The Raymer enterprise., 1918-08-22
hreweries making an average profit Of

ltS Huue Iiolts III 1910 tIlat TdHstd
from 8 to S23 per cent. while their ex-
cess profits last year were from II to
400 per cent.
Coal Men Pile Up Wealth.
The Pennsylvania and West vir-
ginia sof, coal mining companies mnde
enormous excess profits In 1917, ac.
cording TO the report. The large COM
panes all made profits In 1916 ranging
from % to $50 per cent.
In 1917 all of the large bituminous
operators, the report shows. made un-
usual profits. One mine made 1925
per cent on Its capital In 1916 and 4,337
per cent in 1917. Another made 1872
per cent in 1916 and 5,9S3 per cent In
1917.
Profits Of the midcontlnent 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 396
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 Is per cent that year. They showed
excess profits In 1917 Of from 5 to 55
per cent. aF
Small dealers in -four and grain,
with capital stock OF from $1,000 to
5000. made excess profits that ranged
as high as $40 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 1850
per cent.
Retail dealers In tobacco nude enor-
nous profits of the smokers OF the
country, the highest being 3.l18 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
$31. 600 600 capital In 1916 earned S17,-
100000, then boosted its capital stock
to $96,OO0,O00 and then earned $23,-
0O0,OOO. A $l9.O0O,0O0 concern which
earned $4.G0S, 600 In 1910 made 2,25s,-
600 In 1917. A sl8,0O0,0O0 company
made $4.713.O00 In 1917. against ST.
10000 In 1916.
A tin plate mill with $40, ,000,0 600 cap
ital made $54, 600, 900 net profit In 1917,
against $19,0O0.000 in 1916, or an in
crease OF 72 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 1915 generally ranged from 6 to 81
per cent on their capital stock, while
they nearly all made excess profits In
1917 OF from 3 to IS per cent. Profits
of the large public utilities companies
In 1916 aud 1917 ranged from II to 25
per cent.
Steam and electric railroads In 1916
made from II to POI 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
crcases 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 S324.000 in 1915 to
s3,77S,000 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 of those over 1916. as high as
I9l.43 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
1893 concerns listed In the report,
however. only dozen show profits OF
less thnn 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 MS 1873 per cent. Most
Of the grocers, both large and small
concerns, the report shows, made nv
erage profits In 1916 Of from so to 200
per cent.