Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-21
BETTER BUSINESS
NOTED IN FEBRUARY
Conditions Throughout Ma
ton Are Declared Spotty.
Collections Reported Slow.
By JOHN F. SINCLAIR.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, March 21.-ThomaS S.
Kearns, of the Celotex Co., finds a
much better showing in business during
February than in December or January.
Throughout the country, however, con-
ditions are spotty.
..The building industry in many Sec
tions. particularly residential building.
has been restricted during the past year
or So We cater to this industry for
about SIS per cent of our products and
while we found November and Decem-
Der, as well as January, comparatively
slow. we found quite better showing
in the month of February" says Mr..
KearnS.
How about collections?"
"A little bit slow as an average
throughout the country, especially In
New York State, New Jersey and parts
of Pennsylvania. But we nave Iouno
New England, generally speaking, IN
good condition. The Middle West and
Far West are spotty, and the Southern
states passably SLOW
with regard to the building business,
Mr.. Kearns makes this significant re-
mark: Il would say the building trades
generally. are waiting for better mort
gage money conditions.
other observers throughout the coun-
try have made the same comment
lately.
How much of the total retail business
Of Canada do the chain stores handle?
The Dominion bureau of statistics
estimates that the total annual sales
in retail establishments amount 70
50 900 600 900 of which $20OOOO,0OO
Is done in chain stores.
The greatest expansion made by these
stores in Canada has been in the retail
grocery business. The annual total OF
this particular business is between
$3.50 600 600 and $500, 900, 600, and the
tchains" handle abou $65,00o.000 OF this
amount
All told, there are 1872 chain systems
In the Dominion, according to the
bureau of statistics, and 106 of these
are incorporated companies, having
total capitalization of $4,000, 600.
Eighty-two per cent of this capitaliza-
ton is home owned, Is per cent Is
owned in the United States, and the
rest in Great Britain and other nations.
The intense drive against chain
stores, felt in the United States, has not
hit Canada yet.
The fight against the chain store in
the United States is growing in in
fensity. Already before Congress is the
Capper- Kelly price-fxing bill, which
aims to deny chain and department
tionally advertised goods and empowers
the manufacturer to FIX the retail price.
The Federal Trade Commission has
been investigating for months the chain
store development and practices. Re-
Gently Congress voted $4,000 addi-
tional to expand the study. Representa-
tive Jones of Texas introduced IN Con-
gress a bill to put chain stores under
State incorporation regardless OF their
interstate character.
Anti-chain store agitation has grown
more intense in the South than else
where. There several candidates are
running for importeNt Office, including
governor, on anti-chain platforms.
w. K. Henderson of Shreveport, La.
owner of a radio station, the vitriOliC
agitator against chain stores, is stirrint
up plenty of discussion in the South
both for and against.
But other parts of the country are
studying the problem, too. In 1925
LEGISLATORS in Is States considered anti
chain legislation, among them Missouri
wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan
Indiana and Minnesota.
The Jones bill, now before Congress
which aims to put chain legislation In
the hands of the States is the first
step in anti-chain legislation. If this
goes through, then the different States
believe they have power to meet the
problem In their own way.
Chain leaders naturally are fighting
this development vigorously.
sfCopyright, 1880, By North American News
paper Alliance.)