Evening star., 1921-04-29
IN RANKS OF IDLE 4 1
FEATURES ST. LOUIS REVIVAL
Sales and Shipments Show Steady Increase.
Conditions In Other Sections. 4.

municipal improvements about Sl.O0o.-
900 and construction of several new
golf courses will cost 100000.
/ In Detroit the Secondary reaction"
theorist is making himself conSpicu-
Gus here and there. He will tell YOU
that by July all of the automobile
plants will be closed. but in contras
to this picture is the statement by Q
committee of Detroit bankers who
spent a day this week making a per.
sonal survey Of several automobile
plants, that the automobile manufak-
turing industry is steadily improving
and the outlook is satisfactory to US"
Steamboat Outlook Gloomy.
Down on the river front there is no
hilarity over prospects for steamboat
business this season. The Pittsburgh
steamship Company will not commis-
sion more than 40 per cent of its
boats. and only class A boats will be
and twenty-one barges being laid up.
A Detroit marine reporting agencE
says only grain is coming down the
lakes and that Is per cent of the
oWn-bound boats are without cargo.
If the willingness of the Michigan
sugar farmer to plant sugar beets is
any criterion there will be plenty Of
sugar next fall. The Michigan Sugar
company has contracted to date near
ly as many acres as were written a
year ago and it's books are about
to be closed for the 1921 season. Com
tracts call for s6 guaranteed per ton.
with graduated advance less than
last year, while a year ago the guar
anty was 50 per ton.
Both the Michigan and the Conti-
mental sugar companies have about
one-half of last years crop yet un-
sold. u"
Detroit has a plant which produces
ABOUT one-half of the alkalai cleaning
ana tanning chemicals of the country.
and 1t is interesting to note. there.
tore. now TINS concern. the J. b. Ford
oompay: is finding business. March
sales OF this company were greater
man naain IN March year ago. and April,
1871 Is expected to exceed April, 1920.
BUSINESS NOTES.
PITTSBURGH. April 29.-Dealers in
furniture ~ report that the latest cuts
clare this months sales will show a
large increase. Many new styles in
suites are in the stores. Willow and
noer porch, sun-parlor and summer
mouse furniture is in large demand.
tne early season having stimulated
purchases.
NEW YORK. April 29.-The pack
age car idea of freight shipments is
rapidly developing Through the
traffic group of the National Retail
pry Hooos Association. announcement
mas oeen made of an eastbound pack
age car service. This service oper-
ates from Chicago, Cleveland, r - do
cincinnati and Indianapolis, M. king
1ourth-day deliveries in every case
except shipments from Cleveland.
heretofore the package car service
sdea mas been confined to westbound
shipments. and from it satisfactory
service is being obtained both by the
railroads and the stores. One road
operating such cars to Cincinnati,
Louisville. Nashville and Memphis
mas SO Tar exceeded the daily mini
PITTSBURGH, April 2s.-As a re-
suit or orders issued by the Pitts
burgh offices of the operating COM
panles; bright spots are appearing in
the Shenango valley. Sixteen hot
mllls OF the American Sheet and Tin
Plate Company's plant at Farrell will
resume Monday The hot mills Of
the Mercer plant will resume at the
same time.
PHILADELPHIA. April 29-Master
builders of this city have formulated
a new scale of wages to become eff
fective May i. and today announced
the adoption of a program which in.
cludes the following points: /, reduc-
tion of wage scales to natural read
justment following peace, a decrease
or "a per cent under the present
scale; 2. the open or closed shop be-
comes a matter Of choice to the eml
ployer; 3, the sympathetic strike plan
of the unions, which has been in
vogue here for years, must be. aban-
doned in the future. The reduced
wages are offered to $4,000 mechanics,
most of whom are idle at present
The scale offered is 80 cents an hour
for carpenters and 81 an hour for
bricklayers, masons and plasterers.
NEW YORK, April 29.-Openings of
the fall lines of the clothing manu-
facturers have brought out new
prices which probably require sokle
explanation. These prices probably
are higher than the retailers have
expected to pay, and the ultimate
consumer probably is in for a similar
surprise. Public announcements of
the prices have not been made, but it
is said that. while the figures are
considerably under those of last fall.
they are above those of this spring.