Evening star., 1932-11-13
OPTIMISM RULES
CONDITIONS ABROAD
I'm WEEKLY SURVEY
Germany Is Encouraged by
Prospects of Comparative
Political Calm.
SETTLEMENT OF STRIKE
BOOSTS HOPE OF BRITISH
French Business Opinion More
Hopeful by Signs of General
Improvement Elsewhere.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, November I2.-Cables
and wireless dispatches to the Business
Week give the following survey Of busi-
ness abroad for the week ending today:
Berlin.-Germans are almost optin.is-
tic this week. The elections are over,
the Berlin transportation strike is peter
ing out, Van Papen's plan is working,
industry is improving slowly but stead
lily. the number of unemployed is de-
crea.ing, and markets are again active
and prices are slightly up. There IS
prospect now for several months Of CON-
parative political calm. Germany needs
all the calm possible, so that every bit
of attention can be devoted to business.
Favorable news continued to drift into
Berlin all week. The governments cur
rent report stresses the decline in the
number Of jobleSS, contrary to the usual
seasonal trend. Both the number Of
laborerS and the hours worked in
creased. The workmen's sickness insur-
ance associations reported that the
number of employed members rose in
September by 10000 which is strikingly
in contrast to last year, when employ
ment declined 250,000 in the same
period
Industrial improvement has been par
ticularly evident in textiles. The
Deutsche Baumwell A. G., largest Ger
man cotton concern, declares it has
untitled orders SUFFICIENT to keep its
plants fully employed till after the end
Of the year. The Stoehr Kammgarn
A. c., outstanding wool concern, has
increased employment 40 per cent in
the last month, even reports shortage
OF skilled labor. Rayon mills are more
active on fair volume of foreign orders
which supplement the domestic upturn.
Heavy industry is also recovering.
Scrap iron Is more active. Steel ex-
ports are up to Scandinavia, Holland.
I, Argentina and the Far East, and the
SovietS are back in the market with
! orders for a fair volume of materials.
1 SfemenS is optimistic over prospective
| electrical business, and the General
I Motors controlled Opel Woriss announce
! that the recent influx of orders makes
! 1t necessary to increase plant activity
| from a two to three day week to o
| five-day basis. Ruhr coal sales are UP.
British End Strike.
London.-Britishers still manage to
find reasons for optimism. This week
| they were encouraged mostly by the
ending of the spinners' strike and the
return to work Of the 10000 who had
been out, and by the success Of the
governments fifth major conversion,
| which completes the conversion Of all
Britain's long-term credits from a
higher to 3 per cent basis. Conver-
sion operations since July have saved
the country $38,000,o00 in annual in
tcreSt
Employment returns at the end of
Octobcr also were encouraging. The
number of johleSs has now fallen ILL.,
900 since last juno, though the total Of
those wholly unemployed is up 10000 on
the low for September.
Despite the fluctuations of the pound,
internal prices are slightly down. Ho-
Siery, rayon and woolen mills report
better business. but the cotton division
has suffered from the recent spinners'
strike. Coal is fairly active.
Stock markets have suffered from re-
cent uncertainty and from the uneven
ness of sterling, but foundation firmneSS
has been maintained.
London has failed to take UP with
any enthusiasm the announcement of
the formation of Empire Farmers Co
operative. 1t has been announced Off
CldlIy lIldb Tile OTBdulZdilCu mas DStn
formed with $4,000 capital, with the
support of the country's most prominent
agriculturists and farmers associations,
Ito control the production of foodstuffs,
stabilize prices to consumer and pro-
ducer, exclude the middleman and ra-
tionaliZe distribution" LondonerS doubt
it can be successful and are showing
only mild interest in the whole PROPOSE
tion. Most critics anticipate merely an
extension Of the general policies Of the
Empire Marketing Board In conformity
with new Ottawa policies.
French Hopeful.
Paris-French business opinion was
distinctly more optimistic this week, but
executives culled most Of their new
hopefulness from outside the country.
Elections stimulated most hope. The
decline of Hitlerism in Germany and
the prospect of continued recovery in
that neighboring country, Plus relief
that the American campaign is out of
the way, buoyed depressed sentiment.
The French are inclined to accept
Roosevelt as a distinct Francophile in
contrast to Hoover. who. in their esti-
mate, has been too prot German in his
Sympathies. Also they are more hopeful
Of tariff concessions from the Demo-
Gratis.