The Washington times., 1929-02-11
STORE SALES
SHOW GOOD
GAIN
BY HARRY GUsACK
Financial Editor

FINANCIAL EulbOE
Department store sales showed
an increase Of per cent in Jan.
uary as compared to the same
month last year, it was announced
by the Federal Reserve Board to-
day, in its preliminary report Of re-
tail trade.
Reports were made to the board
by 43O stores. After allowance is
made for the fact that January of
this year contained one more busi-
ness day. the increase was about
per cent.
"of the 4So reporting stores, 22S
showed increased sales over last
January" the report said. THE
largest increases were reported by
stores in the Chicago, Kansas City
and San Francisco Federal Reserve
districts, while there were decreases
In the Boston, st. Louis and Min
neapolis districts.
Sales of two mail order houses
were 26.5 per cent larger than those
of eight 5-and-10-cent chain stores
~ per cent larger than in January
of last year.
Changes in the volume Of busi-
ness of both mail order houses and
chain stores reflect in part an in
crease from month to month in the
number of retail outlets operated.
OF Al department stores reporting
In the New York district. 10 showed
increases in sales, while the aggre-
gate gain of all stores was 81
per cent.
Following the leasing of its new
factory at Clifton, N. J., the Charles
Freshman Company, Inc, announces
the election of C. M. Tichenor as
vice president in charge of produc-
tion. Mr.. Tichenor is well known in
th0 automotive and electrical indus
try, having been in the manufacture
ing end for over % years.
Following several years with Gray
and Davis. he was instrumental in
organizing several departments of
aviation in the United States Army
in association with Col. Henry B.
Joy, in the organizing of aviation
bases and in charge of aircraft arma-
ment both here and abroad.
Following the war, Mr.. Tichenor
was assistant general manager of
the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Com
pany, in charge of production, and
recently works manager of the kel-
logg Switchboard and supply Com
pany, of Chicago, manufacturers of
telephone apparatus, automobile ig-
milton and radio appliances.
Banks in Washington evidently
consider the telephone an asset
rather than a liability in the con-
duct OF their business. This fact
is brought out by survey just
completed by the telephone COM
pany which shows that the 72
banks and branches in Washing
ton are now served by 1,004 tele-
phones. In addition, 49 of the
banks operate private branch ex-
change switchboards connecting all
departments. Also there are about
25 private and leased lines connect
ing branches and main banking in
stitutions
The telephone and banks have
always been closely connected.
Back in 1877, just one year after
the telephone had been invented by
Alexander Graham Bell, young
George Holmes, an enterprising
slectrician in Boston, conceived the
idea of installing telephones in six
Boston banking institutions, in
which he operated burglar alarm
system. His idea was to connect
the telephones with his burglar
alarm connection at night. Five
81 the bankers consented to this
arrangement, but the sixth refused
TO allow the play toy as he ex-
pressed it, to be put in his place
Of business. These five telephones
were the first to be installed in any
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