Evening star., 1923-02-26
SHOPPING
GETS UNDER WAY
Retail Dealers Now Getting
Business Delayed by
Severe Weather.
BY j. C. ROYLE.
Special Dispa tch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 26.-Eastes
shopping is really under way IN
the retail stores OF the country. II
many sections the lateness OF tn,
winter and unusual storms delayed
the excursions OF consumers to Al
their Easter needs. but merchants as.
serted that the movement finally hat
begun and that there was every indi,
cation of a satisfactory volume OF
| trade before April 1.
The markets in this city today wer,
hlled with buyers from the middle
west and southwest either making
Ia last-minute purchase for Easter OIL
nurrying recorders forward to fill de.
pleted shelves. Express companies
are flooded with shipments in nearls
! every jobbing and wholesale center
ana the car movement of the coun.
try still hampered by weather condi.
tionS is such as to arouse some fear,
| CT further congestion later in thu
spring.
No Indication of Strike.
Manufacturers and merchants art
frankly worried over the unmistak.
aple trend of commodity prices up.
ward They are extremely reluctanl
| TO advance quotations for fear q:
| checking consumer buying. Yet tht
movement of the raw commodit,
| markets. they say, Is such that the,
must take that step or cease to do
business at a profit
80 lar, however, there has been ne
indication OF a buyers strike In any
section of the country. Retailers
nave been helped materially by tn,
introduction Of new fabrics and de,
signs. These have caught the fancy
of the buying public and have moved
| readily at satisfactory prices withou
arousing comparison with goods oil
somewhat similar range and styi,
SOLD last year at lower figures.
Mills on Full Time.
The textile mills of both the south
and New England are operating or
full time schedules as a. rule. Som,
Of the wooden mills are sold aIread,
through the fall season. The silk
manufacturers with remarkable new
designs on their looms, are turning
out full volume of products in Nei
Jersey and Pennsylvania in spite &
the strength of the raw silk market
In the middle west and southwest
wholesalers in drygoods and women's
apparel reported today that the vol
ume of business done this month in
some cases exceeded that of February
1922, by 100 per cent, although the
sales in that period were above all
pLCfiouS IcCOIuS. ne lISHQ OI re-
tall buying indicates that It may be
split into two sections. one devoted &c
shopping, especially for Easter. and
the other later period allotted ia
general replacement OF necessities foi
spring.
Outdoor Work Started.
The breaking up of winter is being
signalized by active renewal of build.
Ling operations. There is some short.
age OF skilled men in the building
trades here, but it Is even mora
J marked in the middle west. In some
sections Of that district. plasterers
are getting SIS a day, and bricklay.
ers, S12. Carpenters are scarce al
$1.25 an hour.
The tremendous volume Of highway
improvement is being reflected in the
increased orders for cement. 1t lie
conservatively estimated that cement
output in the United States at present
1t at least 100000 barrels a day. and
most mills have increased production
about 100 per cent as compared with
last year. Concrete workers in sec
tions where highway work already
has begun are getting 50 to so cents an
hour and laborerS on road work, 57l1
| to 67ls cents. Contracts for building
materials in many sections are being
| taken subject to prices on date OF
delivery
Renewed demand for tankers in in
tercoastal trade to bring California
crude oil to Atlantic coast reineries
| is a marked feature OF the shipping
industry with a corresponding in
crease in freight rates on oil and gas
oline