Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-07
BANK CLEAR|NGS
SHOW INCREASE
September IS Per Cent Ahead
of Same Month in
Year 1917.

\ new September mark for bank clear
ings is reported in the digest of business
information issued by the National Bank
OF Delaware, the date of compilation
nelng October IL This shows, exclusive
OF New York City. a total of l3 billion
dollars for the month of September, an
increase oil 25 per cent over the corre-
spending month of 1917
Exports of merchandise during August
were valued at 529 million dollars COM
pared with sos million dollars the pre-
vlouS month and 4S9 million dollars III
August of last year. Imports during
August amounted to 273 million dollars
compared with 2ll million dollars the
month before and 36S million dollars in
August, 1917. leaving balance of trade
IN our favor of $50 million dollars com
pared with 367 million dollars the month
before and 22l million dollars wear afo.
Money IN circulation on October !
tntalcd l11l million dollars compare u
with lG2I million dollars j month ago
and 1921 In,iI II dollars a year go The
Dopulatiun uf the nitrd States IS now
estimated II 10 30! thousand compared
with l0t - thousand a wear ago making
th, nuntV circulation per capita S53.N2
OH the tr~t ut October compared with
l y
The average price Of all commodities
according to tic Bankers Commodity
Price Index. on the first day Of October
was SG0i 81 compared with SG1G \ u
month ago and >nl - a year ago
In ~hiphuildinE the | ntcd States
r~tal l~hcd rev worlds record during
he y,Ar ending September y |y launch
INC = 93j thousand dcIdwcight tons ot
ships and became the leading Shiphulldmg
nation ul The world
Buil,hng operations during August
including only private building ,ntcr-
prisgs aggregated 80 million dollars con-
pared with 53 million dolllr Year ago
Totai building operations. including GOV
crnmcnt work. IRE slightly N excess ot
last Near
Gross earnings of steam railroads for
Nugust a.no,utcd 10 fa> nil.Ion dollars
compared with 363 million dollars OF
over - pcr cent
Fig iron production during September
was Si}> thousand tons compared with
$500 thousand tons month ago and
@l%f thulsand tons il YEAR ago
anthracite coal production for the
coal veat beginning April to September
with 5O.574 thousand ton, for the same
oi over = per cent
Production of hituminous coal for
four weeks ending September y Was
ncariv 80 million tons compared with
nearly as million tons for the corrlepoud-
ing four weeks year ago
Crude petroleum stock, helI hv tho
pipe line companies on the first oi Sep
tt.nher tutacd 81 million barrels com
pared with - million barrels q month
before and - million barrels wear ago
Cotton ClnHcd from the new crop to
ScptembcT p amounted 10 @720 thousand
baie~ compared with 25l2 Thousand iale~
gluned - the same date las; wear
The wool clip for this season Is csti-
mated al 30 million pounds compared
with 444 million pounds q year ago and
> i7 million pounds two wears age
Production Of print paper tor ~ ralcn-
dar Year to September ! Mas only 16i
thousand tons compared WITH Sij jhou~-
and tons for the same portion ui last year
The sugar consumption IA the | mted
states (or the l. months ending july !
Was nearly >2l9 million pounds ~ more
than - pounds per capita hl~ i 40
per cent more than b. combined sugar
Of France, Italy and Great
Britain including Canada
--latest federal crop reports ihdlcatt
an increased production a. compared
with wear ago Of winter wheat, spring
w heat. buckwheat barley. rye, rice flax
seed, apples. sugar berts beans cotton
and tobacco, and 4 decreased output Of
corn, oats. white potatoes, sweet po-
tatoes and hay
The falling off in the hay crop Of nlne
million tons indicates = serious shortage
before spring
The average prices paid 10 producers
for tie principal crops on October ] were
4 per cent higher than q year ago =
per cent higher than two years ago and
90 per rent higher than thc IO-ycar averagH
1T tins date