The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-11-30
IS STILL SHOWING
 UPWARD TREND
Last Official Pronounce. ment of Hoover Is Made
 Public Today
BUILDING ACTIVITY
 MOST SATISFACTORY
Conditions of Country in All Lines Indicate
 Financial Health

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3O.-Her- bert Hoover's last official pro- nouncement as a servant of the government before his election as President, was made public today in the form of the annual report of the Commerce Department for the fiscal year 1928, which closed last June 30
 The documents keynote stres- sed the remarkable continuity of the prosperity of the United States during recent years and it's pre- yailing upward trend" In the foreword, usually the Secretary's own production, the steadiness of prices. the improvements in trans portation, and the phenomena of finance were treated, while agricul- ture was given a special study.
 "viewing the agricultural situa- tion as a whole, no very marked difference appears between condi- tions in the fiscal year 1927-2S and the preceding fiscal year." Mir. Hoover's section said. "The crops harvested in the autumn of 1927 were in the aggregate of approxi- mately the same magnitude as those of 1926 and larger than in any prevfous year except 1915 ana 1920.
 Demand for Production
 Tt is true, that the increase in agricultural production both over a long period of time and during recent years has been decidedly less rapid than that in the produc- ton of manufactured and mineral products. The demand for farm products, which are for. the most part necessities of life, tends to in- crease little if any more rapidly than population. On the other hand, there is practically no limit to the demand for manufactured commodities, many of which are in the nature of semi-luxuries or lux uries Even if the need for one type is fully met, new and more highly elaborate articles. are con- stantly coming into use with the advancing standards of living and of equipment for production"
 Building
 Turning to another field, the re- port marked that during the past seven or eight years, the amount of construction (of buildings) in the United States has been un- paralleled in the history of this or any other important country"
 "This high activity reflects both expansion of the equipment of in- dustry and commerce. MT. Hoo- vers report said, after giving the figures of the continuation, "and marked improvement in the quail ty of that equipment and, above all, in the quality of the homes oi the people,"
 R. R. Business Good
 Railroads were said to 'have continued to furnish adequate and efficient service and to enjoy large traffic and revenues
 'The betterment of railway serv. ice has been the result of an eff. fort on. the part of railway com, panies themselves" it was added and of cooperation on the part O. shippers and receivers of merchan disc. The railway companies hay, improved their readbeds and equip ment. The cooperation of busi ness men has been particular, conspicuous in the form of regiona advisory boards of the American Railway association.
 Gold Movement
 Analysing the movement of golt to Europe, with the fluctuating re serve bank rate that has accom- panied it, and the resulting swing in bank deposits, it was said tha after making allowance for 'th, extraordinary volume of trading on the stock exchanges" the citu aticn indicated "a healthy state. o business activity"
 The country's foreign trade wa Illustrated by special report sec tions prepared by pr. Julius Klein the departments director in tha activity Canada's emergence a the best customer of the United States displacing Great Britain from a long held post. was note' and the conclusion was expresse,
 (Continued on Page Seven.)