Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-03
TRADE IS GROOMING
FOR MORE ACTIVITY
Labor Day LuII to Put Forces
in Shape for Final Run
of the Year.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, September 3.-Busi-
ness will have passed the last check
to complete activity in the next few
days. The Labor day lull is being
taken advantage Of to groom equip
ment and working forces for the final
run Of the year which has no gen.
| eral holiday Interruptions until
Thanksgiving day.
Steel and automobile plants have
| been sacrificing production to prepa-
| ration this week. Nevertheless the
demand has been good for steel prod
ucts, especially automobile sheets.
| Competition is Tightening up among
the automobile retailers and it Is GER
tain there will be terrific drive in
the early Winter, which may do much
to avoid the usual seasonal lull.
Building Activity to Gain.
Building operations felt the lull as
| completely as any one Of the other
| industries, but the volume of con.
| struction now under contract makes
1T certain that the activity this Fall
will be phenomenal and that prog.
ress will be crowded ahead to beat
| the Winter storms. Lumber is In
fair demand, about balanced by pro-
auction. There is good call for
cement and asphalt, but productive
capacity is not being even approached.
Inc crop situation of the country
looks better and this is confirmed by
reports from the Northwest. The
| continued gains in boil weevil infes
tat1on are causing revision Of previous
estimates of the cotton crop, with con.
sequent high prices for the raw staple
| TO some textile manufacturers this
is welcomed, since they have protected
| themselves on their requirements and
higher goods prices are in prospect.
! Others, not SO farsighted, are extreme.
ly exercised over whether the advance
they consider necessary to assure them
| profits will not check buying.
| The railroads are now looking to the
next few months to recover profits and
| build earnings to a level above the
July and August figures. The car.
riers will handle the greatest home
ward-bound rush Of vacationists and
tourists in their history next Tuesday
and are making preparations accord
ingly.
AS to the general business situation
the earnings Of the telegraph and tele
l
| cellent condition and these concerns
offer one of the most reliable baron.
eters of business. The public utility
concerns are meeting with a constant.
1y increasing demand for current and
some have been put in such shape that
| they have been able to call some of
their outstanding bonds.
Shoe Movement Excellent.
The movement of shoes has been
excellent. but the buying of garments
| and accessories to dress is not expect
| ed to reach its heights until next
week, when buyers from all over the
country are due to arrive in New
York, Chicago. Atlanta, New Orleans,
| Kansas City and other markets The
opening of the mems wear Spring
woolens has helped to spur trade
somewhat, but the wooden manufac-
turers are still far from satisfied.
There is evidence of far f1rmer feel.
ing in the worlds silk markets AL.
though consumption has not been
very heavy recently, it is expected to
pick up in the near future.
Improvement in the situation con.
fronting the non-ferrous metals, Pc
troleum and coal, all of which are
more or less in the dumps, continued
to be more psychological than phys
ical. Coal stocks are still of large vol
ume. oil production continues far in
| excess of consumption and the non.
ferrous metals production has not vet
been sufficiently retarded to assure a
turn upward.