Evening star., 1941-02-24
Norfolk Leads u. ).
In January Store
Sales Report
81 Per Cent Increase
Recorded; Springfield,
No., Is Second
BY EDWARD C. STONE.

In department store sales COM
parsons announced here today by
the Federal Reserve Board, Norfolk,
Va, led all other cities in the United
States in January with a 81 per
cent rise over January a year ago.
Springfield, Mo, came second, with
8 so per cent again, and San Diego
stood third, with retail trade pick
up of 40 per cent. AS already an
nounced, the gain in washington
was 81 per cent over January, 1910.
Among other notable gains, the
reserve board says, was Little Rock,
Ark, where trade stepped up 35
per cent, and in Baton Rouge, La,
where the advance was "a per cent.
Tacoma, Wash, enjoyed an advance
of SO per cent and Charleston. S. c.,
was among the leading cities, with
a 30 per cent upturn from last year.
Department store sales were extra
good in the South, the reserve
boards reviewing showing "a per
cent upSwing in Jacksonville, Fla;
20 per cent in Atlanta, 81 per cent
in Knoxville and 20 per cent in
Nashville. There are hardly more
than half dozen cities in the coun-
try which did not have larger sales
this year than year ago. The re-
serve board says the United States
average gain was 10 per cent.
Controller Has 1874 Aides.
The personnel of the Bureau of
the Controller of the Currency at
the close of the year ended October
81, 1910. consisted of 1924 persons,
of whom 495 we're located in the
main Office in Washington and 779
in the field. The personnel of the
bureau deceased by %. The de-
. crease in the personnel was chiefly
in the division of insolvent national
banks, say the controllers annual
report, and resulted from curtail-
ment of work in that division due to
the continued reduction in the
number of receiverships admins
tered
During the year a total of five
national bank examiners and %
assistant national bank examiners
left the service. In the same pc
riod five assistant examiners were
promoted to examiners and "A as
sistant examiners were appointed.
The number of employees in each
division on October 81 follows:
Office of the controller and dep
uTy controllers. IA; examining divi-
sion. 831; insolvent national bank
division, 242; legal division, 55; dis
bursement division and Office of
chief clerk, 48; organization divi-
sion and preferred stock section,
%; statistical division, 20: Federal
Reserve issue and redemption divi-
sion, 27; total, 1874.
Construction Contracts Heavy.
H. A. Johns, Washington man
ager of Dodge Reports, states that
the combined total of all construc-
tion contracts awarded in the
Washington metropolitan area dur
ing January was $14,940 900, COM
pared with only S4,522 900, an in
crease of 230 per cent and far ex-
ceeding the average increase of Sc
per cent for the 81 States east of
the Rockies.
Residential building contracts
awarded for work and materials
during the first month amounted
to $11 ,149 900. This includes an in
crease of 263 per cent over the first
month of 1910 and passed the aver
age of 43 per cent for the larger
part of the country.
Non-residential building, which
includes all the industrial and man.
ufacturing projects in this area
moved to S3,783,000 in a long rise
over S674000, the corresponding 1910
valuation. The 81 States average
In this classification was an in
crease of 127 per cent Mr.. Johns
said.
Virginia Home Financing Up.
Continued heavy demands of the
public for home-financing funds
gave building and loan associations
in Virginia busy January, Nugent
Fallon of the Federal Savings and
Loan Insurance Corp announced
today During the month 285 loans
were granted, amounting to s727,-
ITO. Patrons also invested 81 1896 ,060
in these associations during the
month.
Bankers Visiting in South.
Hilleary G. Hoskinson, vice presi-
dent of the Riggs National Bank, is
taking his annual vacation at Miami
Beach. Illness marred the first part
of his visit but he is reported as
much improved now. He will re-
turn to Washington in March.
A. M. McLachlen, president of the
District Bankers Association and
treasurer of the McLachlen Bank
ing Corp. has gone to Florida for
short vacation. He will spend few
days at Key West and then go to
Miami.
George H. Keesee, cashier of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond,
was among the host of out-of town
guests attending the annual dinner
of Washington Chapter, American
Institute of Banking.
Heard in Financial District.
Although William McC. Martin,
jr., president of the New York Stock
Exchange, has been given physical
examination under the Selective
Service Act, friends here hope he
will not be drafted before his con-
tract with the exchange expires on
June l. In the brokerage houses he
Is considered a most capable official.
Twenty-Five shares of Washington
Gas Light common stock sold at %
on the Washington Stock Exchange
today. This was lower than the last
previous sale.
National Mortgage & Investment
preferred also appeared on the
board, 30 shares moving at AZ
against the last previous transfer at
AZ.
Bids on other issues were prac-
tically unchanged. Capital Transit
stood at 1872 bid and 16 asked. The
bid for Peoples Drug common stood
at 81.