Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1921-02-18
Monthly Review of Busi-
 nesS Conditions

railroads on the certificates of the In terstate Commerce Commission that such payments are due. There is nc question but what this measure is 2 just one, and we hope it will be promptly passed in order to relieve the railroads of their present plight which is hurting the whole credit structure of the country ,and there, fore retarding progress in every line of business.
 According to a recent statement of the Labor Committee of the Amer. ican Association of Railway Execu- tives, operating expenses of the rail, roads of the country have increased from $3,1OO,OOO,OOO to nearly $6,OOO,, OOO,OOO year. Almost two-thirds ot this increase is the result of higher wages, which have generally increased 120 per cent since the passage of the Adamson 8 hour Law.
 The Executives claim that while ex- penditures other than wages have been cut to a minimum, the railroads are not earning the per cent guaran- teed by the Transportation Act, and that rates cannot safely be advanced They propose, therefore, to petition the U. S. Railway Labor Board for a general reduction in railway wages upon the ground that the necessity which gave birth to the present scale has been removed by decreased cost of living.
 MOTORS AND TIRES-One of the favorable signs of the times in the industrial field has been the reopen ing, during the past month, of sev- eral automobile factories in the East and the assurance that some now clos ed will soon reopen, while numerous other factories are maintaining skele- ton forces to which men are being gradually added.
 In addition to the growing demand for Motor Trucks in this country, the prospects are good for American man. ufacturers doing a large volume of business during the coming year in Europe, where the trucks, left behind by the various armies at the close of the war, have educated the people to the value of the motor truck.
 It is confidently predicted that there will be more Tires sold the coming year than there were in 1920, or in any previous year, as they will be required to equip automobiles used for business purposes that are necessity, the number of which, with the i'm provements of our highways now in progress, is bound to steadily in- crease.
 GRAIN TRADE REVIEW While sentiment has been favorable to a high level of prices for Wheat, de- pressing influences were numerous and effective in the grain markets the past month. The lack of outside trade resulted in sharp declines the instant that foreign buying ceased, as renewed purchases from the country were hedged by sales of futures, with the result that prices were adversely affected, there being no broad out side trade to absorb te sales.
 The Worlds Wheat situation is de- cidedly complex, and rapid price changes may be expected until condi- tions become normal. Exports of Wheat from America since August 1st, 1920, the commencement of Euro pean crop year compared for three seasons were in bushels as follows:
 1920-1921 .............. 214,885,000
 1919-1920 ...............-.... 173,373, ,000
 1918-1919 .............. 147,546,00O
 Under normal conditions, the large export business that has been done the past few months with the strong statistical position would have forced domestic Wheat to premium over the Worlds market, but as it is, the Unit ed States continues to compete with the Southern Hemisphere, although the new crop there is only about ready to move.
 The Argentine Government, with its super-tax, has caused very little new crop grain to be sold for export SC far, but this condition is not expected to continue long, as Argentine has Wheat to sell and must sell it, being unable to consume all its raises. A super-tax, therefore, on exports from that country will simply result in the grower receiving less than he should for his Wheat, for the producer must pay the tax and not the exporter.
 We have already exported too much Wheat for comfort, and if there is a revival of the domestic demand ,high. CT prices will undoubtedly be witness. ed.
 Cash Corn and Oats are now selling ot fbo 1ouyacf ,oricoc oy, fho crop auG