Evening star., 1926-01-23
BY l.. SETH SCHNITMAN AND
D. W. MIILARD

Of late years much interest has
attached to the careful analysis Of
markets as an aid III eliminating
waste in distribution. These aaaly-
r-S have been of both local and
national character. on II national
~oale the results are more apparent,
having given to distributors in gen
eral an idea Of the comparative fertil-
ity OF each trade area that they might
reasonably adjust advertising and
tales efforts To the best advantage.
Local marketing studies have had
their chief value In pointing the
movements Of population and business
sections within a given city. Move
.nents OF this type in Washington
nave been the subject OF much com
!nent, but beyond the figures given
very 10 years by the Census Bureau
here Is little accurate current data
OK the point.
Post Offices Reflect Business.
But there can be little doubt that
the business activity Of branch post
utices reflects with some accuracy
the trend Of affairs in the neighbor
hood. 10 be sure, the post office as
Il public affair receives business from
every part OF the city, but. IN the
main, the bulk OF the business IS
that supplied by the immediate neigh
horhood. Realizing this value In
rostaI receipts the writer's have com
piled these data by principal branch
Offices in Washington, the results np-
gearing in trend curves plotted on
the accompanying chart. Each month
/" figure plotted on the chart repre-
sents the total revenues for the 12
months ending with that month. This
method Of moving totals has been
n q h.. v-fa1a ny.
III postal business, thus leaving clear
rhe actual trerl.
It will be noted that both the r
street station and the central office on
Fourteenth street show little tendency
10 Increase, and III the case Of the
central Office Il decline Is apparent for
the year 1925. Compare with this the
successive increases made by the Con-
uectiCuL avenue office at 1920 Con
necricut avenue, centrally located in
regard TO the rapidly developing new
business area. This office shows an
increase of approximately 20 per cent
IN the past four years, the increase In
1925 alone being IA per cent. During
the same four years the Park road
station showed an advance of only
10 per cent, while the Chevy Chase
Md office reported n gain of ap-
proximaIely 100 per cent
Movements of Population.
These year-to-year changes IN the
revenues OF the various branch post
offices may be attributed, at least in
part, TO the movements OF population
and business. The history of the
connecticut avenue branch Is the his
tory OF the new shopping center de-
velopment in that section. The Chevy
Chase growth and the expanding
uuCleus Of stores near the circle IS
"learly shown in the 100 per cent irl-
crease III postal revenues, while the
@iackeningoff tendency noted in the
Park road station Is perhaps attltb-
utable to population and business
loss in favor Of the newer residential
sections.
II IS not 10 be inferred, Of course.
hat this condition Is permanent
one but IL does stand apparent that
the suocentetS to the north and west
ward are receiving fresh impetus.
Before the dawn Of the twentieth
century ard the era Of novel trans
portation which 1t ushered In, Wash