Evening star., 1937-12-26
BREAKS
MANY ALL-T|ME
RECORDS IN YEAR
Cotton, Power, Aviation. Oil
and Metals All Join
Procession.
TEXTILE ACTIVITY SCARS
eABOVE LEVELS OF 1927
Electric Refrigerator Sales and
Air Conditioning March Into
Unexplored Territory.
By A. A. PATTON,
Associated Press Statistician.

Associated Press StatlStlcldn.
NEW YORK, Dec. 25.-Although
widely labeled year which brought
renewed slump, 1887 saw several in
dustries set new high production rec
ords for the entire period and others
touch historic peaks In one or more
months.
Groups topping all previous stand
ards included:
Cotton textile manufacturers. one
Of the Nations largest employers, who
turned out an estimated 5000, 900 900
square yards of cloth. This overshad-
ows the previous high-water mark
chalked up in 1927 by roughly 100000
600 square yards. relatively narrow
margin.
Cotton farmers, aided by ideal grow
ing weather also did record-smash
ing job. The 1916. .OO0-bale harvest
forecast by the Department of Agri-
culture stands 10000 bales above the
prior banner year, 1926.
ASANSS WV AASNNuNAss 4
The electric branch of the utility
business continued to ride roughshod
over all precedent. Purring hydro and
steam generators sent approximately
lis, 9,000, 100000 kilowatt hours Of Juice
hun1ming over the wires to homes and
factories. compared with the 1886 rec
ord Of 109,685, 100000 kilowatt hours.
This march into unexplored terri
tory was materially aided by the rising
star Of another aggressive industry,
electric refrigeration. Ten-month
shipments of mechanical ice boxes to-
tailed 2.107,991. according to the Ma
tional Electric Manufacturers Asso-
citation, a level never before attained.
Air conditioning, a blossoming in
dustrial youngster, also contributed.
Sales in the first 10 months were $751;
$4,000. new peak, against $780,
900 in 1886.
Oil Industry Advances.
The great petroleum industry counts
1887 banner year. The crude oil
estimated to have run from wells
during the period Is set In trade cir
cles at 1880 ,000,0 barrels. The pre-
vious years aggregate was only 1885,
$4,000 barrels.
Domestic gasoline consumption was
about 2l,800,000,000 gallons. This
would be far above the closest prior
record.
Aviation, in many phases, pushed to
new peaks. Cigarette consumption
continued to show that new sources of
smokers were still being tapped, each
monthly production figure setting a
record through November, 1887
World gold and silver production at
tanned new peaks during the year.
More than 37.500,O0O ounces of the
yellow metal are estimated to have
been brought above ground, against
1851 900 ounces the year before
Silver output, at 270,000,000 ounces,
topped the 1929 high by 100000
ounces.
Also hanging up new records were
Treasury gold stocks-at 12,804, ,000,-
600: demand deposits in the country's
banks, s37, 200, 5000 late in Deem
Der, compared with $4,000, 900, 900 in
1929.
Shoe Output Jumps.
Shoe output, at 1858, 600 900 pairs, set
another record, despite sharp con-
traction in the final six months.
Major industries establishing new
peaks during the year, but not for the
entire year, included:
Automobile makers, whose October
assemblies were the best for that
month ever attained. This resulted
mainly from the changed course of
seasonal manufacturing trends.
During the first five months Of 1887
the steel industry turned out more in
gots than it did at the crest of the
greatest boom in history. Output for
those months was 24,580,000 tons,
against 24,133,000 tons In the COM
parable period Of 1929.