 they made profits in
excess of 1916 that ranged between Is
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 $324.0O0 In 1916 to
S3,77S.000 In 1917.
How Dry Goods Men Jared.
A list of 1902 clothing and dry
goods merchants, including department
stores, showed profits for 1917 in ex-
cess of those over 1916, as high as
1913 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 small profit IN 1917
| in excess of their 1916 profits. OF the
1858 concerns listed in the report,
however. only a dozen show profits OF
less than 90 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 cert. Most
of the grocers, both large and small
concerns. the report shows, made av
erage profits in 1916 of from so to 2Ol
per cent.