Evening star., 1935-12-22
All Areas Gain Over 1894
IncreaSec Range From
5 to 40 Per Cent.
SOME SURVEYS REPORT
BEST LEVELS SINCE 1929
Merchandising Experts in Atlanta
District Foresee Largest
Volume in Ten Years.
BY RAIDER WINGET,


last week, under the spell of Christ
mas shopping, obscured the more mod.
est increases in industrial activity.
Reports from merchants for the last
| full week before the holiday indicated
1884 sales were surpassed easily In
every section of the country.
Individual sections topped the pre-
| vious year by to 20 per cent and
some enthusiastic surveys estimated
more dollars went into tills than dur.
| ing any comparable week since 1929 in
| many cities.
Merchandising authorities In the
Atlanta Federal Reserve District pre-
| dicted holiday trade would be the I'm.
est in 10 years.
No uniformity was displayed by the
country as whole in either the start
| ing time of shopping or the amount Of
buying accomplished. Isolated in
stances of depressed demand we're
seen in rural areas where crops were
poor, but there was little indication
that individual cases Of industrial
slackness curtailed Christmas buying
fervor.
A late start during the week was
apparently proved by the Department
| of Commerce survey of 80 cities for
the week ended Wednesday, which
stated:
While retail trade IN most sections
Of the country continued to show sub
stantial gains compared with the same
period of last year, the turnover in
| few of the larger cities proved dis
tinctly disappointing.
Large City Sales Lag.
| Cities from which less optimistic
statements were received included New
York, Boston, Chicago, st. Louis and
| Cleveland, but later reports from pri-
vate sources told of a substantial exc
pansion destined to obliterate previous
slowneSs.
The Department of Commerce add.
ed: In all Of the other 80 cities, how
ever. retail trade for the week sur
passed last years volumes, and in
some areas holiday business was said
20 be better than any year since 1929"
In the industrial segment of the
national economic scene the Asso-
ciated Press index of industrial activ-
ity, adjusted for seasonal variation,
moved 0.3 of percentage point higher
to 81 per cent Of the 1929-30 average.
At that level the index was at the
highest point of the year and greater
than at any time since June, 1880.
Pulling it upward were automobile
production, highest on a seasonal basis
since November of 1929, and cotton
manufacturing activity, similarly the
greatest since September Of 1888.
Steel mill production, as is usual for
this time OF year, dropped to SAG per
cent Of capacity from 55.7 per cent
the previous week, but the total com.
pared with 34.6 per cent year ago.
For the week ended December IA
electric power production again went
higher in kilowatt-hour output than
at any other time, but the advance
bucked against previous unprecedented
increases which made the current gain
less than of seasonal proportions.
Freight car loadings for the same
period declined in the usual year end
fashion, but the reduction in move
ment of goods to market was even
greater than anticipated.
Residential building was unaltered,
but construction awards for last week,
estimated by Engineering News
Record, totaled $50 6,817, 900. the largest
for any similar week since 1881. Pub
lie construction was responsible for
the rise
Statements by individual business
concerns pointed to a revival this year
in the custom of paying Christmas
bonuses to employees, and the expan-
sion is believed to be more widespread
than at any time since depression
slashed profits.
Travel agencies, on the basis Of ad-
vance bookings, predict a spread Of the
usual Christmas migration to the
greatest proportions in several years.
Commodity and security markets,
as well as international trading CEN
ters, we're unsettled again last week
by the determined depreciation in
silver prices, which have fallen TO
SIX cents an ounce in New York
from 65as cents two weeks ago, up
setting a stable period of several
months.
Detailed Reports Given.
Detailed reports for last week from
individual Federal Reserve districts
! follow:
BOSTON.-Postal authorities de-
scribed Christmas business aS 6a
largest since 1880, and deDarurn~nN
stores declared the holiday definitely
brisker than last year. Cotton buyers
were cautious pending a court deci-
sion on processing taxes; wool prices
were firm with demand moderate.
NEW YORK-Retail trade, moving
against a 1884 holiday rush, was
about per cent over last year. Cur
rent wholesale items were quiet, but
January February sales goods picked
up. Emergency recorders from re-
tailers quickened. Sterling silver de-
mand was the best in five to six years
and food sales exceeded earlier esti-
mates.
PHILADELPHIA Christmas shop
ping pushed retail sales to an aver.
age of 10 to IL per cent over last
year, and better grade shops reported
gains Of as much as 25 per cent over
1884. Factory production eased, but
wool textiles stood up well. Many
hosiery mills closed for inventory.
CLEVELAND.-Steel mill opera
tions were cut in line with seasonal
demand, Auto parts production held
we'll, tire output increased, and con-
struction gains were marked, al
though under October Retail trade
was 20 per cent over the 1884 peak
| and far ahAad Of kha Y,reVinua wax.