Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-04
ADVANCE IN TRADE I:
. OF NATION IS SEEN
Bank investigators Find
Quickening of Demand I
in Retail Lines.
Special Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, July 4.-Several of the
larger Wall Street commercial banks
have sent private investigators around
the country to get true picture of con-
olClons. These return with the report
tnaG tnere actually Is a quickening OF
trade. One very favorable present-day
factor is the fact that shelves are bare
everywhere and that a fresh demand.
however small, must start the wheels of
industry turning.
The long period Of reduced buying
power, with firms buying only from
hand to mouth, has brought about a
tremendous shortage in all lines. Dun's
Review OF Business says that the last
half OF the year opens with financial
conditions greatly improved. Definite
indications of industrial betterment are
shown.
Shoe manufacturers are very busy:
textile centers report wider operating
schedules; improvement is seen in the
automotive industry and radio manu-
facturers have fair number Of orders
from dealers for Fail delivery. Orders
booked by furniture manufacturers,
however, are nearly 20 per cent under
the seasonal normal.
Customers Men.
The New York Stock Exchange wants
to take peep into the stock market
operations of brokerage house custom
erS' men. The customers man is the
fellow who is constantly calling you up
on the telephone with tips and who
want you to keep on buying and selling
to fcn up commissions for the house
The Stock Exchange authorities want
to know If any employees of brokerage
houses are gambling on their own &C
count.
The Committee on Quotations and
Commission of the New York Stock
Exchange issued the following notice TO
| its members yesterday: Are any of
your customers men or other of your
employees permitted to trade on margin
for their own account? If so kindly
furnish the committee with a list Of
such individuals whose personal trading
accounts aggregated more than 5000
shares within the past six months. This
list Is to give the names and the ca
pacity in which employed
1t had been reported that some pro-
fessional traders were rnasquerading as
customers men in order to obtain con-
cessions in commissions.
Activity in Cotton.
The increased activity in the cotton
market was reflected strongly in the
bank clearings at New Orleans this
week. In that city clearings jumped
1873 per cent over the same week last
year. At all other centers decreases
were shown.
Cigarette Prices Advanced.
The old price for leading cigarette
brands OF two packs for a quarter"
obtainable in chain stores, represented
substantial saving in the yearly bills
OF heavy smokers, so it is sad news for
them that the Great Atlantic g. Pacific
Tea Co, hereafter will charge IA cents
a pack, or two packs for 81 cents. A
and carton S1.32.
Several other leading drug store and
TOBACCO chains, besides department
stores, are considering an increase in
the price OF cigarettes to meet the
boost OF As cents a thousand by manu-
facturers. In the trade it is believed
eventually cigarettes will be sold at Is
cents pack. or two for % cents.
American Tariff.
j. V. Lawrence, European representa-
tive OF the National Automobile Cham
Der OF Commerce, who returned to this
country yesterday, said that European
countries are showing less resentment
over the recently revised American tar
IN. He said there Is less disposition
abroad to retaliate with measures dis
eliminating against the importation Of
American goods.
The house organ of the Standard
Oil Co. of New Jersey, the Lamp, issued
yesterday, s7ys that an excellent idea Of
the effect of Russian competition in the
worlds oil markets may be gained from
the contract reported to have been
closed between the Soviet and the
Spanish monopoly.
Effective July l last, this contract is
run for three years and covers a mini
mum of 100000 tons per annum Of
gasoline The price is to be adjusted
on that prevailing in the gulf market,
less IL per cent. On the day the con-
tract came to light this would have
meant price equivalent to 3lz cents
gallon, f. o. b., gulf AS is now well
established, the Soviet authorities dis
regarded the usual considerations of
costs and values in order to build uu
foreign credits. They are not even
limited by the amount of the commodity
properly eXportable
In the case of petroleum they are. for
the most part, producing and selling
Gil from appropriated properties, the
cost of which was borne by foreign
capital before the revolution. To pro-
vide the oil sold below the lowest world
markets the Russian government de-
pr1veS its own populace of all but a
small part of its normal requirements.
Copyright, 1881. by North American News
paper Alliance, Inc.)