Evening star., 1931-12-30
CURB SHARES SAG
AF TER EARLY GAIN
Advances and Losses About
Evenly Divided-Leaders
Fairly Steady.
BY JOHN A. CRoNE.

special Dispatch to The Star.
q NEW YORK, December 30.-Open-
ing actively and higher, today's Curb
Exchange session held a steady trading
= pace, but prices eased somewhat near
midday. The market seemed about
evenly divided in the number and size
of losses and gains.
Electric Bond & Share opened on a
e,oOo-share block at 1O34, up "a, and
later doubled that gain. Cities service,
, on a 500-share lot, appeared initially
at 5a, unchanged, but later moved
upward. Standard Oil of Ohio opened
/ up nearly a point despite reduction
{ Of l cent a gallon on gasoline in some
OF its selling territory.
. Although some of the market leaders
% in the forenoon seemed to be moving
forward chiefly because of the lessening
of taX-selling pressure, quite few OF
the lower-priced issues were sold to eS-
tablish tax losses as today offered the
final opportunity to handle such trans
actions in the regular way. All Securi-
ties sold to establish tax losses on
Thursday must be sold only for cash
otherwise the trade would go over until
next Monday and would be recorded in
1892.
. Public utilities we're the first group
to face budget Of news today. Weekly
. electricity output again showed a slight
decline, but some far-earning reports
were published The Associated Gas &
Electric System, including newly ac-
quired properties from date of acquiSi-
ton, reported gross revenues for the II
months ended November 80 Of $685.
! 645 ,586, against Sl03 ,606,9l2 in the same
1880 period.
- Consolidated Gas of Baltimore in the
: IL months ended November 80 showed
! earnings of $4.67 on the average COM
j mon share, against $4.86 in the same
1880 period. Middle West Utilities, as
expected, declared its regular common
quarterly dividend.
1t was the announced plans Of util-
tiles for 1882, however, that encouraged
traders. Bell Telephone of PennSyl
' vania plans to spend $25, 100000 fer
construction next year. Connecticut
= Light 81 Powers 1882 budget calls for
S3,4o0,000 of improvements, and Hart
ford Electric Light, which spent only
I S823, 900 this year, will eXpend 81, ,l00
600 in additions for 1882.
: Declaration Of an extra dividend of
so cents on Maine Gas Companies COM
mon also bettered sentiment toward the
utilities. The result was a firming of
many power and light leaders and even
some Of the prefeTed shares such as
q. General Gas & Electric B preferred
and Northern States Power A.
Faced with budget of favorable
news and with some lessening of tax
? selling pressure and bank liquidation,
Z stocks ODened higher
. Electric Bond & Share in a block of
5000 shares opened at 1924, up "a.
Cities Service in lot of 5000 shares
opened at 51a, unchanged, but later
% moved forward. Standard Oil of Ohio
fat rs rose 7s. Pennroad Corporation
+ at 2 was a shade higher
/ New Jersey Zinc at 2l12 was up Il.
Cord Corporation was active but un-
{ changed at 71s. A block of 1000 Com
= smonwealth g. Southern warrants opened
unchanged at u. Middle West Utilities
= was of slightly at 5l4, but soon rallied.
? Gulf Oil at 1854 gained "a. Niagara
% Hudson Power at 61s advanced 1s. Re-
lance management and Shenandoah
= Corporation preferred reached new lows
sat their initial appearances.