Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-14
.BATTLESHP DECK
|SBU|LD|NG MODEL
New Proposal for Floor Con-
struction May Revolution
lie Construction.
BY JOHN r. SINCLAIR.


Special DtSpatch 20 The Star"
NEW YORK, June 14.-Lee H. Miller,
chief engineer Of the American lnstt-
tnte of Steel Construction. recently
astounded the building world with the
Suggestion that steel floor plates be used
In skyScrapers, Just like those on the
decks Of battleships or the charging
floors of open hearth furnaces,
This ''battleship deck" floor system
has tremendous possibilities for build
ing. The proposed floors Of steel plates
would reduce column loads, provide
greater strength and stiffness, and lower
the cost of construction.
To the present, no part OF building
structure has been more unsatisfactory
than floor construction. The steel In
dustry has furnished only the skeleton
frame, leaving the floor panels to be
provided by brick arches, fiat tile arches,
or wood, reinforced concrete and gyp-
sum. These materials are very heavy,
and weigh considerably more than the
hive load which Il to be supported.
BY the use Of steel plates and ordinary
structural steel beams, however, it is
proposed to develop welded steel floor
in which 1t will be possible to determine
in advance of the stresses In every part.
The height of skyscrapers Is limited now
by the capacity of the foundations to
carry the dead load on the structure.
BY means Of peculiar process Of
welding this steel floor will recover in
stantly full 100 per cent of its def1ec-
ton, thus supporting q much greater
weight than any floors now constructed.
So the tall buildings of the future will
tower far above the structures now
found In large cities. The Woolworth
Tower may be a pigny contrasted with
the towering skyscrapers to come.
Lighter IN weight, stronger In con-
s<wa 1AN a.. Ill
sible BY the proposed steel floors, these
giants of the sky will be tndestructible
AS one travels through the Nation
and visits cities both East and West,
one finds in each q few stores that stand
out ~ particularly excellent, while
others struggle along trying to make
living.
why IL thiss What is the reason for
the great success of few and the only
fair success OF the many in business2
this recently, and he replied: "Mer-
chandising Ia an art--not science
While q close study of scientific
methods In retailing Is important that
is only means to an end, and not the
end ITSELF"
During the last few years there has
been great emphasis on the application
Of scientific methods Of merchandising.
Many Of the stores. have accepted the
plans, while others~-soine very success
full ones--have not This merchant was
asked about these things.
Yes. along with this scientific trend
have come a hundred new FORMS" he
said. Some are good and some not 90
good. None Of them makes a store proa-
porous and great. They may make q
great store together. but the machine,
no matter how cleverly organized, can.
not replace the brain.
The merchants who built up the
great retail establishments were short
were long on common sense, and this is
what made them what they were. COM
mon sense remains the greatest factor
in merchandising, as IN every other
business"
!, Common sense in business is not so
common. - -. - se
The retail fnstallment tewelry trade IL
suffering the pAtags 'of far-reaching
changes in the merchandising field
Although sales In 1923 Appropriated
Sf0o, o00, 900, the margin Of net profits
to sales for the individual retailer fell
OF sharply.
Several factors threaten the future Of
the business; overextension of credit,
lowering Of merchandise quality, excess
sive purchasing on credit from the
wholesaler, oyerstockine Of merchandise
and carrying of non jewelry lines
Severe competition has made it neces-
sary fol-, the retail ,jeweier to keep his
inventories OF o minimum. The most
successful jewellers still bank on dia-
n1onds, which represent about 40 per
cent Of their sales.
There is little profit In carrying nom
jewelry lines. The greatest profits are
made where selling 10 concentrated on
high-grade jewelry alone.
Scientific management b the only SAL
Walton. 49,.
Stock values shrank S1oo, 600 900 on
the New York Stock Exchange for every
day In May. This, however, included
only 240 representative issues, compris-
ing 20 groups, whereas there are more
change. Nevertheless this May drop
plus the drop in March. more than
makes up for the increase IN April, SO
these stocks are lower now than at the
end Of February.
The motors suffered worst, then COP
pers, ellis and finally chemicals. The
only group to show an increase was the,
railroad stocks, due to the favorable de-
cision en- rail- valuations handed down
by the Supreme Court In the O'Fallon
case.
And yet the rails have not responded
to the decision 10 the degree expected
by railroad leaders.
(copyrisht. 1923. by North American News
paper Allfance)