Evening star., 1925-02-14
linotype GOES UP
TWO FULL POINTS
Best Previous Mark of Year
Is PasSed-Saturday
Session Busy.
BY CHAs. p. sHAEFFER.

Mergenthaler Linotype advanced a
full points to 172k on the Washing
ton Stock Exchange this morning. ex-
ceeding the best previous mark of the
year by l point. Fifty eight shares
changed hands, each transaction be
ing SUCCESSFULLY stronger.
1t is understood Mergenthaler's
earnings during the present fiscal
year are slightly above those of 1924
Earnings of the company for the
fiscal period ended September 80 last
did not compare favorably with 1928
its best year, when $20.S5 was shown
on the 12S.000 shares of capital stock.
but they were not far below the aver
age for the last five years.
The net profits last year were So
6,755, equivalent to s1S.25 d share.
and compared with an average of
SlS.53 for the five-year period.
One share of District National Bank
stock sold on the board today for
zoo, establishing another new high.
Riggs National Bank brought 327la,
several points below the years high.
but Continental Trust Company de-
| cllned full point to S5.
Railway common sold to the extent
or 10 shares at par and a quarter
Railroads Earn 4.35 Per Cent
Class railroads in the United
states earned a return or 4.35 per
cent on their estimated property val
| uation during 1924, or a total Of
1887 ,l33,650, slightly more than the
1923 figure. which was $s83.736, 200.
The latter figure, however, was de
scribed as representing a return Of
4.49 per cent.
The figures made public today by
the Bureau of Railway Economics
were compiled from Interstate Com
| merce Commission reports and cover
ed nearly 80 per cent OF the coun-
try's rail mileage. The gross reve-
nue. for the roads in 1924 amounted
to 1886, 100, and operating ex-
penses, before the calculation of tax
es, rentals and other costs of run
| ming railroads. were S4,55S, ,307, 500.
The bureau calculated that gross
revenues had fallen SO per cent be-
| low the 1923 total, but that operating
expenses had been cut by rs per cent
| during the period.
Greater Efficiency Noted.
The record indicated, the bureau
said, that railroads were operated in
1924 at the greatest efficiency in their
history" but that they had still failed
Ito earn the return of 90 per cent,
| which has been set up by statute as
fair
southern railroads had the best per-
centage of return in the United
! States, the bureau estimated, their
! earnings of s142,554,43S being 30 per
cent Of the assigned valuation of their
| property. Eastern lines. including g
| those operated east of the Mississippi
| and north of the Ohio Rivers, earned
s466,498,235, or ass per cent on val
| uation, while Western railroads, with
| total earnings of s37S,0S0,991, were
1 credited with a rate of 3.S7 per cent.
Rate Less Satisfactory.
! While the actual earnings of rail-
roads for 1924 were greater than in
| 1923, the amount represented less
| satisfactory return rate, it was eX-
! planned, because of the new and larg-
er investment in railroad facilities
| during 1924.
Among the larger items of expen-
diture made by railroads during the
year, the bureau listed taxes. which
amounted to s344,073,000. This was
s6.739.000 greater than tax payments
for 1928.
For the last month in 1924 the re-
port showed sharp increases in earn
ings. The net income was $685..
40 in December, 1924, while in De-
cember, 1923, it was s70,O30,000.