Evening star., 1929-01-02
TRADE SUMMED Up
IN CAPITAL AREA
Reserve Board Also Reports
on Retail Sales in Other
II Districts.
BY EDWARD C. STONE.


trade of November last year. Thirt
department stores sold six-tenths of
per cent more goods, measured in dol
lars, in November, 1928, than in Nc
vember, 1927, and the months sales ais
averaged 8.8 per cent above averag
November sales during the three year
1925, inclusive. Total sales WeT
five -tenths of l per cent above tots
sales in the first II months of 1927, an
were only fraction of per cent belO'
| the record sales of 1925. The repol
adds:
! stocks on the shelves of the report
! ing stores increased seasonally and o.
November 80 were "a per cent large
| than on October 81 November 81
1928, stocks were 81 per cent less thai
stocks on November 30 1927, all cite
showing a reduction during the veal
Reduced stocks and increased sales thi
year resulted in higher rate of stCc
turnover. the reporting firms havin
! turned their stock 2.82 times during tn
| ii elapsed months this year. in com
| parison with $50 times during the cor
responding period last year.
| collections in November were bette
| in Richmond and Washington than il
November. 1927, but were slower in Bal
| timore and the other cities In the dis
| trict as whole. collections in Novem
Der totaled 28.7 per cent of outstandin
| receivables as of November l, com
pared with 28.6 per cent collected b.
the same stores in November, 1927.
Deposits and Debts Reported.
Total deposits in IL mutual saving
banks in Baltimore at the end O
November this year totaled S186,045, ,529
compared with $186, ,476,14S on deposi
at the end Of October this year anS
$174,l83,213 at the end of November
| 1927. On December IL. 1928, 6.
regularly reporting member banks il
leading cities Of the Fifth reserve dis
| trlct had time deposits aggregatin.
S239 600, compared with $243, ,460 ,00l
ON November Il this year and $243,
763.000 on December IA last year.
Debts to individual, firm and corpo
ration accounts in clearing houst
! banks in "a leading trade centers of tn,
fifth reserve district totaled S1.348.
6O2,O00 during the four weeks endet
December IL, 1923, an increase of g.;
| per cent over the total of ST, ,266. .26O .O0I
| ~~fSSA e(0 w OAAS oaAAAC NAt4CS 1Ol b1IC 4Ou
| preceding weeks. ended November /.
| this year. Seventeen of the "a cities re-
ported higher figures for the later fou
weeks, while seven cities showed lowe
figures All of the larger cities reported
nlgher figures during the 1923 period
the seven decreases occurring in smallel
| centers located chiefly in cotton anc
| tobacco sections.
Figures for both 1923 and 1927 ar,
available from % cities. Compared will
aggregate debts during the four week.
ended December a. 1927, when the 2;
| cities reported a total of 81 ,3O5. .822, 600
the total of $1,348, 602 900 for the fou
weeks ended December 10 this yea,
shows an increase If 3.3 per cent
Thirteen cities reported higher and II
reported lower figures for the 1872,
period. Baltimore, Norfolk, Richmont
and Wlnston-Salem reported lowe
figures this year, but the decreases wer
small and large increase in Wash
lngton, with the other smaller gains
more than made up for all declines.
In the fifth reserve district the No
vemoer insolvency record was similar t,
the national record. Failures in No
vember, 1928 numbered 104, a smalle
number than 106 reported in Octobe
TINS year and 137 reported in Novem
Der, 1927. Liabilities last month total
ing $4,850,607 exceeded Sl.653.S85 i,
October, 1928, and $2,555, ,698 in Novem
ber last year. November failures in tn,
fifth district totaled the next to loves
number of the year, but liabilities wer,
larger than in any earlier month O.
1928"
Sales in Other Districts.
Department store sales in othel
parts of the country in November wert
larger than in the preceding month, ac
cording to the Federal Reserve Board
index, which is adjusted for seasona
variations and for number of busines
days. AS compared with the correspond
ing month year ago, sales were il
about the same volume.
Sales of mail order houses and O
all lines of chain stores were larger i,
November this year than. year age
Increases in dollar sales of both of tlles
| types of firms reflect in part the estab
lishment during the year of additiona
outlets. The largest percentages of in
| creaSes in sales for the period amon
! the chain stores were shown by thos
selling groceries. apparel and dry good
and drugs, while the reports of cand
and cigar chains reflected the smalles
| increases.
In 10 of the IL Federal Reserve dis
! tricts sales of reporting department
stores were larger in November than il
the preceding month, when allowanc
is made for seasonal variations and fo
number of business days Decreases oc
Cured in the Philadelphia and Sal
Francisco districts. Comparison wit
last year shows practically no chang
in the volume of sales in the BoStol
New York. Atlanta and Kansas Cit
districts, increases in the Chicago, Rich
mond and Dallas districts and decrease
in the five other districts.
New Year Trading Starts Well.
Lively trading featured the first 1872
session on the Washington Stock EX
change today The opening tranSaC
ton was in Capital Traction at 1857
The stock sold at 1852 after 78' share
had changed hands. Potomac Electrl
5I2 per cent preferred sold at 1895 an
1O8A. Railway & Electric preferre
moved at 1914.
Chestnut Farms Dairy preferred lie
in volume, 146 changing hands at 10
Riggs National sold at $50 and 551 an
Union Trust stock sold at 355 and 35
Lanston commanded 100, Barber
Ross common registered 20, and Fec
eral-American common 5334. Nations
Mortgage g. Investment preferre
changed hands at 55s.
In the bond division Washingto
Gas IS, series A, sold at 103 and
500 gas bond sold at 1862. Wasf
ington Railway g. Electric Is moved ;
81 and Potomac Electric Power 6s /;
| lO734. The closing sale was in Potoms
Electric Consolidated IS, a $1,000 Dor
selling at l02.
Dividend Voted on Common.
The directors of Call Carl, Inc, ha'
| declared the regular semi-annual div
dend of per cent on the preferre
| stock and placed the common stock c
| a dividend basis of So per share, p
annum, payable semi-annually, bot