The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-08-14
"BEHIND THE SCENES IN
AMERICAN BUSINESS"
By John Croddoek

Price control legislation, Jig ~" '"A I'M
and eastern gas rationing all have sort OF
settled down for summer simmerlng on the
hack of the business stove but retaL
trade is in front, and sizzling Instead OF
usual hot-weather lull, this summer Is pro-
wing by far the best that retailers nave known
in more than decade. Increased purchasing
mower traceable to defense boom is the
dominant factor of course, but lately scare
huving" has been increasing as consumers
tend to purchase beyond their current needs
because of threats of shortages and pr1ce
rises This is especially true in the case o.
durable goods and staple clothing. One men
clothing chain is showing q gain OF ola per
cent over last year, and big mail order COM
panies which do substantial business IN
durable consumers items, have had gains
ranging from 80 to AZ per cent. somewhat
exaggerated example of how shortage ana
price-rise apprehension affects consumers is
visible right now in the frantic rush at tn"
silk stockings counters.
KNOWING HOW-The defense produc-
ton program has produced what seem to be
some strange bedfellows" of industry In
assigning certain companies to handle oe-
tense jobs not closely akin to their regular
operations Rat trap makers are turning out
army cots; pipe organ makers are making
saddle frames; adding machine manu1ac-
turers are making automatic pistols; makers
of cream separators are turning out gun
tripod mounts-and it goes. On closer
inspection of many of these cases 1t Is 1ound
that there is, after all, basic klnshlp be-
tween the materials. or tools, or factory set
up for these companies regular productlon
and the defense-goods production. In other
cases there is almost no physical relation
ship whatever, but established industrial or
CARNATIONS get the War Department call to
operate new defense enterprises simply be-
cause of the need for proven skill in manage
ment of big operations Most recent example
of the latter is organization of the Lone Star
Defense corporation to construct and operate
a $78,940,000 government ordnance plant
near Texarkana, Tex. 1t was organized as
subsidiary of the B. F. Goodrich company
pioneer rubber concern, and the latter's
management personnel was given respon-
sibiity for construction and operation of the
plant, where about 5000 persons will be
employed in loading sheels and bombs,
-oOo-
BITS O. BUSINESS-Don't expect to see
any definite percentage figures on how much
production of autos and refrgerators,
washing machines, etc is to be curtailed
the raw materials situation Is such tnat THESE
industries, and the defense officials, will just
have to go along, doing the best they can
month to neutrality-suspicious. are out
Nations department store sales Tor week
ending August showed another ~ per
cent gain over same week last year
Farm commodities still exempt from price
control legislation draft-their prices would
have to hit 10 per cent of parity" before
being subject to ceilings; at maximums, that
would mean about S.29 bushel for wheat;
94c bushel for corn; 26c pound for
flue-cured tobacco; S1.19 bushel for rice,
and 1Sc a pound for cotton Look for
open-mesh hose, in colors, and made of cot
ton, as relief for silk hosiery shortage; also
hose with cotton rayon tops and feet; du
Pont expects to be producing enough nylon
yarn for 40 per cent of nations hosiery by
end of the year.
THE FARM BUSINESS - The rising gen.
GRAFTON of American farmers bids fair to
be much better business men" than its Dads
and Granddads. Besides learning produc-
tion-line growing technique they're studying
closely the economics of movement Of farm
products to their ultimate destination - the
nations dinner tables and winning schol-
arships, en- route Last week three farm young
sters won college scholarships awarded by the
A & at the National Junior Vegetable
Growers Association meet in Columbus, o.,
for their first-hand studies of marketing
problems as a key factor in determining farm
income" The winners are Miss Louise Null
len of Stafford N Y. Wayne Leimhach Of
Vermillion, o., and Emerson Higgard of
North Hadley, Mass. In competing for the
scholarship scores of farm youngsters stu
led the various methods of distribution by
which produce is moved farm to market -
the old-lne system by which produce rea-
ches the consumer only after passing through
the hands of numerous trade mlddlemen. and
tie modern streamlined mass distribution
svstem-pioneered by chain stores