Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-31


and the consequent serious reduction
in the supply of fuel, and the strike
of. railway shopmen, resulting in an
increase Of bad order equipment and
thus delaying the transportation of
merchandise and causing the cancel
lation of more or less passenger and
freight traffic, have had an adverse
effect, directly and Indirectly, on all
lines of business and industry. Some
industrial plants dependent upon
coal for fuel to supply their power
are in a serious condition because of
the shortage and their inability to
obtain supplies, and many mercan-
tile concerns have reported that mer-
chandise ordered by them has been
seriously delayed in shipment, and
that shipments made by them to
their customers have been so de.
layed that they have received many
cancellations.
due to these conditions, and to
some extent to the slackening in
trade, characteristic of midsummer,
five Of the wholesale lines under in.
vestigation by the review registered
declines in the volumeof sales dur
ing July compared with the preced.
showed substantial increases com.
pared with July a year ago. but re
tail trade, as indicated by reports
from thirty-four representative de-
partment stores throughout the dis.
trict showed a decline of little
more than per cent.
Agricultural crops in the district
as a general thing are reported tC
no fnVs no In ncfi
mate by the department of agricul.
crop on July Is, made public early
in August, was somewhat of sur.
prise, as private estimates had been
made indicating improvement during
the month, and it was expected the
condition would be around 70 or ID
per cent of normal. The figure pub
lished by the department, however,
showed that the crop had registered
a small decline, from 71.2 per cent
of normal on June 25, to 1913 per
cent of normal month later. In
the Sixth district, the condition OF
cotton improved two points in Ala
bama, one point in Louisiana, and
two points in Tennessee, but declined
ten points in Florida, four points in
Georgia, and two points in MiSsis
sippi, according to reports by repre-
sentatives of the United States de-
partment of agriculture in these
states.
1.-THE statement of debts to indi
| vidual accounts at fifteen principal
! cities of the district show an in
crease of only % per cent in July
1922, over the same period last year
In June the increase was little over
| Z per cent. Both demand and saw
ings deposits showed slight recess
| sions in July as compared with June
| the decrease in both instances be
ing less than one per cent, but ar
increase was shown in demand de
posits over those of a year ago OF
Is per cent and in savings deposits
of 4.6 per cent. Failures in the dis
trict during July, of this year, were
greater. both in number and in tota,
of liabilities, than during the same
month last year.
In Sixth District
Figures showing the value OF
building permits issued during July
1922, showed increase at fifteen
cities, and decreases at nine, as com
| pared with the value of permits is
sued during July, 1921. This state
| ment shows merely the number and
value of pernaits issued during the
| month, and does not show the enor
nous volume of building activity
going on under permits previously
| taken out. The lumber industry is
being held back by slow movement
Of freight incident to the strike. Cot
ton consumption in July was some
a dtfY,iVocr n
month, according to statements is
sued by the census bureau, and the
manufacture in this district of cot
| ton cloth, cotton yarn, cotton hosiery
and overalls was at a lower rate Of
output than was the case in June.
| Labor conditions generally in the dis
| trict continue to improve, and the
production of coal, iron and steel in
| the Birmingham district continues
| to increase"
Discussing retail trade condition
| the review said:
| "a further falling off in the vol
ume of retail trade during July is in
| dicatiVe of the prevalence of the
| usual midsummer dullness in mos
| parts of the district; although the
! decline in some measure may be at
! tributed also to the unsettled feeling
! produced by the strikes of railway
| shopmen and coal miners. A few in
| dividual department stores reporting
increases in sales in July this yeal
over last state that the increased
| volume Is due to sales which have
| been widely advertised, and to re
| duced prices. Other correspondent
| firms state that customers do no.
| appear to respond to cut-price sales
/ as readily as might be expected. Re
| ports indicate that on the whole the
| strike situation has had an impor
tant effect on the retail and whole
| sale trade situation, and that the
| consuming public generally is no
| spending money as freely as il
| might reasonably be expected to dc
| except for the strikes; and the cur
| tailed buying power of railway EN-
ployes out of work is exercising ar
| adverse effect on retail trade. July
! 1922, sales reported by thirty-foul
representative department stores
! were CT per cent smaller in the ag
| gregate than during July, last year
although an increased volume OF
sales occurred in the three reporting
stores i'll Birmingham and the -four
| reporting firms in Chattanooga
Stocks on the whole were only slight
ly less than at the end of the pre-
ceding month, and not substantially
lower than those of a year ago."
Tear Gas Necessary
TT n N.Y.