The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1927-02-04
DISTRICT TRADE
TAKES JUMP
BY RICHARD HATTON

Absorbing to the monthly review
0f business and agricultural condi.
tiens IN the Fifth Federal Reserve
district, which includes, the Dis.
trict OF Columbia. trade in Decem.
Der was good"
The review continues: Retail
trade, as reflected by sales Of 81
1args department and general
stores, was approximately 2 per
cent above the volume OF trade
in December, 1925, and total debts
to individual accounts figures for
the five weeks ended January IL,
1897, exceeded by So per cent those
Tor the preceding five weeks,
ended December s, 1925.
Business failures In the Fifth
district in December were slightly
more numerous than in December
Of the preceding year, but the
Liabilities involved in last months
1nsolveneies were smaller.
Labor Is seas0nally employed at
the wage levels Of the past several
years, and increased bank deposits
testify to the continued large pur-
chasing power of the banking pub
lie.
Lower outstanding loans to Gus
toners of member banks and re-
duced rediscounts at the reserve
bank show that sufficient credit
Is available for legitimate needs
OF the district. Building permits
were fewer in number and less In
estimated valuation in December
than for any other recent Deem
Der, but there is still a very large
volume OF construction work I'M.
der Vav 'fs.#
Textile mills appear to be in
q stronger position at present than
they were two or three months
ago, since the steady decline in
cotton prices appears to have been
checked
Tobacco prices continue high for
Might grades which make up the
larger part Of the districts crop.
Building operations in the dis
trict continued in very large vol.
unne during the year, although both
the number of permits issued for
new work and the estimated yalu.
alton figures were. lower than in
1925. Retail sales in 1925 exceeded
NAD@SAS~~~S
was in fair volume. /"
Mutual savings bank deposits in
Baltimore, continuing their monthly
habit OF reaching new high levels,
tokaled 1853 ,964,776 at the end OF
December 1926, in comparison with
$15S, 178,254 reported by the same
banks at the end Of November,
1926, and $i52,148,S07 reported on
December 81, 1925.
Response to the offering Of the
Z per cent cumulative preferred
ukock of the National Company,
we, has been exceptionally en-
tllnsiastic, according to reports
OF those in charge of snbscEtpt tons,
The distribution is Of the widest
uossible kind, letters with requests
Cor stock coming to the CONNER.
eli National Bank from all Sec
tions Of the District of Columbia
ana for from one share to large
blocks. There have been an ex'
ceptionally large number or re-
quests from one to thirty shares
which indicates the general inter-
est in these securities among q
large class outside the regular
stockholders and customers OF the
bank.
The recent Encouragement of the
office space in the main banking
room of the Potomac Savings
Bank has greatly improved the ap-
pearance of the interior Of the
bank and adds considerably to the
HneiIity and efficiency Of business
transactions.
The offices formerly partitioned
of. at the rear of the lobby have
been thrown into one large space
wherein all of the active Of
ficers of the institution have
thar desks. The office formerly
occupied by the cashier is now used
by. the new accounts department.
Assistant Cashier Herbert v.
Hunt Of the Commercial National
Bank has !, been confined to his
home for week by illness.
Vice President B. A. Bowles Of
the Potomac Savings Banks Ia
spending some time at Miami, Fla,
where he Is recuperating from a
recent illness.