The Washington times., 1922-12-24

TRADE reviews SAY
Dun Bradstreet Reviews Show
Buying Is Now At Its Peak,
With Big Holiday Trade.
Retail buying IL now at 1t peak,
the year-end holiday trade having
been the best of any year since
1909, according to the weeks COM
mercial reviews made public today.
Retail prosperity has extended to
basic lines, 1t IL reported, while
forward orders for the coming
year are on hand In substantial
volume.
Year-end retail trade. including
holiday distribution, ID better than
In 1921 or 1920, the best. in fact,
since 1909, Bradstreet's says, while
December mail-order business has
been the largest on record. Prom
inent features in the trade activity
during the week, 1t says, have been
good recorder buying from jobbers
to fill depleted retail stocks Of
holiday novelties or Of heavy wear
ing apparel; more than normal
seasonal purchasing for spring de-
livery; an unusually active in
dustrial and manufacturing situa-
ton. with unemployment in the
cities apparently further reduced;
collections a shade better and q
new upward surge in car loadings
due to expansion in shipments Of
merchandise and coal, the former
owing to the holiday rush, the
latter to colder weather, are
prominent features in the trade dis
patches this week.
AS expressed In one correspond.
ent's report, the people have
money and are spending it." Over
and above all other features, and
especially because Of its sharp
contrast with recently preceding
years at this date. IL the afr Of
optimism noted in the reports from
the various divisions Of trade and
industry as results Of the past
year are considered and the out
look for the. new year 10 discussed.
Bradstreet's food index number,
based on the wholesale prices per
pound Of thirty-one articles used
for food, is $3.50, comparing with
$3.50 last week and $2.96 for the
week ended December %. 1921.
This weeks number SHOWS q loss
of five-enths of 1 per cent from
last week, but gain Of 1875 per
cent over the like week Of last
year. OF the eighty-one commodi-
ties of all kinds quoted weekly
twenty advanced as compared with
last week, fourteen declined and
forty seven remain unchanged.
Increases were recorded by the
following: Red wheat. spring
wheat, tallow, butter, cot
tonseed oil, beans. potatoes. cur
rants. live hogs, cotton, print
cloths, gray goods. brown sheet.
ings, Southern pig iron, steel
scrap (Chicago). cast iron (Chicago).
coke, copper, tin, Pennsylvania
hemlock.
The following commodities de-
clined: Corn. oats. mess pork, lard,
eggs, prunes, lemons, live beeves,
live sheep, live lambs. gasoline.
lead, antimony, spelter.
Commodities which remained un-
changed included flour, barley, rye
flour, corn flour. hams, short ribs,
cheese, raw sugar, refined sugar,
coffee, tea, tapioca, peas, apples,
peanuts. rice, molasses. rAisins,
Ohio oil, Pacific Coast hops. New
York hops, condensed milk. evap-
GRATED milk, macaroni, ginghams,
Ohi6 delaine wool. Ohio half-blood
wool. lnseed Oil, refined petroleum,
crude petroleum, hides, leather.
hay, basic pig iron, Bessemer pig
iron, Ressemer steel bilTets, open
hearth steel billets. steel rails. steel
bars, old Chicago car wheels, old
Philadelphia car wheels, Pittsburgh
steel scrap, wire nails, tinplates.
yellow pine. Adirondack spruce.
Douglas fir.
Zone Of the best features noted
as the year-end approaches fs the
substantial volume Of forward or
ders that already is on the books
Of various producers" according to
Dun's review. 1.-THE week hal been
marked by surprising activity to
certain quarters - surprising be-
cause the holiday season normally
is one of waiting in basic Industries.
But there will not be the usual
extended Christmas shutdowns at
manufacturing plants this year, at
least not in some important in
stances. and the new year will be-