The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-23

Line Railroad company net rail-
way operating income was from
$406, 1924 in 1899 to $1,849,73 in
1910 promising such a banner year
in 1941 for the company that it
has hired additional clerks in its
general offices here.
TIE e p h n es in Wilmington
reached a high Of 6,412 in 1910
and January-February installations
have been at a rapid rate. Calls
now total $4,000 to 10000 a day.
| Construction in and around Will
mington totaled approximately
three-quarters of a million dollars,
with at least half of this amount
going into the channels of trade
from the pockets of the wage earn
ers, since it is generally agreed
that half of the cost Of building
is the cost of labor.
Sight must not be lost Of the
fact that it was during 1910 that
the New Brooklyn Homes an {
Charles T. Nesbitt Courts, low-cos
housing projects OF the Housing
Authority of the City of Whining
ton were completed at bulge
cost of $1,950,500. The completion
of these projects marks the largest
single housing job ever completed
in this section of the state, and
provides decent homes for 246 ne.
gro and ZIG white families.
Work on Bluethenthal Field, the
county's airport, was more appar
ent to the eye during 1910 than in
any year since it has been under
construction, and when completed
will furnish Wilmington with the
finest airport facilities any mod
ern city could ask.
Financial Institutions Busy
In the field of financing tn {
Building and Loan associations ane
the banks reported their busies'
year in history, and anticipate thai
1941 will pass even that record.
Through the Building and Loan as
sociations, hundreds of wage earn
ers began purchasing newly bull
homes, establishing themselves
more firmly as members of the
buying public of Wilmington.
Among the new business struc
lures which were built during the
past year was the $125, 900 bottline
plant and warehouse built by the
J. W. jackson company at Lingo
City, and an annex to the Cape
Fear hotel which will house 8
storage garage and 13 additional
guest rooms.
Retail trade hit mark well
above 1889, when the latest census
bureau figures show a total of $15,.
100000 was spent in New Hanover
county in retail business.
Manufacturing increased materi.
ally. No definite figures for 1910
are yet available, but it is certain
that they will pass the 1887 mark,
when wages in such plants totaled
$1,981,076 and products were val
ued at $13, 1924, 157.
1910 figures for wholesale trade
are also incomplete, but indica-
tions are that such trade will be
well above the $2,676,000 spent
here in 1887.
Automobile firms report tn
1941 business was well above that
of 1899 when Wilmingtonians spent
$24, ,137, 900 for automobiles.
st. PauPs Lutheran church dur
ing the year began the erection
of a $4,000 brick and steel parish
house, and practically every busi-
ness firm passed the 1899 high
water mark, setting a new one
for 1910 and anticipating still
higher one for 1941.
Tax valuations in New Hanover
county Increased to $50, ,150,583 in
the past year and Wilmington Port
handled 2,75O,861 tons Of freight.
Traffic on the upper Cape Fear
river increased from 180,418 tons
in 1899 to 213,092 tons in 1910,
while the Inland Waterway traffic
from Beaufort to the Cape Fear
river jumped from 43.789 tons In
1889 to 337,575 tons in 1910.
Bank clearings were up from
the appreciable figures of $129,-
648, ,888. .O8 in 1889 to $176, 347, ,848.70
in 1910.
Thus Wilmington business in
1910 was good.
What Of 1941f
But what of 1941?
Aside from National Defense,
Wilmington could anticipate a con-
tinued upward trend in business