Evening star., 1937-11-28
INSURANCE SALES
IN D. c. RETAIN
GAIN OVER 1886
Ten.Month Total Still Up 6
Per Cent Despite Sag
in October.
RETAIL VOLUME JUMPS
II PER CENT IN WEEK
Department Store Totals 1.2 Per
Cent Above Year Ago-Bank
Clearings Off Slightly.
BY EDWARD C. STONE.

reached SOL $685. 900 and scored 6
per cent advance over the like period
IN 1886, the Life Insurance Sales Re-
search Bureau at Hartford reported
yesterday. The per cent gain COM
pares with a national average in
crease of 4 per cent.
Strangely enough, Maryland, Vir-
ginia and South Carolina also reported
identical gains of per cent in the
ten months. North Carolina kept up
the national average upturn of 4 per
cent. while West Virginia experienced
a 3 per cent pickup.
Although writing new business
amounting to s4,783, 900 in October,
agents in the Capital suffered a 20
per cent slump, compared with Oc-
tober, 1896. Maryland sales were of
per cent, totaling $8,l79,000. Vir-
ginia experienced a per cent drop
IN October, although policies totaled
$7,544OO0.
North Carolina wrote s8,04l 900 in
October, S per cent under last year;
South Carolina business amounted to
$3,497 900, a drop of IL per cent, leav-
ing West Virginia to make the best
percentage showing in this territory
with new policy total of s5,243, 900
and a gain of per cent over October,
1896.
Capital Leads Other Cities.
October sales for the whole United
States amounted s579, 704, 900 which
was exactly the same amount of busi-
ness in the corresponding month last
year. In the ten months the sales
volume for the whole country totaled
S6,o31,0 ,07s,000, enough ahead of last
year to make the per cent gain.
In the year to date Washington
stands ahead of Boston, Detroit, New
York. Philadelphia and st. Louis. is
tied with Los Angeles and behind Chi
cago and Cleveland in percentage
gains. st. Louis led all these cities
in October with a IL per cent Jump
over the 1896 mark $50
According to yesterdays Hartford
report, Washington come close to be-
ing the most insurance minded"
people in the United States. At the
end Of last year New York stood at
the top with per capita average of
Sl,035. The District of Columbia stood
second with a per capita record of
1892.
Marylands per capita average of in
surance in force was $631; Vir-
ginia, S357: West Virginia, S353; North
Carolina. 1884; South Carolina, 1925.
The average for the United States
was 1854 Mississippi was at the bot
tom with sl69 per capita, the report
showed.
Gain Shown in d. c. Trade.
Sales in Washington department
stores during the past week scored
gains over both the corresponding
week last year and the previous week
this year. The advance over the pre-
vious week was much more striking,
being 1850 per cent. The rise over
q year ago was IL per cent. the Com
merce Department reported in the
weekly review yesterday.
Washington bank clearings ran a
little under year ago, total of
$21,05l,5 $50, comparing with 21,937,-
ISL. Building permits during the
week recorded one of the sharpest
slumps in long time, s148,7OO, COM
pairing with S76l ,050 in the same Pc
riod year ago. Tourist business also
took drop
The fact that trade during the past
week was better than a year ago is
considered a highly favorable omen
as the volume Of retail business at
that time was exceptionally heavy. It
augers well for the holiday rush
period.
Exchange Trading Light.
On the Washington Stock Exchange
yesterday Potomac Electric Power 51a
per cent preferred stock sold at 1101a
on very light volume. Mergenthaler
Linotype came out at 26A ex-dividend.
The week closed with bid for Cap
ital Transit stock and 10 asked.
The October report of the Cap
ital Transit Co. was widely dis
cussed in the financial district yes
terday. The company reported a net
income of $15,24395 for the month
against $40,335.19 in October, 1896.
There were five Sundays in October
against only four year ago and a
Sunday always means drop of about
$4,000 in revenues The company is
nearly 100000 ahead of last year in
net earnings, with two months more
to 60.
Building Costs Are Lower.
A downward trend in residential
building costs is under way, the Fed
eral Home Loan Bank Board reported
yesterday. First signs of halt in ris-
ing costs appeared in July, a ten
dency for costs to level of made its
appearance in August and September
and . definite decline set in in Oc-
tober, the board stated.
The lower trend was attributed to
decreased prices for building mate
rias. In October, material prices
dropped 0.8 per cent as compared with
September, and in a group of cities
. decrease was apparent nj November
that amounted to per cent in COM
parison with August.
The greatest decrease in costs oc-
CURED in Columbus, Ohio, where a
decline of so per cent since August
dropped the cost of house, set up
by the board as standard, from
S6,536 to $6,134.