Evening star., 1941-11-21
Capital Store Sales
q Per Cent Above
Year Ago in Week
Four Weeks TotuI
Is Per Cent Above
Same 1910 Period
By EDWARD c. STONE.

BY EDWARD c. STONE.
Department store trade in Wash
ington for the week ended last Sat-
urday took another big jump, run
ming % per cent ahead of the week
ended November Is, 1910, the Fed
eral Reserve Bank of Richmond an
nounced today. The average gain
in the whole fifth district was 80
per cent over last year. Baltimore
sales were up 33 per cent and a
group of other cities noted a "a per
cent rise.
Sales in Washington were per
cent ahead of the previous week this
year, gained II per cent in the fifth
district, Is per cent in Baltimore
and l3 per cent in the other cities,
the report said.
Cumulative sales in the Capital in
the four weeks ended November IS
were 25 per cent better than year
ago in the same period They were
ahead of the 20 per cent advance in
Baltimore, 18 per cent in other cities
and a % per cent rise in the whole
district, the review stated.
Three Directors Renamed.
Three Washington directors of the
Mergenthaler Linotype Co. were re-
named at the annual meeting in
Brooklyn, the board now including
Frederic D. McKenney, George
Hewitt Myers, William J. Flather,
jr., all of Washington Ogden M
Reid, Joseph T. Mackey, Roy c.
Gasser, Victor E. Walker, John r.
Fell and Burnett Walker of New
York. Mr.. McKenney and Mr.
Myers are again on the Executive
Committee.
Joseph T. Mackey was reelected
president, Mr.. McKenney, vice presi-
dent and general counsel; Edward
A. Reynolds, secretary; George A.
SchWaninger, treasurer. Ten other
members of the present executive
staff were also reelected.
Mutual Fire Elects Director.
Directors of the Mutual Fire In
surance Co. of the District of Colum-
hia, have elected Oliver T. Carr a
member of the board to fill the un-
expired term of the late Henry E.
Bittinger. it was announced today.
The other members of the board
include Charles Kattelmann, L.
Pierce Boteler, Charles M, Boteler,
Charles F. Crane, Robert E. Buckley
and w. A. H. Church. The firm is
now 80 years old.
Woodward Earnings Increase.
That Woodward e. Lothrop de-
partment store earnings during the
past year have been highly salts
factory is indicated by recent reports
to the S. E. c. Net earnings for the
IL months ending July 81 amounted
to s1040,729 equivalent to $3.50 a
share on the common stock. against
net profits year ago of 1851 ,624, or
1925 a share on the common.
Taxes more than doubled during
the period, reaching s6o3,OOO. against
s246 900 a year ago Both common
and preferred stocks are listed on
the Washington Stock Exchange. the
common selling above s44 a share
and the preferred around s12l
share. So
First Christmas Bonus Voted.
The first Christmas bonus for the
present holiday season was reported
in the financial district today.
Directors of the Real Estate Title
Insurance Co. and of the Columbia
Title Insurance Co. have declared
Christmas bonus equal to one
months salary for the employees of |
both concerns.
Payments are to be made 70 the /
employees very shortly, officials said
today.
Last wear many Washington banks |
and building and loan associations
granted Christmas bonuses. similar |.
action being anticipated this year.
One City Exceeds Capital.
Details from the monthly report
on life insurance scales indicate
that Los Angeles. with 35 per cent
gain, was one of the very few big
cities to exceed the Washington
gain of 81 per cent over the same
month a year ago.
Washington was ahead of Boston. !
Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, New
York, st. Louis and Cleveland. |
Cleveland, however, has a 80 per
cent upturn over last year.
In the first 10 months of this |
year Washington's 10 per cent ad-
vance over 1910 compares with 6 per
cent in Boston, 7 per cent in Cleve-
land, l9 in Detroit. in Los Angeles,
7 in Philadelphia. in st. Louis and |
tiny decreases in New York and
Chicago
Sales in the South Atlantic dis
trict so far this year total s590.618,-
600, up 7 per cent.
Big Dividend Payment Voted.
President Ralph D. Quinter of the
Real Estate Mortgage & Guaranty
Corp. announced today that direc-
tors have ordered payment of per |
cent on account of accumulated !
dividends on the preferred. stock. |
payable December 20 to stockholders
OF record December 10.
During the last year the corpora
ton sold a number of it's properties
and it was thought the proceeds
could not be invested at this time to
the best interests of the stockholders.
This fact. together with the uncer-
tainty of increased taxes, influenced
the directors in making a distribu-
ton at this time, partly from cur
rent operating income, but the
larger part from earned surplus, Mr..
Quinter explained.
Gas Common Leads Market.
Washington Gas Light common
stock was very active on the Wash
ington Stock Exchange today. The
market opened with two so, 30 and
1O0-share lots selling at 1928. off Is.
Later Is and 38 share lots sold at
the same price, while the market
closed with 1852 shares of common
up to 17la. Gas preferred
sold at 104 today.
Two bank stocks appeared on the
board, is shares of National Bank
of WASHINGTON selling at 1T and 21