Evening star., 1939-10-10
Plant Rehabilitation
And Expansion Spurs
Trade Advance
Orders for Equipment
Covering Wide Field
Continue to Rise
BY PAUL d. GESNER,
Associa ted Press Financial Writer.

BY PAUL d. GESNER,
Associated Press Financial Writer.
NEW YORK, Oct. 10.-Hints ex-
panding business activity may be
setting the stage for a general hike
In plant and factory construction
were seen today by some observers.
Orders and plans for new plants
are being uncovered daily not only
'in the industrial field. but also in
utility, railway and shipbuilding
lines.
Added together, they may serve
as a tremendous force to boost busi-
ness activity still higher in the COM
ing months.
Factory wheels from coast to
coast, in as varied group of lines
as the demands of human needs and
desires, are humming briskly at the
fastest pace in two years.
Fast production rates prevail on
every hand-in the manufacture Of
automobiles, steels, shoes, paper bags
and cough drops. Name line, and
track it down, and the chances are
10 to l that you'll find smoke pour
ing out of factory chimneys and
men at work.
And resultant expanded sales and
better earnings are providing COM
panies with funds for plant expan-
sion and rehabilitation deferred dur
ing the depression years.
Du Pont Builds Plant.
Word comes from Wilmington,
Del, that E. I. du Pont de Nemours
e. Co. this week is going ahead with
construction of new cellophane
plant at Clinton, Iowa. Plans for
the plant originally were announced
two years ago, but because OF ad-
verse business conditions actual
construction was deferred. But now
the company feels the current fast
rate of business, coupled with good
future outlook, warrants the go
ahead" signal.
Du Pont. which has spent or allo-
Gated around $121 100000 for new
plant construction in the past four
years. is also expanding facilities for
the manufacture of "Nylon." The
new "Nylon" plant under construc-
ton at Seaford, DEL, has undergone
a revision on paper, and when COM
pleted its production capacity will
be 33ls per cent bigger than origi-
nally planned. And although the
plant isn't finished yet, Du Pont is
getting ready to erect second Sea-
ford "Nylon" unit. "Nylon" is syn
thetic fiber used in the manufacture
of women's hosiery-a hosiery which
will be put on the market within the
next year or so to compete with silk.
Continental Oil has announced
plans for a new s2.250, 900 gasoline
cracking plant at Ponca City, Okla,
and $250,0O0 improvements to its
other Ponca City plants.
Shell Oil Co.. Inc. Shell Union
subsidiary. is building 100000
addition to its Deer Park crude oil
refinery, near Houston, Tex.
Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Co. is
adding four structures to its Ohio
plant at an estimated cost of be-
tween $3.50 900 and $500 900.
= Goodyear Rubber is spending ST.
100000 for a new mechanical rubber
goods rubber plant at st. Marys,
Ohio, and $150,000 for an addition
to its Gadsden, Ala, unit.
Power Plant Started.
Work was begun within the last
month on a new $4,000 900 Nara
gansett Electric Co. power plant at
Providence, r. I.
Commonwealth & Southern Corp,
which originally planned to spend
$33 100000 for new construction,
under its 1899 budget has announced
1t will now spend $55, 900 900 instead,
a Jump OF $22,000,O00 over earlier
expectations. Among new projects
in the expanded program are power
plants to be built at Macon, Ga,
and Mobile, Ala, costing $4,000, 900
each
The Nations railways this fall
have placed orders for over $780,
100000 worth of new cars, locomo-
. tives and steel rails to improve their
transport machinery.
Expansion of shipbuilding facili-
ties at the Nations yards is under
way. With 100 ships ordered, the
Maritime Commissions merchant
marine replacement program is far
ahead of its schedule of new ship
a week for the next 10 years. While
building of ocean-going ships is al
ready taxing facilities, yards are
reporting heavy demand for lake
and river vessels, too, putting added
pressure on available ways
These are but a small fraction Of
the new building projects coming to
light most recently, but they show
the trend.
Some experts think they may her
aid the awakening of broad new in
dustrial factory and plant con-
struction from its slumber of the
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