Evening star., 1927-11-23
TRADE HAS MANY
THANKS TO OFFER
Many Plants Utilize Holiday
to Put Machinery
Into Shape.
BY j. G., ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, November 23,-Busi-
ness in general was in a thoroughly
thankful mood as it prepared today
for the last brief breathing space in
the race to the years end.
In fact, it was not even breathing
space for thousands OF workers.
Many of the industrial plants Utilized
the holiday to put machinery in
shape for the final speeding up OF
the year, or to start inventory
taking. 1t was a day of heavy effort
for the window dressers IN thousands
Of stores. Behind the drawn curtains
they prepared the first pretentious
efforts Of the holiday displays.
Building was checked. of course, for
the week end, but the present build
ing activity, even in a diminished
rate. seems like hive of industry
compared with conditions in the build
.nn trades five or ten or fifteen years
ago. The busy time of bricklayers,
masons. carpenters and others in the
building trades, it is estimated, has
increased at least one-quarter in the
last seven years owing to the cold
weather building.
Some Mills Are Idle.
TWENTY-FIVE per cent of the cement
mill capacity is idle. Twenty per
cent of the paper mill capacity is
idle.
No small percentage of the lumber
mill capacity is on short time ana
many cotton and Woolen mills are idle
or on short time.
But in the case of cement and pa
per, capacity is admittedly high above
consumptive demand, although de-
mand is deemed sure to grow up to 1t
shortly. Therefore the idleness Is vol
untary and a protective measure
rather than a necessity. The same Is
true Of lumber, although seasonal
trends also exert an influence in this
commodity.
When it comes to textiles, some CT
the mills not working are antiquated
and there are daring iconoclastS who
do not hesitate to say that some OF
these mills have sales policies and
managements as antiquated as the
machinery.
Not enough coal mines are idle, and
as q consequence coal remains one OF
the sore spots in the business anat-
omy. The producers of electric hght
and power are showing decided in
creases in sales and new customers as
compared with last year. The auto
mobile concerns will utilize the holi-
day to clear away the last OF the
deadwood from the alleys and set the
pins for their production and sales
forces to shoot at.
Turkeys Bring Good Prices.
Certainly the producers who fur
nshed the Thanksgiving dinners for
Americas millions had little to COM
plain of. Turkeys generally brought
excellent prices, although the latter
were determined, as always, by
weather and the condition in which
birds reached markets. A tremendous
volume of geese, ducks, chickens and
other poultry were consumed and
brought fine prices. An exception to
the general strend in turkeys was
noted in the San Francisco district.
Dairy products have been universally
high, with small stocks on hand and
ready markets for the products.
Beef, veal and lamb are bringing
most satisfactory returns, both to the
packing houses and to growers and
feeders. The price of pork and pork
products is not as high as it has been,
but has left nice margin of profit
for producers and distributors. Gran
berries, owing to short crop, are at
high prices in all sections. Potatoes,
both sweet and white, are bringing
growers excellent figures. Onions,
turnips and celery are fully up to
normal prices.
Fresh Vegetable Supplise.
hn nf hn
Thanksgiving spreads, however, is
the presence on most tables of
wide variety of fresh vegetables. The
South and California are pouring
magnificent shipments of fresh fruits
and vegetables into Northern markets
as well as supplying local demands.
The truck garden shipments from the
South are going to do much to make
up for the flood damage of the earlier
part of the year. Citrus fruits are all
high, owing to the short crops. Cali
fornia was overburdened with her
grape crop this year, but lot OF the
surplus will be removed before the
Wineglasses and the nuts and raisins
are cleared away. The crops of vari-
Gus kinds of nuts are bringing tine
prices.
More cigarettes will be sold and
Thanksgiving dinner in the history
Of America, and even the cigar.
which for time seemed to have lost
it's prestige, is returning to popular
ity and the profit column.
Business men in general took the
attitude they were thankful they could
do business in the country with the
highest average income, the best
health rate, the highest wages and
the largest buying power in the world.
and set themselves to take full ad-
vantage Of the opportunities these
factors afforded during the remainder
Of the year.
President James r. Campbell of the
Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. to-
day denied that the bond issue Of that
company sold by Kuhn, Loeb & Co.
mad anything to do with any plans
for merger of Independent steel COM
panies to rival United States Steel.
Rumors to this effect have been cir
cllated widely here.
t. lCoruritx, s, M r.