Evening star., 1925-11-05
EXTRA"
NOW HELDL|KELY
MergenthaIer Earnings Show
Steady Gains-Bank
Director Elected.
BY CHAS. p. SHAEFFER.

There is a strong possibility, &C
cording to reports going the rounds
of local investment circles, that Mer-
genthaler will make an additional
| extra dividend payment this year.
The prevailing high level of the stock,
now selling above 100. has evidently
discounted conditions TO a certain ex-
tent, but the yield is still high for an
| issue that showed earnings Of $18.26
for 1924, with an even greater return
in sight for 1925.
There have been no late statements
giving definite figures for the present
year, although officials infer they are
better than last year. At the present
| market level, paying at the rate of
$3.50 annually, including extras, the
yield is around 6.5 per cent. The com
pany is in a strong financial condition,
showing ratio of to l in current
assets against current liabilities. Net
current assets as of the close of the
| last fiscal year were S16,203,646.
! Mergenthaler manufactures the pop
| uiar linotype machine which has found
wide usage in 10000 print shops
! throughout the country. The com
pany claims to have over so, 900 ma
| chimes in use at present. The limo
| type machine has done much TO revo-
| lutionize the printing art. Instead Of
| the old method of hand setting, this
| machine operates from finger key
board, producing type-metal slugs
bearing type characters which pro-
! duce a line of print. The operations
OF composition and distribution have
been minimized to an immeasurable
| extent.
New Bank Director Named.
Joseph II. Bradley was added to the
board of the Farmers and Mechanics
National Bank at the regular meeting
of the directorate this morning, sue
| ceeding to the vacancy caused by the
| recent death of j. L. Dyer, President
Harry V. Haynes announces.
Mr.. Bradley'S addition is valuable
acquisition. He is a business man OF
considerable affiuence. is member OF
! Bradley, Beall and Howard, real estate
insurance agents, and is also president
| and general manager of the Columbia
Grant and Dredging Corporation.
Today's election brings the board to
! its full quota of IA members.
Exchange Plan Argued.
Contemplation of the New York
| Stock Exchange TO extend its ticker
facilities to the Pacific Coast and to
Florida were active factors in it's re-
cent plan to raise approximately So
100000 by the sale of 25 seats, it de-
| veloped yesterday when a fight over
the proposal was carried to an open
debate. Several hundred members Of
| the exchange listened to a defense of
| the plan by President Simmons and
! to opposing views of a group headed
by Eben Stevens. The proposal will
| be voted upon by the full member
ship on November II.
Although favoring the extension Of
the exchanges facilities. many brokers
| argued that the institution should
| draw upon its present reserves or
| adopt d method of financing which
! would not impair the equity of pres
ent memberships. Some members ex-
pressed fears that in the event of a
| market depression. a sharp fall in the
price of seats would result and others
asserted that the proposed prices of
Sl35,00O to S145,000 represented in
! fiated values based on the present
stock market boom.
! The opposition group also pointed
out that there We're at present 400
inactive" members and asked that
they be required to dispose of their
seats If they did not make use Of
them.
Mining Holdings Taken Over.
The firm of w. a. Hartman and
the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. of
Montana have jointly taken over the
! -
Heirs Mining Co. which has been
in financial difficulties. Under the
terms of the agreement new Amer
lean corporation is to be- formed, in
which the Hartman and Anaconda
interests will control a ma jority of
the stock, the Geische heirs to receive
the minor balance. The Geische con
Germ is the oldest mining company in
Germany.
Another Freight Record.
A freight-loading mark, exceeded
| only in one other week, was made on
American railroads during the week
ended October "a, when 1,121, ,459 cars
were handled, the American Railway
! Association announced today. The
! largest one-week loading on record
was reported for the week of August
%, when 2,977 more cars were han
died.
/ Increased loadings in coal, mer-
chandise and less than carload lots.
miscellaneous freight, grain and grain
products, coke and forest products
| brought the October "a loadings 1886
cars over the total of the preceding
week and S.406 over the correspond
| ing period last year.
Coal loadings for the week ended
| October "a totaled 1S9 1905, an advance
| of 2,617 over the week before; grain
| and grain products, 4s,289, an in
| crease of 2,9S9; miscellaneous freight,
/ 726, an increase of 11,305, and
| merchandise and less than carload
lots, 271 .624. an advance of 1904.