Evening star., 1937-12-26
Jump of 1918 Per Cent
Leaves Total Below
Same 1886 Week.
CHECKS AND BUILDING
ALSO UNDER YEAR AGO
Washington Merchants Favored
by Ideal Shopping Weather
Preceding Christmas.
BY EDWARD c. STONE.

~AAAAoSAiAuo VI ooS al w dollhlS
stores wound up the holiday season
with grand rush that has rarely been
equaled, the Department Of Commerce
reporting an increase in sales of 1913
per cent over the previous week. This
report followed the sensational sales
gains in the Capital two and three
weeks ago.
The Commerce Department. how
ever. reported modest decrease in
retail sales of $50 per cent from the
corresponding week last year Per-
centage figures for the entire holiday
shopping season have not yet been as
sembled by the department, so it is not
known just how close they will ap-
proach the 1886 very high sales rec
ords. Some merchants think last
years marks will be exceeded, others
are doubtful. All express general sat-
1sfaction over the results.
Bank clearings in Washington in
the week under review totaled S24,-
SO7 1913, in comparison with S24, ,733.-
453 in the corresponding period year
ago. a slight drop. The Commerce
report also revealed a very quiet situa-
ton as to building permits, a total
OF s173,300, comparing with s507, 200
IN the like week year ago.
Fine Weather Aids Shoppers.
Washington shoppers were aided
throughout the holiday season by al
most perfect weather every day. Mer-
chants expressed delight over this sit
uation and said it had a great deal to
do with the immense volume of trade.
Much better luck. for example, than
Cleveland experienced where the
weather was the worst in years and
in Chicago, where conditions were al
most as bad
While trade in Washington was
slightly lower than in the same week
last year, the percentage slump was
not as much as in Boston, where busi-
ness was off 8 per cent; in New York
with a 6 per cent drop and Philadel-
phia where sales tumbled per cent
from last year.
The throngs ofbuyers in Washing
ton stores told their own story of hol-
iday prosperity, regardless of the per-
centage figures. At the peak of the
Yule rush it was difficult even to get
inside some of the stores. As trade
Tor the first IL months of this year in
the Capital was ahead Of the same
months last year, the 12-month record
Will probably vary but little from the
1886 results.
Fifth District Shows Gain.
Aside from Washington most of the
leading cities in the Fifth Reserve
District disclosed a slight margin of
improvement in retail trade over last
year, the Commerce survey states.
Gains over the preceding week were
substantial.
The volume of retail trade in Bal
tlmore Is expected to show a small
margin OF improvement over that of
1885. Charleston, S. c., reported trade
10 per cent better than last year. Nor
folk found sales much better than in
the previous week and also ahead of
. year ago.
The class of goods purchased in
the stores in the fifth district has
varied greatly. Some stores report
hlgh-priced, so-called luxury goods
were in the best demand. Others said
staple and loW-priced merchandise was
most popular. Practically all depart
ments of retail distribution enjoved
excellent business, the Commerce De-
partment concludes.
Along with the Commerce ANALYSIS
OF trade conditions in the Capital.
came the announcement from Post.
master Vincent c. Burke that the flood
OF Christmas mail had been the feay-
lest in local history. Outgoing par
Gel post mail was 629 per cent ahead
OF last year and incoming parcel
post packages were II per cent above
the 1886 mark.
Letter mail, which is not such q
good business barometer, was as high
as 20 per cent above the 1886 figures.
Rail Outlook Held Better.
The view Of most competent OBJ
servers, that the current business re-
cession will not be prolonged, is SUD-
ported by the recent trend of freight
loadings, which indicate that the de-
cline already has stopped" says the
Railway Age regarding the railway
outlook in its current issue.
"The decline of freight loadings be-
tween May and November was rela-
lively the greatest that ever occurred
in the same length of time. Not only.
however, did their decline stop in
the week ending November 20, at
least temporarily, but their trend has
since been slowly upward.
If an actively friendly concern for
the welfare Of the industry on the
part of an overwhelming majority of
the articulate and responsible public
means anything toward the solution
OF the difficulties the railroads face,
the industry is headed for better
times"
RITlIMIN0lIS nIiTpIIT