Evening star., 1932-12-25
Sales Are Expanding and In
dustriaI Indications Are
Showing Improvement.
BRITISH BUSINESS MEN
IN MORE CHEERFUL MOOD
Gloomy Reports Obscure French
Chance for Recovery, With France
Sagging on Gold Exports.
Special Dispatch to The Star,

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, December 24-Cables
and wireless dispatches to the Business
Week give the following survey of busi-
ness abroad for the week ending today:
Berlin.-Germans are really quite
cheerful over the prospects for 1888
The year Just ending has been one of
the most hectic the country has ever
experienced, but the Christmas political
truce has given a chance to appraiSe
the current position and speculate over
the prospects for next year. which are
increasingly brighter. Christmas trade
Is better than it has been in years.
Everywhere - Hamburg, Berlin, Mu-
nich-people are buying. Industrial
indicators also are helping boost senti-
ment. Coal, steel, electric current and
carloadings are all up.
Hamburg particularly is affected By
the revival Of shipping. This gradual
recovery wsS helped by the foreign de-
mand for German products which kept
November exports well above the sea-
sonal level.
Bond Purchases Denied
Reports from abroad. particularly
London, that Germans have been buy
ing up their foreign currency bonds In
large volume are vigorously denied In
Germany. A part Of the business press
is inclined to credit the recent rise in
prices on German bonds to speculative
buying for foreigners themselves. An
other group is willing to admit that
Germans have been doing a certain
amount Of buying. Certainly the ex-
change IS easing. One decisive factor Is
the return to Germany Of homesick
capital following the better reports
from German business.
London.-The British are fairly cheer
full, the undertone on the markets is
firm, the outlook is not too bad-but
anything can happen. That is about
what the British think Of business at
the end Of the year.
Payment Of the war deft installment
has helped steady the markets and
foreign exchange. Christmas trade,
however, is well below normal. More
than the depression is to blame British
ers for the second year, are confronted
with the necessity of paying three
quarters of their income tax on jan
uary l. 1t puts crirnp in Christmas
lavishness Also prices. beginning
to show the effect Of tariffs, are going
up. If food prices mount much there
will be a storm Of protest from til5
public With meat quotas coming, i
seems inevitable
Industrially, the coal interests are
slightly cheered by better year end busl-
ness Continental orders. particularly,
are improving Headquarters for the
industry reports that the outlook Is the
best in two years.
The Lancashire Steel CORPORATE
ht ha pony nf
land, has made a new move in keep.L.
with the demands of the Tariff Con,
mission. which ordered the steel indu
try TO rationalize promptly, or to expect
no help from the government in the
way of tariffs. The announcement is
| made this week that the Lancashire
company has acquired the White Cross
| Co., at Warrington, which will be made
the foundation for a new attempt to
capture the home market for steel wire
and rods produced on continuous
process mass basis" More than s10,-
100000 of capital is involved. This
Stewarts g. Lloyds will henceforth make
steel tubes by the most approved Bes-
senner process
French Reports Gloomy.
And, finally, the cotton industry has
formed an action committee" to CO.
ordinate the efforts of all branches Of
the textile industry to combat Japanese
and other underwriting competition on
world markets
Pari.-Frarce comes to the end Of
the year without very bright economic
prospect ahead. Christmas, however,
has brought with it a new cabinet and
at least fair prospect that 1t will carry
over into the new year The wear Is
ending with gloomy industrial reports,
except for the textile plants in North
ern France, which continue to flourish
on increasing business. Steel is slightly
more hopeful this week and there is
hope that the cartel will once more
begin to function. The gold flow to
New York is not yet dangerous Never
theless. Paris is perturbed over the
weakness of the franc.