Evening star., 1935-01-01
BUILDING IS HELD
VITAL TO NEW YEAR
Editors Also Stress Durable
Goods, Prices and Use
of Idle Capital.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

special DlSpaICE 10 3hS CeoA'
NEW YORK, January 1.-Wha
will make or break American bushes!
in 1885? This question was put tt
1so leading trade papers Throughout
the country through tn: Nationa
Conference of Business Paper Editors
All the replies emphasized Sucf
favorable factors as Government pro-
motion of building, the potentia
demand for durable goods, stabiliza.
ton Of prices by codes, better farm
prices and the presence Of a huge
volume of idle capital that soon may
dow into investments.
The answers also pointed to un'
favorable factors such as Government
competition with business, fear ol
radical legislation, uncertain monetary
policies, and the menace of strikes.
Oil Industry Cheerful.
The oil industry looks ahead into
1885 cheerfully because Of the steadily
rising American demand for gasoline
The past year saw an all-time peak
in gasoline consumption. Next veal
may surpass it, But the growth Of
nationally supported reflneries ir
many foreign countries cuts into oul
export business. Control of domestic
production may be abandoned anc
taxes borne by the industry nov
approximate five times its net earn
ings," calculates National petroleum
News.
The electrical appliance industr!
finds as favorable factors the F. H. A
program and the modernization trend
a constantly rising popular demane
for refrigerators and radios, q stead.
price level and industry stabilizat1or
through codes, says Electrical Whole
sailing. Electrical West finds tht
power industry facing western
surplus of power from Boulder Dam
Bonneville, and Grand Coulee pro-
jects. Other power magazines speaS
OF possible Government competition
with plants built at the expense OF
taxpayers and largely operating al
their expense.
Tool Outlook Better.
The machine tool industry shoule
modernization everywhere, the coun
trys large supply of idle capital, ant
the many new types of machines ready
to be sold. However. the industr,
will run short of skilled key men ii
orders increase rapidly" says Amerl
can Machinist.
The building industry can hardly
fail to profit by the great need fol
housing and by the public works pro
gram. says the Architectural Record
but is hampered by slowness OF rea
estate recovery, incompleteness o.
mortgage foreclosure and retlnancint
problems. and the need in most States
for legislation to make title II OF tht
national housing act effective. Ameri
can Builder foresees little labor trouble
this Winter in the building trades
Building operators are suffering from
racketeering. according to Buildings
& Building Management. Rent col
lections are better, however, and occu'
pancy Of apartments and Offices shoulc
continue to rise. Real estate opera
tors feel a distinct lack OF working
capital.
Brick and Clay Record expects gen.
eral building to boost the brick indus
try and a revival of the steel industry
to enlarge the market for refractory
products.
The chemical industries, never be-
fore unionized, feel concern about the
growth of organized labor in cities
says Chemical g. Metallurgical Engi-
neering. though labor is not big fac.
tor. Many new products Of this in
dustrys research will aid the market
In 1885.
Wages Benefit Textiles.
The textile industry, says Textile
World, will benefit next year by a
sounder wage basis, greater mer-
chandising alertness, improvement in
fair trade practices and anticipated
better business among its customers in
the heavy industries. The threat OF
more strikes, as well as buyer resist
ance to code-increased costs and
processing taxes, will hamper trade.
Railway Age expects freight and
passenger traffic to continue improv-
ing and State and Federal legislation
may help correct unfair competitive
conditions" Railroads may suffer from
rising costs of materials and wages,
however. Buses see prospects for 10
to IS per cent revenue gains in 1885,
according to Bus Transportation.
The aviation industry has little labor
trouble, now that cuts in mail contract
rates have somewhat quieted the pi-
lots demands, says Aviation. Mod
ernization Of transport planes makes
business good for aircraft builders. but
as for line operators "it is difficult to
predict anything until we see the re-
action of Congress to the Federal
Aviation Commissions report"
Price stabilization and country wide
selling activity are the biggest factors
for good in the laundry industry, but
both Laundry Age and the Starchroom
Laundry Journal say labor organiZa-
tion drives are harassing many plants.
Food Factors Unsettled.
The baking industry goes into 1885
with better trade practices, more con-
f1dence and a slowly rising business
curve. Food Industries cites these un-
favorable factors: Bankhead cotton
control, which forces the South into
food production; probable scarcity OF
pork as result of the 1884 drought
and the corn-hog control plan. Favor
able factors are: Reduced carryover
of many food raw materials; cuts in
crop surpluses due to drought; higher
prices. Meat packers are benefiting by
higher prices and better consumer
buying power, says the National Pro-
visioner, but worry over probable
shortage in livestock supplies. =