Evening star., 1936-05-10
Store Gains Over Week Aqo
and 1885 Reported in
Nearly All Areas.
MAIL ORDER AND CHAIN
VOLUMES RISE SHARPLY
April Totals 9.4 Per Cent Above
Last Year-Factory Production
Index Is Unchanged.
BY RAIDER WINGET,
Associated Press Financial Writer

Retail trade on a national basis re-
covered last week under the influence
of Summer weather, but the same
seasonal change slowed down indus
trial activity slightly in the aggregate.
Authorities differed in the analysis
of sales to consumers, but the con-
sensuS pointed to better business than
during the previous week or compared
with year before in almost every
section Of the country except the
West Coast and, perhaps, the Chicago
area.
Actual figures on trade during April
not only confirm previously estimated
advances over 1885, but also in several
cases go beyond expectations. The
first II mail order and chain stores
reporting for the month indicate a
"a per cent advance over April of
1885, and several of the larger houses
established the best record for that
month in their history.
Whether such gains will be extended
into May for the entire month was
felt to depend upon weather condi-
bAOAAo AL liz AA4OANA A0Ao4 NEhINAOs
Outlook Frightened.
The Department of Commerce in
its survey of "a cities for the week
ended Wednesday found retail trade
frightened noticeably under the
impetus of warm weather, and gains
over the previous and 1885 weeks
wIdened in most sections of the coun-
try"
On the production front. the AS
sociated Press index of industrial
activity remained unchanged at s7.2
per cent of the 1929-3O average.
Automobile manufacturing led the
gains with production of 1875
units, compared with 1887 units in
the previous week. Although the gain
was negligible, motor makers pointed
out that under average conditions the
production rate last week should have
fallen considerably.
Because of the recovery of motors,
| however, the performance was no more
surprising than the report of General
Motors Corp that sales in April to
dealers in the United States and
Canada, plus overseas shipments, were
the highest ever recorded for any
month in the history of the company.
The Automobile Manufacturers As
sociation found April shipments of
members, which does not include
Ford were 26 per cent higher than
year ago and the best for any month
since May of 1929.
Steel Activity Eases.
Steel mill activity eased off to 701
per cent of capacity, compared with
7l2 per cent the previous week and
422 per cent a year ago. The down.
turn was accompanied by another de-
cline in the composite price Of No. l
heavy melting scrap steel to 1888 a
gross ton from S14.54 a ton the pre-
vious week
There are some in the trade who
believe the slow downturn into Summer
has started, but it was stressed that
the comparatively high level should be
we'll maintained in coming weeks.
Freight car loadings edged ahead for
the week ended May 2 to GIL ,154 cars,
an increase of Z of l per cent over
the previous week and 18 per cent
above the corresponding week OF 1885.
The gain was slightly more than ordi-
narily expected for this time of year.
Engineering construction awards in
April amounted to S195, ,458, 900, up "a
per cent over a year ago, and it was
believed by observers in the field that
the upward trend should continue in
that classification and in residential
building with the opening of the Sum-
mer season.
Tire Prices Advance.
Summer also brought more motoring
and higher tire prices. The increase
ranged from 5ls to 13 per cent on the
retail quotations. Two major COM
panies at the same time raised wages
by to 10 per cent.
Three long discussed problems were
settled during the week. Miners and
operators in the anthracite coal fields
agreed upon program of working con-
ditions, the United States and France
settled upon trade treaty, and the
Keeshin Transcontinental Freight
Lines and group of railroads led by
the Baltimore g. Ohio Railroad Co.
established the basis for joint rail-
truck rates including pickup and de-
livery service in the East and Midwest.
The swing to the left in the French
run-of elections a week ago was an
ticipated by the American security and
commodity markets, and the Associated
Press average of go stocks on the New
York Stock Exchange gained 80 cents
on the week to stand at S5910.
Detailed Reports Given.
Detailed reports from individual
Federal Reserve districts follow:
BoSton-ReportS of increased retail
business in mems and women's foot
wear came from New England manu-
facturers. The cotton textile market
was quiet. Prices were firm. A small-
business was done in wool, but the
market remained in waiting position.
NEW YORK.-Retail trade in the
metropolitan area was the best since
Easter and about 10 per cent higher
than year ago. Export trade con-
tinued its advance, especially in ma
chinery, and machine tool makers
found a steadily expanding sales
curve. Buffalo steel operations in
creased points to 70 per cent of ca
pacity
PHILADELPHIA. - Mixed trends
appeared in the industrial field. part
ly because of seasonal influences, but
on the whole steady, consistent ad-
vance was in evidence. Retail sales
were better by few percentage points
than the five-year average.
CLEVELAND. Steel operations