The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-03-15
TRADE DISPLAYS
IRREGULAR
TREND
Bradstreet's and Dun's Busl.
ness Surveys Report Vary
ing Currents.

NEW YORK, March 15.--Rrad.
streets Weekly Review Of Business
said today:
Trade Is irregular and less active
than is industry, generally speak
ing, with varying currents within
different trades and in different
sections. AS regards regular spring
distribution in the appaEel trades,
business In not better than fair.
and this condition possibly colora
trade reports as whole.
Industries also send irregular
reports, the steel and automobile
trades reporting most activity
whereas the apparel and the shoe
manufacturing trades seem least
favorably situated. Even in the
steel trades. while output is at close
to the record rate Of last SPRING
the buoyancy noticeable in the Gene
trail west contrasts rather forcibly
with some slackness In buying noted
in some Of the older centers of pros
duction in the middle east.
Building Gains.
1.-THE February building exhibit
shows plans made in that month
for an enormous quantity of work.
the total for that short mouth
promising to be the third largest
in the country's history. In the coal
trade, buying is unquestionably
slack, both for hard and soft
varieties. AS regards early crops.
there Is an abundance Of moisture
for winter wheat, rather an under
supply for spring wheat, and an una
questionable shortage at some CALI
fnvpNfo VNninf0 IaA ~ Ao nd
there is plenty of moisture at the
south, notably in Texas, but the biz
storm and the freeze accompanying
1t has put back southern crop
preparations blowing and some
planting. In the oil trade, reports
Of further advances in crude and Oh
active production OF gasoline are
balanced by reports Of larger OUT
put from the wells.
with prevailing irregular condb
tons. q spell of settled spring
weather 10 anxiously awaited, the
view being that this will clear up
the outlook materially in q numbeR
Of lines.
"In rather curious contrast with
the unsatisfactory reports from
many lines of retail trade, the ro.
ports from chain stores and mail
order houses for February and the
two months Of 1924 are remarkably
good"
Buying Moderate.
Dun's weekly review Of business
said today:
mo new trend has appeared
either in demand or prices. Buying
in moderate lots to cover actual
needs remains the rule, and the
price movement, with few excer-
tons, Is relatively narrow. The linn.
tied volume Of forward purchasing
tends to hold the markets in check,
and an unusually stable condition
is indicated by the comparatively
small number of changes in Dun'S
the price element had retarded the
list Of wholesale quotations. Where
placing OF new orders recent de-
clines have somewhat stimulated
operations.
"The frequent reordering shows,
however, that stocks OF goods are
still low In many instances, and the
heavy freight traffic Of a year
ago, when business was expanding
rapidly, ls being exceeded now. Sim
1larly. monthly statistics Of bank
clearings surpass those Of the
earlier period. while building per-
mits set another high record for
February. These evidences Of COM
merc1al progress are supported by q
rate Of steel manufacture that aaS
only once before been aQualled, and
by exceptional activity in the, auto.
mobile industry where an unprecos
denied production IL expected this
year. Yet the general situation
presents many sharp contrasts, with
unsatisfactory phases In certain