Evening star., 1934-03-06
|NDUSTRY'SPACE
QU|CKENS IN YEAR
Sounder Banks and Other
Factors Get Credit
for Progress.
BY JOHN A. CRONE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, March 6.-Industrial
operations. as reflected in transporta-
ton, power, fuel and communications,
are higher today than year ago.
This progress is due to many factors,
including sounder banking structure
and national legislation.
Railroads, in a country where goods
must be moved long distances. con-
tinue to be one Of the best national
industrial barometers. Tons Of revenue
freight hauled, or car loadings, are
the best index OF the carriers ac-
tivities.
Car loadings in the week ended
February "a were 573,37l cars. ll4,292
over the same 1888 week. Both weeks
were shortened by the Washington's
birthday holiday. Traffic in the 1884
week, however. was disrupted by snow
storms over wide area. Car loadings
from January to February "a aggre-
gated 4,486.431, or 594. 1893 more than
in the same period last year.
Trolley and local bus traffic ac-
curately records industrial activity
Operators of 10000 electric street cars
and 1880 local buses. representative
of SO per cent of the local transport
industry of the Nation. registered a
steady decline in traffic until last
March According to the American
Transit Association. the number Of
passengers hauled in March, 1888. de-
clined 1873 per cent, compared with
March. 1882.
Decline Flattens Out.
This traffic decline nattened out
until October, which. with a gain OF
two-tenths of l per cent, recorded the
first increase over the same month
Of the preceding year since the de-
preston started. January traffic. the
latest available statistics. shows gain
Of 86 per cent over January, 1888
These figures do not include trolley.
elevated. bus or subway traffic of
New York City.
Electric output of l,646, ,465. 900 kilo-
watt hours for the United States in
the week ended February "a, as re-
ported by the Edison Electric Institute
was 220.954.00 kilowatt hours. or ISIS
per cent above the same week in
1888. The sharp gain is attributed to
unusually cold weather rather than
higher industrial production, but in
dustrial and commercial use Of cur
rent shows a much wider gain than
domestic use. Up to the cold weather
of February, business rather than the
home was buying more electricity
while other users, such as municipall-
ties were still cutting down.
Gas sales are running at higher
rate than a year ago Manufactured
gas sales last December. latest figures
available. totaled 32:076.500 900 cubic
feet and natural gas sales. 88,454.-
100000 cubic feet. contrasted with
30.654, 100000 and 80,288, 300 900. re-
spectively. in March. 10. In both of
these fuels the big gains were regis
tered in commercial and industrial
rather than domestic fields. Indus
trial natural gas sales in December
we're $3.50. 100000 cubic feet. or g.
765, AGO. 900 over those of last March
Coal Output Higher.
Coal production is at much
swifter pace than a year ago. Part
Of this increase is due to the weather,
but here again the big gain in sales
and reserves has taken place in the
industrial division. Bituminous coal
production for the week ended Feb
ruary "a was S.330000 net tons. or
2,249, 900 over the same week a year
ago. Pennsylvania anthracite pro-
duction of 1.710000 net tons was up