Evening star., 1933-12-24
D. c. RETAIL SALES
|NNOVEMBERN NEAR
RECORD YEAR AGO
Reserve Bank of Richmond
Reports Gains in Many
Fifth District Cities.
BUSINESS IN DECEMBER
PASSING 1882 MARKS
Capital Transit Company Sets
Another New Mark in Sale
of Tickets.
BY EDWARD C. STONE.


While unofficial reports on retail trade
In Washington department stores in
December indicate that business will
exceed December, 1882. by a generous
margin, the Federal Reserve Bank OF
Richmond has completed detailed fig
ures covering department store trade
In this city In November, as compared
with the same period a year ago. Sales
in local stores according to the monthly
report announced yesterday, were 09
per cent below last years results, or
practically the same as in November
1882.
The trade status in Washington was
very close to the average for the whole
district, which revealed q gain of 0.6
per cent over November of last year
Yesterdays monthly report was also
much more favorable than October re-
turns, which showed Washington ga
per cent behind retail business totals
in october, 1882.
The Reserve Banks report On trade
in the Capital for the first IL months
Of the present year is also more favor
able Up to December l retail sales
were only 90 per cent below the like
1882 period In october total sales
were 10.1 under last year, and in earlier
months of the year mercantile busi-
ness was still less encouraging. But
with a more favorable IL months total
and the expected trade gain in the
final figures for December, sales in
Washington may have equaled or pos
Sibly have passed the 1892 mark when
the business curtain Is rung down on
December 80.
The showing is better to date than
most merchants dared expect six
months ago. The new deal civil
roI1 Nrol q
surprising help, along with the other
usual yuletide factors.
Richmond Makes Best Showing.
Yesterdays comparative report re-
vealed Richmond as making 10 per
cent gain in sales in November, the
best record in the district Sales In
Baltimore were of 1.6 per cent. but a
group of other cities scored an increase
of 66 per cent.
Sales in Richmond for the first IL
months of this year are now within
IT per cent of the period of 1882: Bal
timore sales are down 81 per cent; a
group o. other cities lack 4.6 per cent;
while tt average sales in the whole
fifth district in the IL months were
6.6 per cent behind last year
The report also compared stocks on
hand November 80 with November 30,
1882. Stocks In washington stores were
up 14.8 per cent; in Richmond, ia
per cent; Baltimore, 1913 per cent,
while the average for the 81 depart
ment stores in the district was 14.3
per cent. Compared with the end of
october Of this year, stocks on hand in
Washington stores were 1.8 per cent
lower, yesterdays report said. Rich
mond goods were SD per cent higher,
Baltimore's down IT per cent, while
the fifth reserve district average was
of OF per cent.
During November stocks in Washing
ton stores were turned 249 times, In
Richmond .307, in Baltimore 256 with
the district .257 times. Between Janu-
ary l and November 30, stocks in
Washington stores were turned 3.o33
times
Collections were favorable. The per-
centage of receivables collected during
November was 269 In Washington,
while for the district as a whole 1t was
25.2 per cent Richmond collected 29.6
per cent Of receivables and several other
cities reported collections better than
2S per cent, the report said.
$4,000 Passes Sold.
During the third week of operations
OF the Capital Transit Co., since the
local street car line consolidation went
into effect, another record was made in
the number of weekly tickets sold
The number Of tickets, which COM
peny Officials refer to as passes, sold
during the week ending December 90,
totaled 45,0l5. During the previous
week the street car conductors sold 39,-
2SS of these passes, while during the
first week Of merger operations the total
number of passes purchased by street
car and bus riders was reported as
1908.
This was a gain of nearly 10000
passes during the second week over
the first week and of 6,727 at the
conclusion of the third week over the
results Of the second weeks opera
tions. Comparison of the first week
sale with the third weeks distribution
shows gain of 16,407 weekly ticket
holders.
During the last six business days the
street cars were crowded to the doors
from early morn until late at night.
Those buying tickets, of course, bought
no tokens, so the financial results Of
the extra riding cannot be told until
the end Of the month. It Is only
known that the street cars have not
seen such total volume Of traffic for
many years.
Taxicab business also has been at
high ebb during the Christmas sea-
son, resulting in nothing less than a
general Yuletide transportation boom.
Banks Rush Deposit Reports.
Banks, in figuring their deposits fer
purposes OF paying assessments into the
deposit insurance fund, must estimate
the rate on the basis of their gross,
rather than net deposits, officials of
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corpora
tion state. In the case Of bank
holding a deposit of a customer. who
also is a borrower, the bank must pay
its assessment for the amount of the
full deposit, not the deposit minus the
loan.
Washington banks have worked very
hard on these reports during the past
week. In many instances the informa-
ton has been completed and the
checks made out covering the first as
sessmentS.
Latest reports from other parts Of
the country reveal a change in attitude
by many banks which have been op-
posing the insurance plan. Despite op-
position voiced by the Oklahoma State
Bankers Association at a recent con-
vention, only u State banks eligible for
entrance into the Federal Deposit In
Surance Corporation are holding out.
Five banks applied for membership at
the very last minute
Many Dividends Declared Here.
At regular meeting of the Board of
Directors Of the Liberty National Bank,
held Friday, a regular dividend OF $3.50
per share was declared payable Decem-
Der 81. to stockholders of record at
close of business December 81. Trans
fer books will not be closed.
Last week was an unusual one for
bank dividends. Among banks voting
payments were the Columbia National,
American Security & Trust, Lincoln
National Bank of Commerce & Saw
ings and the Bank Of Bethesda; direc-
tors of Woodward g. Lothrop and OF