Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-04-06

an important factor in the advance
Of grain prices.
The expectation of growing vol
ume Of business in general is evidenced
by the recent purchases of railway
equipment. January orders Of freight
cars tor foreign and domestic deliv-
cry are estimated at more than 10000
cars, as compared with 26,356 for the
whole year 1921. During the first
two weeks OF February, 1890 more
freight cars we're ordered by one rail-
ROAD system alone making the total
orders for the first SIX week, of the
new year only about ii 600 short OF
the total orders for 1921. Orders Tor
passenger cars placed so lar TINS
year by Class I railroads are SAID to
exceed the total for 1921. The extent
Of the depression in the car-buildng
industry Is shown by the fact that
from 1901 to 1913, inclusive, annual
orders for new freight cars fell below
100000 only once, IN 1908, when or
dCrs amounted TO 62,669. 1t has reeh
said that this country will need dur
ing the next three years about 0VU,-
UOU new freight cars.
The production of pig iron in Janu-
airy was at daily rate OF 92,ool
tons, or slightly less than the $3.50
tons for December. January product.
ion, however, with the exception oil
the December output, was the largest
since February, 1921, and about 70
per cent in excess of the average
monthly production for last year. Inc !
rate OF production in the steel indus
try has been accelerated considerably !
has been accsince the first OF the year |
since the first OF the year, The re-
ported production of thirty steel COM /
oanies in January indicates yearly /
output of steel ingOts by the industry |
as q whole at a rate Of about Z2,75O,- /
coo gross tons in December. By the
end of the month the rate of pro-
duction had speeded up to a point
equivalent to q yearly production OF
% zoe, 900 tons as against l0,OOO,OOU
tons at the end of December. By the
middle of February, the indicated
yearly output based on the current
rate of production was 2S,000,000 tons,
or about 80 per cent. of capacity,
which is estimated at about 52,5OO,OOO !
tons per year. Unified orders re-
ported by the Steel Corporation as of
20, 736 tons, and were actually the
owest since April, 1915. For sew
,ral months steel prices in general
have continued downward and the
of steel prices is now the
owest since December, 1915, and is
not quite 20 per cent. above the 10
rear pre-war average.
Sterilization Of Autsbnobile Prices
Approximate sterilization of auto
mobile prices is believed in the indus
ny to have been definitely reached.
The average price of - of the princi-
pal standard touring car models Is
low - per cent. below the average
price on September |, 1920, but the
price of the greater quantity of ears
sold represents q much greater de-
iucticn, some as much as 1919 per
.ent. This reduction has been brought
lbout by a series of price cuts spread
,ver more than a year, so that we
low stand at what appears to be the
nd Of the period of price revision
'ather than at the beginning. In view
# known improvements and refine
nents in the product, no comparison
# present prices with those of 1913 is
possible or significant.
This conclusion in regard to stabil-
cation is based not only upon the
mount of the average price reduct-
on that has taken place, but also ]