Evening star., 1932-10-01
CANADA IMPROVES
ITS TRADE STATUS
Gain in Car Loadings Indi-
Gates Turn for Better
in Business.
pecial Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, October Those
scanning the economic skies for signs
Of the return of good business have not
overlooked Canada. Business in Can
ada is so much a part Of business in
the United States, quite apart from the
general equation that better trade
anywhere in the world encourages other
regions, that Canadian statistics are
commonly quoted as an additional in
dication Of the health Of American in
duStry.
An analysis OF the latest Canadian
car-loading figures shows an improve
ment marked enough to excite wide
spread comment In the week Of Sep
tember Canadian loadings totaled Al
521 cars. in the next week 44,278 cars
and in the week Of September II the
figure rose to 555 527 cars. This COM
September II, 1881. Canadian car
loadings have now for two successive
weeks exceeded the figures for the
corresponding weeks Of 1881. American
loadings are still running some 10000
cars under the same week of 1881.
Analysis Of Loadings.
Details of the Canadian loadings are
more significant than the totals. Load
ings of grain and grain products. which
aggregated only $500 cars in the week
of September -. 1881, totaled 20, 0,044
cars in the corresponding week this
year. The loadings OF grain in Canada
for three successive weeks Of September
to date were 1911, 1907 and 20,O44
Loadings Of live stock increased by 140
cars. Loadings Of coal rose from 1898
cars to 1886 in week, lumber loadings
from 876 to 991. pulp and paper from
1,485 to 1885, forest products from l.
034 to 1926, ore from GIT to 694 and
miscellaneous from 8,147 to 9,843. Five
OF these items showed substantial in
creases over the same week of 1881.
Loadings of general merchandise in
less than carload lots-a reliable in
dicator of general business activity-in-
creased from IL ,544 cars in the week of
September 10 to 1857 cars in the week
of September II. This last figure com.
pares with 12.975 in the same week Of
1881.
An increase in grain loadings is not
always accepted as a sign of improved
business, but this year it is. Grain
loadings last year were small because
the grain was not sold, but held in
elevators at the head of the lakes or
back in the prairie provinces. This
year grain is in demand and is being
sold so rapidly that hedging pressure
against the Canadian crop reached as
high as 100000 bushels a day in the
recent market. The Canadian Pacific
Railroad has had to put on 5000 ad-
ditional men at the head of the
Lakes in order to handle the shipment
Of the grain crop-a move that has not
fnr
Machinery Shipments Larger.
Trade authorities in Montreal and
Toronto point to the steep upturn in
shipments of small machinery as indi-
eating the returning prosperity of small
businesses. This is evidenced also in
the frequent reports of new plant con-
struction. The latest reports list new
gravel-crushing plant in Prince Ed
wards Island, truck plant at Preston,
Ontario; an oil refinery at Weyburn.
Saskatchewan; new oil tanks at
Campbellton, New Brunswick; new
oil refinery at Montreal, and . new
egg powder plant at Saskatoon. The
latter plant will consume 180, 900 eggs a
day and attempt to take the egg powder
business away from China, which has
enjoyed virtual monopoly for years.
In the West, according to advices
from the railroads and the large
Canadian banks, whose branches are
more closely in touch with the
Canadian farmers than any other
agency, the farmers are in a stronger
position today than at any time since
the beginning of the depression. Pay
ments on mortgages have increased,
and in not q few instances mortgages
have been entirely paid up.
(Copyright, 1922