Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-26
RECORDS SMASHED
IN HOLIDAY TRADE;
1927 OUTLOOK GOOD
Peak of Buying Came Mon
day, Showing Public Needed
Shop-EarIy Advice.
Feminine SILKS GAIN
IN POPULARITY AS GIFTS
Post Office Increases Here Lead Ma.
tion From Preliminary Re-
ports to Capital.

mas smashed all known records. and
the Nations capital is enjoying the
holidays in the knowledge that II is
sharing substantially the nationwide
prosperity.
Heads of the largest department
stores Of the city, long considered as
good barometers of the shopping pulse
Of the Capital, were unanimous in
saying that their business both from
the point of money value and in mum.
ber of sales had exceeded any Christ
mas of the past. Bank clearings indi.
cate larger totals than last year.
Predictions as to the future here,
while not exurberant, were neverthe-
less hopeful and optimistic for con-
tinuance of business along a steady
level for at least the first six months
Of the year. 49,.
New Post Office Records.
Post Office records Of past years
went by the board in sensational man.
ner. Christmas parcel post, the con-
veyor of thousands OF Christmas pack
ages, increased here by % per cent
over last year, according to Super
irtendent of Mails c. E. Schooley.
Total Christmas mail was 1871 per
cent higher than the same time last
year in the Washington Post once.
but due to the combination of the
good results of the shop early. mail
early campaign and the increased
force at the Post once, all mail in
the office was sent out by the single
delivery at o'clock yesterday morn
ing, leaving the floors and boxes clear.
The Washington increase in mail
figures was far larger than the aver
age for the Nations as. according to
First Assistant Postmaster General
Bartlett, the total increase for the
country was from to IL per cent
over last year, while the. parcel post
increased from to per cent.
Washington bank clearings for
December this year, up to the close Of
business Friday afternoon, totaled
s105 ,o6o, ,os2 .2s, as compared to si23,.
724,S ,Ss9' for the entire Month of De
cember,. 1925. Aecordihg to Charles
E. Bright, manager Of the Washing.
ton Clearing House Association, these
figures indicate that December this
year, without doubt, will exceed De-
cember of a year ago in its total bank
clearings. Every month of this year.
according to Mr.. Bright. with the sin.
gle exception of July, has shown a
total Of Cancelled checks in Washing
ton in excess Of similar months for
the prior year.
Price Levels Lower.
The fact that. the total value Of
Christmas sales in the leading depart.
ment stores Of Washington, without a
last year Is doubly significant, when
there is taken into consideration low
er prices prevailing In substantially
all of the generally accepted lines of
Christmas goods. AS prices were gen.
orally lower, 1t was necessary for the
stores to turn over a larger number
of pieces In order to keep their sales
level up to the same as last year. But
so large was the increase in the num-
Der of individual sales that not only
was the total value reached. but ex-
ceeded.
Prices in some lines, according to
heads of the stores. are due for a
still further decline in the next six
months, especially in cotton goods,
which, It was explained, have not yet
felt the full effect of the drop In the
price of raw cotton. Silks are among
those items which, 1t seems agreed,
may take a small tumble in price
shortly after Christmas.
Rumors drifting into Washington
that 1927 may not measure up to the
business levels of 1926, partly on ac-
count Of depression in the prices Of
raw cotton and corn, do not find a
sympathetic reflection among Wash
ington business leaders, who said they
looked forward to and were planning
confidently for good year in 1927.
Peak Of Holiday Trade.
Wonderful" tremendous more
than expected" ahead of 1925" big.
gest year we ever had"-such were
the typical expressions from heads of
the department stores dealing in
Christmas gifts for the entire family.
Contrary to former popular concep-
ton, 1t was explained by more than
one, the biggest shopping day was not
the last day before Christmas, nor the
next to the last day before Christmas.
This year, it was not even in the last
part of the week, 1t was Monday.
This was accounted for in several
ways by various store officials. The
growing popularity of the early"
campaigns for shopping, buying, mail
ing, etc, Is believed generally to have
had a big effect on the time Of pur-
chase. In the old days, 1t was ex-
planned, the big days were the last
TWO DeIOre Christmas, DuL THIS mas not
been so within the past several years.
This time the big shopping day was
moved back to Monday, the first Of the
week, in which Christmas came on
Saturday.
The family conference and Sundays
opportunity to make up Christmas
shopping lists were referred to by
some as the reasons for making Mon
day the biggest buying day in. Wash
ington for Christmas this year.
Silk Gifts Show Gain.
While the range of Christmas gift
purchases ran the whole ganut Of pos.
sibility, and extended beyond the
reach Of the department store, into
standard gifts of all kinds, among the
most interesting trends noted was that
toward silk for the ladies'.
One Of the largest stores reported
that the most remarkable increase in
any one part Of their varied offerings
was in the silk underwear department.
Another showed that silk stockings
showed remarkable gain. These two
trends are in line with several recent
surveys in which investiea-
tors reported. they had come to the
that this was not only an
age Of fenininity, but an age of silk.
In the old days. according to one
when the. women's skirts
were longer. there used to be sold. a