Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-09
COLLECTION GAINS
NOTED IN JANUARY
Credit Mems Survey Shows
Better Payments to
Wholesale Firms.
BY EDWARD c. STONE.


Slight gains were registered last
month in collections of wholesalers and
manufacturers, according to the Feb
ruary trade survey conducted by the
National Association of Credit Men,
which has an active branch in Wash
ington and l02 other cities.
six cities reported collections good"
sc reported them fair" and 81 char
acterized collections as SLOW" Two
cities moved from the fair" column
to GOOD" during the month, and 10
moved from the "slow" column to
'fair."
crease in the flair" classification, at
the expense of both good" and SLOW"
Elmira, N. Y, was the only city re-
porting brisk sales. Seventy-three
other cities reported sales as fair" and
29~ rported them SLOW" Last month
six cities reported sales good" and 81
reported them SLOW"
Cities in which a majority of the
firms reporting characterized their coll
lections as good" were Los Angeles,
Calf; Austin, Tex; Duluth, Mimi;
Lincoln, Nebr.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
and Bristol, Va.
Figures Show Business Gains.
Ethelbert Stewart, United States
ly presented some figures which proved
that there is good business for some
body even in times of depression.
Comparing employment in October,
1880, with October, 1929, he reported
that 16 firms in the iron and steel in
dustry increased the number of men
employed, in spite of 16 per cent drop
in employment in that industry as a
whole. In the cotton goods industry 81
firms increased their employees in spite
of 81 per cent drop in the industry as a
whole. The automobile industry, show
ing a shrinkage of 81 per cent in en-
ployment, reported that Is firms in
+, creased the number of men at work
from 3 to 172 per cent.
Commissioner Stewart gave other
equally interesting figures showing
where employment went against the
general trend. Economists are now
pointing to these figures as proof of
what improved products, outstanding
dollar values, effective advertising and
craftsmanship and high-grade general
management will accomplish in putting
any business back to normal.
Slight Decline in Sales.
According to a tabulation compiled
by Merrill, Lynch 81 Co., 80 chain-store
companies reported sales for January,
1881, of $143, ,094, as compared with
$146,351 ,767, a decrease of 81 per cent. |
Thirty-two companies which reported
for three years show sales for January, |
1881, of $142, 049,955 against $145 $685. |
1873 in 1880, decrease of 2.3 per cent, |
but 1881 sales showed an increase of |
$l3,637 ,405, or 10.6 per cent, over 1929 |
results, when such companies reported |
sales of $128,412,55O..
While it is too early to state that a |
definite favorable turn in business took |
in Ia u 6od
five Saturdays against four Saturdays
in January. 1880, the very general in
crease shown by the 5-and-10 chains |
Is considered particularly encouraging. |
If the performance of the 5 and los |
is repeated in February and March in |
strued as indicating definite recovery, |
the review says.
sI50,00O,O00 in Treasury Bills.
The Treasury Department announces
an issue of S150,000,00 of 9l-day |
Treasury bills. dated February Is and |
maturing May 10, 1881. Tenders for /
the new bills will be received up to i
pm. February Is at any Federal Re-
serve Bank or branch Proceeds from |
the new issue will be used to redeem |
Treasury bills which become due Feb
ruary 16 in the amount ofA$l27, 445, 900. |
TOday's Trading on Exchange.
The weeks trading on the Washing |
ton Stock Exchange opened with a sale |
of Federal-Anerican National Bank & |
Trust Co. stock at 81.
The next sale was in Washington !
Gas Light Co. stock, which moved at |
1877. the same as the last transfer.
Capital Traction was a little lower |
today, 100 shares changing hands in |
four different transactions at 39Ia.
Potomac Electric Power 5lz per cent |
preferred was strong, selling at ITO, al |
though on a very light turnover.
Washington Gas SIS changed hands |
at 104l2, 1000 Gas Bs sold at 1851 |
and $4,000 City & Suburban IS came
out at 30.
The only local issue now being quoted
ex-dividend is Norfolk & Washington
Steamboat Co., which is soon to pay
a 1919 per cent extra.
Heard in Financial District.
The National Fireproofng Corpora
ton Of Pittsburgh, manufacturers OF
structural clay tile and underground
clay conduit, will open Washington
Office February Is, in the National Press
Building. Plans also include the open
ing of new sales Office in Birming-
ham, Ala, to be operated in connection
with the newly acquired Vulcan plant
located in that city.
Production Of cars and trucks in the
United States and Canada during jan
uary totaled 1873 ,876 units, according to
National Automobile Chamber of Com
merce. This compares with 161, 223
cars and trucks in December, 1890, and
2S3 ,606 cars and trucks in January,
1880.
Sales of G. c.. Murphy Co., for
January, without consideration in the
change in the number Of stores, were
S1,221 ,313. compared with $685., 1873 in
January, 1880, gain Of 1921, 925, or 80
per cent.
Safeway Stores, Inc, reported Janu-
ery sales today as ST, SOL ,518, compared
with $18, 439 ,302 in January, 1880, de-
crease of AZ per cent.
The American Stores Co. made re-
port today of sales for the 26 days
ended January 81, which showed de-
with the like period in 1890, amounting
To SD AQ7 LIN AGAINST SO Q2R 600