Evening star., 1922-01-14

that some other cities showed a total
falling off in sales Of more than 81
per cent.
Fighting Spirit to Control
Conditions this year will be alb
soiutely the result of the fighting
spirit, said the manager. By plan
ming. advertising. purchases and all
other activities weeks and even
months in advance. it will be pos
sible for the fighters, he believes. to
make the year better than last.
The fact that Washington is better
other cities. he feels. will make pos
sible this result. The salary of the
government emplOye goes on at about
the same figure month after month.
There will be no decrease and prob
ably will be an increase in general
salaries.
There is no dearth of money, but
the average customer wants to know
what he is getting now. and insists
on finding out how the price of an
article compares now with what he
had to pay for the same, thing. and
exactly the same quality, last year.
Lower Prices; Larger Business.
The head of a large womans spe-
cialty store stated that his business
during the past year was just a little
ahead all year over 1920, although
prices were lower on an average by
5S u per cent. A much larger sale
of articles resulted.
This was the general experience Of
the department stores of the city. One
of the largest of these experienced
total sales during 1921 considerably
greater than in 1920. In some cases
the entire year had been better; in
others the last quarter. and in still
others the month of December.
In the automobile business, while
there was a period of stress, condi-
tions were generally favorable here.
Things never looked quite as rosy as
now" says a prominent automobile
dealer.
Postal Receipts Index.
City Postmaster Chance. a business
man. who holds the job of postmast
of the National Capital, although he
has devoted his entire life to the gov
ernment service. believes that the
postal receipts are a good index to the
general prosperity of a city.
Official figures just made public by
the Post Office Department show that
postal receipts for December. 1921,
s410.117.6S for December. 1920. a gain
of 1921 per cent. The percentage of
gain for the fifty largest post offices
of the country, however, was but 6.66.
about half that of the District.
Postal receipts of the Washington
1921 totafed S3,747, ,SS2.S0. as compared
with S3.65797S.O3 during 1920. an in
crease of Ss9.904.77, or 2.45 per cent,
according to Postmaster Chance.
Last Quarter Shows Increase.
The last quarter of 1921, including
October, November and December,
showed postal receipts here of ST.
110.734.45 as compared with $1.045,-
275.43 during the last quarter of 1920.
This was an increase of S65,459.02. or
an increase of 6.26 per cent.
The fact that the postal receipts
for January, April. July. September
and October were below those of the
same months in 1920 indicates to
postal authorities that business is
picking up" here.
Then take the bank clearings and
deposits. Despite the fact that the
total clearings of local banks through
the Washington clearing house was
some twenty millions of dollars less
for the year 1921, than for 1920, the
total amount of deposits on hand in
the banks of the city at the close
of business December 81, 1921. was
$6.S44.926.04 more than the deposits
recorded on December %. 1920. the