Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-30
j. S. PROSPERITY
CITED BY HOOVER
Prices, Agriculture, Trans
portation Dealt With in Re-
port as Secretary.


ingly upward trend" Herbert Hoover's
last official pron0unCement as head of
the Commerce Department before his
election as President was made public
today in the annual report of the de-
partment for the fiscal year 1928, which
closed June 30.
In the foreword, usually the Secre-
tary's own production, the steadineSs Of
prices. Improvements in transportation
and the phenomena of finance were
treated, while agriculture was given O.
special study.
Little Change in Agriculture.
"Viewing the agricultural situation as
a whole, no very marked difference ap-
pears between conditions i'll the fiscal
year 1928 and the preceding fiscal
year. Mr.. Hoover's section said. The
crops harvested in the Autumn o. 1927
were in the aggregate of appfoxin ely
the same magnitude as those 81 l26
and larger than in any preVfous ar
except 1915 and 1920. -
1T is true that the increase In.
rlcultural production both over an
period of time and during recent va
has been decidedly less rapid than tiA
| i'll the production of manufactured fhA
mineral products The demand "A
/ farm products, which are for the mos
/ 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
| luxurles or Injuries. Even if the need
: for one type is fully met, new and more
| highly elaborated articles are con-
| stantly coming into use with the adj
vancing standards of living and Of the
| equipment for production"
! Turning to another field, the report
remarked that during the past seven
or eight years the amount of cunstruc-
| ton tof buildings in the United States
has been unparalleled in the history of
this or any other important country"
| This high activity reflects both e%-
pansion of the equipment of industry
and commerce" Mr.. Hoovers report
said, after giving the figures of the con-
tinuation, land marked improvement in
| the quality of that equipment. and,
, above all, in the quality OF the homes
Of the people"
Railway Service Better.
Railroads were said to have con-
tinued to furnish adequate and efficient
service and to enjoy large traffic and
revenues"
THE betterment Of railway service
| lido OCCAl llIc 1tSb4L VI OH Lle
| part Of railway companies themselves"
it was added, land of cooperation on
the part of shippers and receivers, of
merchandise. The railway companies
have improved their roadbeds and
equipment. The cooperation of bust
ness men has been particularly con-
I spicuous in the form of regional adj
visory boards of the American Railway
Association
Analysing the movement of gold to
Europe, with the fluctuating reserve
bank rate that has accompanied it, and
the resulting swings in bank deposits,
it was said that after making allowance
for 'the extraordinary volume of
trading on the stock exchanges" the
situation indicated "a healthy state Of
business activity"
The country's foreign trade was
Illustrated by special report sections
prepared by DR.. Julius Klein, the de-
partment's director in that activity
Canada's enlergence as the best Gus
toner of the United States, displacing
Great Britain from long held post.
was noted, and the conclusion was ex-
pressed that international exchanges
for the year had brought about very
heavy new Investments OF American
capital i'll foreign countries"
/
Expansion in the export of manufac-
| tured goods, DR.. Klein said, in present.
ing study prepared with the assist
ance of E. Dana Durand of the for
eign trade statistics section. was the
most remarkable fact disclosed
The efficiency of American produc-
| ton, the vigorous efforts of American
business men in finding markets and
the active aid in promoting trade" the
report declared, have borne fruit
which must furnish satisfaction to ell
classes of our people. Notwithstanding
the exceptionally Self-sufficient position
of the United States. our high stand
ards of living demand the import Of
number of important and many MINOR
commodities which the countrS itself
cannot produce.
THE task of finding foreign markets
/ for American products has met with
| noteworthy measure of success"
w. P. MacCracken. Assistant Secretary
! for Aeronautics, declared in an accom-
! panying report that there had been
! phenomenal progress in every phase
of the industry" during the year. He
! remarked unprecedented increase in
air transport service alone" which had
resulted in increasing the regularly
flown air route mileage in the country
| from 1896 miles to 1119l. Railroad
interest in the field had brought about
cooperation and the development of
| betterments had made more disable ma
| chimes available
Commercial aeronautics is no longer
on the threshold" ne concluded. ut
| has entered the business world and
without subsidy has become an integral
| part of American industry and trans
| portation. There is every indication OF
still greater growth during the ensuing
biennial period