The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-06
Men And Markets
 By P. r. B.
By ?. r. B.

Farm prosperity is definitely meas ured in comparison of the dollar value of this years crops as compared with the market price of last years harvest. Figured on present prices at the farm this years barley crop leads the list with gain of 51 per cent in dollar value. Barley, however, represents but per cent of our total farm income. Wheat, which represents IA per cent of the farmers assets, shows an even gain of 50 per cent In value. Potatoes, rep resenting per cent of the total, are worth ' per cent more as a crop. Corn, our largest single crop, represents "A Der cent or almost one-quarter of our total, agricultural output. After an un- certain season with rapid price changes the 1924 corn crop is finally estimated as worth per cent more than last year. Oats, which figure per cent of total crops, are worth A per cent more than year ago. Rice, a small crop, is worth per cent less than last year. Cotton, representing 16 per cent of our present agricultural output, would fall about per cent below last year if all of 1t were marketed at present-ievels The losses seem to be sectional, how ever, as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi. Missouri, New Mexico. Oklahoma and Tennessee, have larger cotton income than than last
 
 of our harvest. is somewhat disappoint- ing as this years crop falls 34 per cent below year ago in value. Even to- bacco income, however, is ahead of last year in Florida and Georgia.
 Car loadings scored their eleventh million car week with the showing of November 15 to g, which totals 1,O10,- 122 revenue cars. The movement of merchandise ocf or,g early in September and has stayed above 1t ever since. Goods are being bought, sold and delivered in record quantity.
 The turbine locomotive is coming. One, Henry Zoelly, Swiss engineer, in a talk before the railroad division of the So- city of Mechanical Engineers, has prophesied the passing of the iron horse" In place of our preesnt loco- motive with it's piston system of pro- gression we may expect a steam tur- bine type of locomotive operated on the principle that has caused many station ary power plants to take over the tur- pine system in place of the piston type of engine. For one thing, the turbine can be built to much higher power than the present locomotive and is more eco- nomical of fuel. The combination of turbo-locomotive and Identification sug- gests that fewer of the present type of locomotive will be built in the flu ture.
 Public utility securities bought by the investors of the United States this year promise to total in value the first Lib erty loan. During the first nine months of the year public utility sales reached the unparalleled sum of $1 ,1S1 ,OOO, ,0O0, which is more than the total for 12 months of 1923. The public is absorb ing an almost unbelievable volume of securities without showing any signs of financial indigestion.
 Business failures during November totaled 1,653 as compared with 1896 during October. This November figure establishes new low in the number of business failures since 1920. Liabili- ties of 31,123,910 are also the lowest for many months. Just. now a shrink age in failures is encouraging as it