Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1920-12-18
4 Monthly Review Of
 Business Conditions

very moment when industrials were
 falling. The pronounced weakness
 of industrials, however, finally had g
 sympathetic influence on the railway
 shares, some of which went down sev-
 eral points, but at the close of the month there was more cheerful feel,
 ing concerning the railway situation
 Northern Pacific and, Southern Pa
 cific being favorites in the rails group.
 The purchase of the Denver & Rio
 Grande Railroad property at Receiv- ership sale on November 2Oth, by the Western Pacific Railroad Corporation of Delaware for the Western Pacific Railroad Company of California to satisfy it's unpaid court judgment debt of Thirty-six Million Dollars was an event of considerable importance in the railroad world, especially to the people of California, as it is un- derstood that Twelve Million Dollars will be expended by the owners to put the property in first-class shape for operation, and Ten Million Dollars by the Western Pacific for the exten- sion of it's lines in California, in or der to provide additional feeders for the system.
 No time has been wasted by a num- Der of railroads since the result of the Presidential Election became known, in seeking authorization for new financing, the applications being made to the Interstate Commerce Commission with the understanding in each case that the sums for which authority is asked to issuS bonds, are to be used as collateral security for obligations resulting from improve ments and loans made by the Govern ment during Government control.
 Delivery to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company of 2500 new refrigerator cars, began re- gently, on the basis of at least thirty a day, and will be completed by the middle of January. These cars, to- gether with 500 new coal cars and 50 locomotives, just added to the equip ment of this line, represent an. ex- penditure of Eighteen Million Dol lars, and should relieve the car short age to a considerable degree.
 The box car shortage which exist ed until recently throughout the West, has been relieved to a great extent Requirements are quite gen. orally being met, and surpluses in some sections are beginning to ap- pear.
 MOTORS AND TIRES-Atl the present time the Automotive industry in common with almost every other business, is passing through a tenn porary period of depression, but bus mess in general, especially here in California, is on too sound basis for the automobile industry as a whole to suffer for any considerable period.
 The rapid expansion in automobile truck and tractor circles during the early months of this year, served to accentuate the recent depression which will doubtless prove to be ben eficial in the long run as many of the larger concerns now realize that plans for expansion Were proceeding so rapidly early in the year that break would have occurred sooner or later, and that period of readjust- ment at this time will therefore serve to avert disaster later.
 In 1919, total of 316,364 trucks were built in the United States, rang ing in capacity from one to five tons each, and the production for 1920 will be approximately 375,O00, or an in- crease of IS per cent.
 There is every reason to believe that the production of trucks in 1921 will be at least one-third greater than that of the present year, or approxi- mately 500,000, as the potential mar ket for motor trucks was never bet