Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-09
A. &P. YEARS SALES
PASS BILLION MARK
737 New Stores Opened.
Tea Stands at Bottom
of Articles Sold.
Special Dispatch the The star.

Special Dispatch the The Star.
NEW YORK, April 9.--MorA than a
billion-dollar turnover In commodities.
7S7 new stores opened, preferred stock
q per cent? up to 1888 a share as
against SLIT the year previous-that
is the 1880 record of the A. & p, chain
store system.
This Gargantuan conveyer of food
last year sold 100, 100000 pounds of
butter, 15,790,000 pounds of tea. IT,
$4,000 pounds of coffee and more than
$l2S 100000 worth of meat Shades of
the meat trust Although 1t calls itself
the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.
OF America, tea stands at the bottom of
the list of the IS classes of products
sold by it.
First on the roster Of "best sellers,
are the commodities sold in jars, cans,
packages, etc. valued at more than
S3,25O.OOO, followed by fruits and veg
etables, meats, butter, sugar. coffee.
eggs, bread, tobacco, soap. milk. flour
and--tea! This ranking is according
TO the value sold, of course, rather
than bulk.
The Hartford family of Westchester.
N. Y, the rulers of this powerful eco
nomic satrapy, still own four-fifths of
the stock outstanding. John Hartford
Is the absolute dictator. His brother
George, is his close associate But the
inner workings of this vast and COM
pllcated machine. whose red facade
duplicates itself in 1871 localities all
over America, is practically a closed
book TO the public. If probed deeper.
one will find manifold pipe lines of
supply running out from its three SUBJ
sld1aries-the American Coffee Corpora
ton, the Atlantic Commission Co. and
the Quaker Maid Co.
yet this great system operates on a
net working capital Of less than $780,
100000. How does it do it? Quick turn
over. Thirteen times in one year. this
capital revolves upon itself, rnuItiplies
prohts, feeds an army and expands its
dimensionSl
Offer to Gandhi.
"Gandhi offered 81, oOo, 900 to speak in
the United Statesl"
This report went over the wires yes
terday but little figuring proves it to
be away out Of plumb with reality.
James B. Pond, head of the Pond
Lecture Bureau, whose father brought
Charles Dickens to the United States on
lecture tour, commenting on the sup
poSzdly miliion-dollar fee for a six
weeks U: S. lecture tour by Gandhi, said
that no lecture bureau could make such
an offer and come out-except in the
REQ
H'SJ " CdDle OF CeteBTapn MIL
Eon-dollar offer, but that is a lot of
money" said Mr. Pond Admiral Byrd
mas been lecturing twice day and
cTeSklng all known records but he
would have to lecture for many years
10 earn million dollars. and there are
NJ bigger lecture hats than he is
using"
Gandhi probably will visit America,
elCher before CT after his visit to Eng
lsno. But when he does, he is not ex-
pected to commercialize his fame.
Friedsam Art Collection.
Col. Michael Friedsam, president of
.. Altman d Co., whose death this week
IL New York has been widely conn
mented en- throughout the Nation. was
the posSessor of one of Americas finest
arr collections. The collection was never
cpsn to the public. Still art enthusiasts
ana students always had the privilege Of
seeing the Dutch. French, Italian, Flem-
ism and American masterpieces in his
collscticn.
In 1925 Col. Friedsam purchased. the
Nicolini portrait by Botticeln and
Portrait of an Elderly Man" by
Perugino. These two are said to have
cost him 100000
While no estimate has ever been
made as to the value, it is reported
that this art collection is worth in the
ACLSiOOiIIOOu VI S1U.UUU,UUU.
The colonel was never married Dis
position of his property has not been
announced, but 1t is understood that
his paintings will be given to the COL
lege CT the City of New York in the
hope that the gift will have cultural
effect on student life.
New Treasury Issue.
Next Wednesday Secretary Mellon will
find the S275,000,000 rs per cent eight
months certificates of indebtedness
largely overSubscribed, in spite of the
fact that the total Government securi-
ties issued since March Is was a little
more than 81 300, 0O0, 900.
The growing volume of short-term.
or floating debt is causing Treasury
officials much worry With this new
i-sue it will have reached So, 7o5. 600, 900.
Both Secretary Mellon and Assistant
Secretary Mills have stated time and
time again that the floating, or short
term. debt is altogether too large and
should be cut. But there doesn't seem
much chance to cut it unless a new
Government bond issue is put out to
take care of the situation. This prob
ably will come some time soon.
On April Is the United States public
debt will reach $1,000 900 0o0 an in
crease CT over $30O,000,000 since the
end OF March.
tCopyright, 1891 by North American News