Evening star., 1933-05-21
MANY LINES SHOW
BETTER BUSINESS
Wage Increases, More Build
ING, Steel Demand, Car
Loadings Indicate Upturn.
BY the Associated Press.

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today are an index of accelerated build
ing construction and cotton spinning,
improved textile wages, steel furnaces
relighted and freight car loadings sur
passing the previous years level for the
first time since october, 1929.
The Labor Department at Washing
ton announced an advance OF 2l.2 per
cent in building expenditures from
March Is to April IS, and small gam
in wholesale commodity prices. The
commodity price index stood at sos
for April against 60.2 for March and
65.5 for April, 1882.
Freight loaded on the railways last
week totaled 531 ,095 cars, an increase
Of 1885 cars over the same week Of
1882 and q gain Of 1875 cars above the
preceding week.
Steel operations IN the Cleveland re-
gion were reported at SO per cent OF
capacity, three-point gain, and the
magazine Daily Metals Trade antiet-
pated Improvement above so per cent
next week, with the national scale well
over 20 per cent soon. 1t forecast in
6reases both at Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Other Advances Noted.
At Youngstown steel making is ex-
pected to move from 40 to 43 per cent
of capacity next week.
Firing of additional furnaces at Gary,
according to Dow, Jones g. Co., is like
" to bring production next week to 40
per cent of capacity, against 81 per cent
last Monday.
Estimated coal production last week
was 5,o5o,0o0 net tons, for gain OF
800, 900 tons, nearly IL per cent above
tyxa nf
Residential building construction east
of the Rockies in the first half Of May
Jumped SO per cent over the first half
" April, while o 10 per cent decline
Is the seasonal normal, the r. w. Dodge
Corporation reports showed.
Cotton spinning during April was
operated at 957 per cent OF capacity
on q single shift basis, the Census Bu-
reau reported. This compared with 93.9
per cent In March and 70.7 per cent
during April last year. Twenty -fve per
cent more spindles functioned in April
as compared with year ago, and
Der cent more than whirred during
March.
Variety Of Other Factors.
A wide variety of other factors In the
Industrial picture gave evidence OF an
upward curve. Among these were:
Announcement Of pay roll increase
Of $I50,00o a month, effective July !.
In the Douglas fir plywood industry OF
Oregon and Washington. The average
wage will be $2.40 daily, about 30 per
cent of the predepression scale, anect-
ing 5000 employees.
Production of automobiles at the Ply
mouth Motor Corporation plant was
advanced from $4,000 to $4,000 cars Tor
the month, largest production schedule
in the company's history.
Output of the automobile industry In
the week ended today was estimated
at 55.80l units, highest since June.
1881, ninth successive week showing
gain and an increase Of Also cars over
the week of May l3.
The Spring furniture market n
jamestown, N. Y, was reported q sell
out" for the first time in flve years
and jamestown manufactures ao-
vanced their output.
Wage Increases Reported.
The American Woolen Co. and the
Pacific. Mills at Lawrence, Mass, grant,
ed wage increases of 12H2 per cent, ei-
fective Monday, and three ether mills
promulgated higher scales. SlmHa1
announcements were made at the rl.ch-
burg, Mass, mills OF the American
Woolen Co, whose employees hao TAKEN
several cuts in recent years, and az
the Acadia Nils. cotton manufacturers,
and M, T. Stevens & Sons Co. plants
in Massachusetts,. The wage advances
will not restore predepression levels:
Operations of Montgomery Ward q
~ retail stores moved into the plack
M in April, although the pront We
not sufhcient to Offset mail order losses.
passenger trafic on American Ar
1ays in the first half OF May was Al
Der cent better than the frst nall OF
April. ,.or,es
at North Chicago. Ill, announced .
~marked increase" in volume OF ousi-
ness during the first half OF May as
compared with last year.
Bank CIearings Gain.
L. G. S. Devices Corporation. auto.
motive manufacturers, recorded its pest
saIes month in April and was operat-
ing "a hours q day to MI currens
United sportswear co. Of Lynn,
Mass. which has made no reductlons
Ia wages in five years, announced
HIS per cent increase In wages tooay.
IA 10 per cent raise was given iass
October. Wages average from $]o !"
Chicago bank clearings this week
%ctaled $1s5, SOC, 600, an increase OF g..
poo. 600 over the preceding week, but
sac, 500, 900 short Of the corresponding
period of 1882.
Favorable dividend changes IN the
last week totaled Ii, better than any
week In five months with one excep-
ton. Standard Statistics Co. reported.
Unfavorable revisions totaled " against
IL the week previous.
Cudahy Packing Co. reported sales
Of cleaning product were running 10