Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-04-24
ORIENTAL MARKET
FOR COTTON STEADY
DESPITE JAP NOTES
BY j. G.. ROYLE
Especial Leased Wire to The Journal.)
Downright, 1924.

kCOpyrlSHJS l3-3.J
NEW YORK, April 21.-Reports
from widely separated sections of
this country indicate that peak pro-
duction in several major industries
has been passed for the time being
at least.
Coal, automobile, lumber, cement
and textiles have shown a slump re-
Gently, although in each case the
falling off has been slight in COM
parison with production in other
good years. The first indication Of
the trend has been the slackening in
car loadlngs. Forward buying in
large quantities has become almost
obsolete IN some lines Of business.
Merchants buy in small lots and de-
pend on the common carriers to land
their purchases promptly at the
freight elevators. Consequently a
drop in purchases is Immediately re-
Elected in the freight car loaded.
The latest reports on employment
in Detroit, the surest barometer Of
the automobile industry, show a fur
Their drop of $50 workers to 236, 1916.
This compares with 225, 081 at this
time last year, and is $685. below the
high mark reached this year in Feb
ruary. The Pere Marquette road,
which handles considerable raw ma
terial for the automobile factories,
as well as the finished machines,
loaded and received from connec-
tons only 5,627 cars from April 1
to April Is, inclusive. This compares
with 29,043 for the corresponding Pc
Rod Of last month.
Sales Show Increase
In spite of these facts, automobile
sales are showing an increase with
nearly all the larger producing COM
panies representing improvements
since the first week Of the month.
The total Ford sales are expected to
reach 235, 900 by May 1 and Dodge
weekly sales passed the 5000 mark
for the first time in the history Of
the company in the period ending
April -.
SlaCkening in some ion and steel
INES has produced curtailment in
b!tuminous coal and in Missouri,
Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Ken.
lucky and Kansas thousands are
idle and other thousands are work
ing only part time.
AS has been pointed out in these
columns, there are approximately
100000 more workers in the bitumin.
Gus mines than are required to pro-
duce q normal supply and there are
hundreds more mines prepared to
produce coal than are needed ex-
Cept for emergencies.
Lumber Men Confident
Lumber production has suffered
slightly but neither the lumber men
and milIers Of the west coast, the
cotton men of the south or the man
ufacturers of the east take serious
ly the danger that Japan will offer
any retaliation for exclusion meas
ures by refusal to buy American
goods and products. 1t is pointed
out that Japan has not yet recovered
from the effects of the earthquake
Of last September. The country is
still in urgent need of lumber and
steel products, wooden textiles and
other American goods.
Cotton men declared today that
the Oriental market for raw cotton
will not be affected. Any boycott
| could scarcely be applied to material
which Japan needs to keep her own
cotton textile mills busy, especially
SIlCS IHe 1IHISlIeu plOuuCL VI lHtSc
factories is sold largely in the United
States.
The japanese silk producers arc
dependent largely on the American
silk manufacturers to buy the produt
Of the Japanese silk worms. The
silk houses in the neighborhood of
New York have cut PRODUCTION mate
rally and it is estimated that for the
first half Of this month there were
only 1900 bales shipped from the
japanese ports. Silk manufacturers
indicated today their disbelief that
Japan would take any action which
would cramp this market even more
severely.