The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-19
INDIANA TRADE
VOLUME NEARS
LEVEL OF 1880
Gains Made Consistently in
Most Business Lines,
Data Reveals.
BY MARK OGDEN

BY MARK OGDEN
Indiana business has revived to
a point near the 1880 level. This
recovery has been gradual, but in
most lines gains have been made
consistently, month by month. And,
judging by a mass of available data
and by the expressions and plans
of the states industrial leaders,
further improvement is to be ex-
pected.
These conclusions are inevitable
after study Of building permit to-
tails, bank clearings, motor licenses,
relief roll figures, real estate trans
fers, new and used automobile sales,
carloadings and numerous other
records always considered essential
in computing trade indices.
Building Ahead of 1880
Building permits issued in In
dianapolis between JAN l and May
9, 1886, amounted to $2,033, 1914 as
compared with $993,050 in the same
period of 1895. According to the
Indiana University Bureau of Bust
ness Research building activity in
the state is running ahead of that
recorded in 1885, and in 1880 as
well. The March index for this
year stands at 114.3; for March,
1885, at 1913, and for March, 1890,
at 83.1.
indianapolis industries are mani
Testing their confidence in the fu-
ture through extensive improvement
programs. The Indianapolis Cham
Der of Commerce recently issued
bulletin containing the following in
formation:
New and expanded industrial en-
terprise within the last nine months
represents additions to pay rolls Of
100000 annually. The list of eX-
pansions includes:
Steel Plants Reopen
New plant and enlargement of
Allison Engineering Co., division of
General Motors Corp.
Complete rebuilding ard doubling
capacity of Chevrolet commercial
body division of G.. M G.
Removal of Fairbanks Morse
Home Appliance, Inc, to the In
dianapolis plant of the parent COM
pany
"Reopening and modernization of
Chapman-Price division of Cont
mental Steel Co.
"Reopening of Stutz Motor Co.
for manufacture of Package cars.
Enlargement of plants of Armour
& Co., Republic Creosoting Co..
Schwitzer-C ummins Co., j. D. Ad-
ans & Co., Link Belt Co. and Basca
Manufacturing Co.
Opening of number of smaller
new industries, including Melba Hat
Trim Co., Scientific Oil Corp, ana
Universal Foods Co."
Bank Clearings Grow
Bank clearings in Indianapolis are
running about Is per cent higher
than during the first four months OF
1885. Bank debts last March in the
city were $158,879, 900 as compared
with $142,734,000 in the correspond
ing month of 1885. The Indiana
University Bureau index figures for
bank debts in the state show:
March, 1886, 95.6; March, 1885, 81.o
and March, 1880, 1882.
During the first quarter of the
current year Indiana issued 620,748
passenger car licenses. For similar
periods in 1885 and 1880 the figures
were 560,526 and 621,950, respec-
lively. Nearly 5000 more truck
licenses were issued in the first thre,
months of this year than in the like
period of 1890. A few more bus tags
also were issued this year. 1t is in
teresting to note that only 231 trac-
tor licenses were written in the 1880
quarter, but that 4310 we're granted
in the first three months of this
year.
Relief Rolls DwindIe
Persons taken from relief largely
were transferred to WPA projects
and the true value of reduced relief
roll figures in measuring the prog
ress of recovery is difficult to judge.
One source states there were $500
fewer relief cases in the state last
month than there were in April,
1885.
Real estate transfers in Indian
apolis numbered 800 in April. 1885,
and 1896 in the same month this
year.
March and April this year saw
probably the largest number of new
automobiles sold in any other
months in the history TO the city.
There were 2627 sold in March and
2639 in April, an increase of about
40 per cent over the same months
in 1885.
The I. U. Bureau of Business Re-
search charts the comparative new
and used carssales in the state with
index figures as follows:
New-March, 1886. 1850; 1885,
1918; 1880. 1909.
Used-March, 1896, 1886; 1885,
1862; 1890. 1858.