Evening star., 1935-03-24
Retail Volumes Increase.
Duststorms Check Rise
in Midwest.
AUTO OUTPUT REACHES
100,065 MARK IN WEEK
Bank Clearings Set New 1885
Peak-Rail Loadings and Elec.
trio Power Total Also Up.
BY RAIDER WINGET.

business and industry stepped for
ward last week into the promised land
of Spring trade.
Hand in hand as leaders of the
weeks statistics were automobile pro-
duction and bank clearings.
| Motor makers produced l00,065
units last week. as estimated bv
Grams, the first time since 1880 that
the 100000 mark has been passed.
The rise from the previous week was
little less than 5000 units.
! Bank clearings for the week ended
Wednesday were the highest this
year and some analysts interpreted
this to mean the general public had
| started its long delayed Spring buy
ing in anticipation of this years late
Easter, although income tax pay
ments undoubtedly we're a potent fac
tor in swelling the total.
Steel Rate Declines.
Unfavorable was steel action in
| falling from All to 46.8 per cent of
capacity. small change, but a con-
tinuation of the recent decline. Con-
sumers were drawing on their own
stocks. but steel producers looked
hopefully toward the railroads, where
tremendous steel need has been
held in check by meager earnings.
From the previous week the figures
on electric power production and
freight car loadings carried their
heartening message into last week by
! registering rises. The slight increase
in lumber production, however, was
less than had been expected.
Retail trade under the impetus of
favorable weather advanced in most
sections. but duststorms settled CRIME
on many a cash register in stores,
stilled by the catastrophe.
Commodity prices were strength
ened in those lines affected by the
storm, but the possibility of reduced
total farm income held bullish en-
thusiaSm in check.
Exporters continued unsettled bv
the upset in foreign exchange mar
kets caused when Belgium sharply
restricted the operation of It's gold
standard machine. The action of
that nation-which is about a third
the size of Indiana and with only a
few more citizens than Greater New
York-led Wall Street to wonder
whether it would force a break in the
European gold bloc alliance
Military preparations in Europe
stirred no bull market in business and
industrial lines which ordinarily might
stand to profit by sales of combat
materials.
Hesita tiOn Indicated.
Retail trade reports from Philadel-
phia and Chicago indicated hesita-
tion or little change in business ac-
tiVity, but on the other hand, there
were highly gratifying statements on
Pacific Coast business The Kansas
City area cited level of retail activity
equal to that expected with the COM
ing OF Spring, and new note of in
creased buying was reported in the
Richmond and Minneapolis areas.
An undertone of inactivity was dis
played in many individual lines of
both wholesale and retail business
| throughout the country, but no
marked examples of definite decline
were indicated, a condition which
some commentators viewed as "a slight
pause
Detailed reports of conditions in
some of the Federal Reserve districts
follow:
BOSTON-A weak cotton market
| contributed to slowneSs in textile buy
Ing in the first district, and while the
retail shoe trade was dull, factories
were fairly active. Leather was mac
tive with prices generally unchanged,
NEW YORK-Mild weather stimu.
lated retail trade in the second dis
trlct and interest was shown in Spring
apparel. The level of trade in the
New York metropolitan area was
somewhat under a year ago. Buffalo
steel operations were down to 81 per
cent Of capacity.
Resistance" Reported.
PHILADELPHIA - Merchants re-
ported resistance to buying" in the
third district and trade was slower
than last year. Industrial lines also
we're quiet. Wool dealers generally
advised that new business was coming
in slowly.
RlCHMOND-Incre bank deb
its. an uplift in building operations
and satisfactory Spring sales were
cited as general indications of fifth
district business conditions.
,ATLANTA,-Bankc clearings were hisher
While department store sales we're un-
late erfSSHs EaSter Wssk Wss repo,tss IN tss
holding back buying. Birminshsmno steel
operati9nS we're unchanged.
ST LOUIS -RuSinpSe cbopund I{ttt. a..
up slightly while retail business was OF
manufactlrins was SLOW. ieG iron and SnTii Steel
was spotty with farm implements and
neatlng apparatus at high levels
MINNEAPOLIS of Is Der cent
were shown in sales of food products over
last year and gains also were resistered
IN II number OF other lines in the ninth
footwear, drugs and wearing apparel was
the best since 1929.
KANSAS CITY.-Dust storms hiked
ara rsn vbossse and tpSd. Spring brought retail
levels in the tenth d district. su Gains seHs0h in
hardware. and farm implements were
prominent Retail trade showed a cumu-
lative 1O-week rise of IL per cent over
DALLAS.--Meat prices scared to pre-
depression levels in the Southwest. with
surveys showing sheep and cattle condi-
tlonS in Texas only fair, Rains improved
aegravated Northwest Texas conditions
SAN FRANCiSCO.-Pacifc Coast busi-
ness banged along at about the best pace
in two years. Retail sales we're a bit
moderate gains shown in freight trafic,
electric power output, lumber and oil
production and industrial employment.
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