Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-04
MOST RADIOS SOLD
ON TIME PAYMENTS
Dealers Report from Halt to
Whole of Sales Are on
InStaIlment Plan.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

l DA AANAhN SODGAs
Statistics indicate that most radio
| equipment sales are made on the In
| Stallment plan.
Returns to the electrical equipment
| division of the Department of Com
merce from about 5000 of the 10000
! dealers in the United States show that
! so to 100 per cent of all radio sales are
made In this way. The 10 per cent
| return is regarded as a fairly accu-
! rate index of the retailing situation
| throughout the country.
The source of the returns showed
that the largest percentage OF deferred
payment sales is in the Pacific group
of States-Washington, Oregon and
California The smallest percentage OF
sales on this basis was reported from
the rural belt, embracing the States
of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri. North
Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and
Kansas.
It is estimated that the annual retail
turnover of radio sets and partS
amounts to about S500,O00,UO de-
partment Of Commerce statistics, how
ever, beIied this estimate for last year.
Based on a return of about Is per cent
from missionaries sent to all known
dealers, the estimate OF 35O,0Oo,ouu
was the best that could be made.
Although an important radio trace
periodical estimates that more IMAM
&c. 900 900 homes in the United states
are still without radio installations, 1t is
significant that the best figures avail
able on the production OF factory-oui!t
radio receiving sets reveal slump III
output in recent years.
The first year of broadcastlng on a
commercial scale was In 1871. me
produced. In 1928 the total number
was 100000. 1t jumped to 100000 IN
1924 and 100000 in 1925. Then tne
number slumped in 1925 to l.75O,OoO
and last years total was l,350,0OO.
There are reports current that some
of the mass production factories nave
had MANY idle hours this year, augurlng
another decline It is not believed that
the increase in home-built sets accounts
for the slump to any appreciate eH-
tent. Producers and dealers, nevertne-
less, are Sanguine that they nave a
wide-open market in the 70 per cenU
of American homes still unequlppeo'
The substantial market which exists
abroad for American radio sets, tuDeS,
parts and accessories Is being expioloeo
to a greater extent than ever this year.
Exnort figures for the first six montnS
of 1929 indicate that this will be
record year for this trade.
They show that $4,342, 500 worth OF
radio equipment was shipped to foreign
BUYERS, as compared with S5,toi,zoS
worth during the same six months OF
last year. Since the best export trace
in this commodity comes during tne
latter six months of any year, IL Is
confidently anticipated that the ngure
for the whole of 1928 VIII surpass tne
record export total Of $9,l82,4l4 record
ed for 1927 g
canadians are the best buyers OF
American radio apparatus. The whole
sale value of their purchases during the
mast six months of this year was ST.
ol4.624. Argentina is the next pest
customer, falling just short OF the mil
ion-dollar mark for the same perloo.
Australia and New Zealand bougnt
nearly $75O,000 worth. Nearly lO0
foreign countries buy radio equipment
in the American market. This country
rms a neck -and-neck race with Great
Britain and Germany for the radio ex-
mort markets, the three dividing practl-
calIy equally the annual trade.
One of radios eminent engineering
authorities, DR.. j. H. Dellinger. mas
given his hearty Endorsement to the
broadcast reallocation plan which the
FEDERAL Radio Commission has ordered
effective october /. Agreeing that II
represents a major operation" In
broadcasting, DR.. Dellinger declared in
a statement today that 1t will mate
rally better radio reception for practl-
caIly all listeners as soon as the sta
lions are adjusted to 1t.
ut is noteworthy" said the Bureau
of Standards radio chief, that wnne
all classes of listeners benefit under the
new ALLEGATION, the farmers will be the
chief gamers. They will not only be
able to receive more stations reliably
without interference, but practically all
points on the radio dial VIII be free
from the curse of heterodyne whistles.
The city listeners viii gain through
heterodyne- free reception Of their vari.
Gus local stations and also reception OF
distant stations free from nter1er-
ence"
(Copyright. 1929 by North American
Newspaper Allianceo