Evening star., 1941-03-18
February Gas Sales
Show Small Gain
Over Year Ago
Two-Month Volume
FoIIs Slightly Behind
Same 1910 Period
BY EDWARD C. STONE.


Sales of the Washington Gas
Light Co. in February scored a
modest gain over February year
ago, officials at the head Office an
nounced today. Sales for the first
two months of 1941, however, are
slightly behind last year in the
like period.
February gas sales totaled Ito
AIT m. C. f. Thousand cubic feet) g,
against 1,712,134 in February, 1910,
an increase of 58,273 m C. f. today
report shows.
In the first two months of this
year Washington gas sales amount
ed to 3,418,065 m. C. f., in compari-
son with 3,447,024 in January and
February year ago, small de-
crease of 28,959 m. C. f.
The decrease is explained by the
fact that sales in January a year
ago were abnormally high on ac-
count of unusually low tempera-
lures during much of the month.
Special Guests Announced.
J. Hicks Baldwin. president OF
District of Columbia Chapter, Char
tered Life Underwriters, announced
today that among the guests at the
speakers table at the annual BAN
quet this evening at the Carlton
Hotel will be:
Benjamin Ak, national president
American Society of Chartered Life
Underwriters Albert w. Atwood,
magazine writer; James E. Coli
flower, president Washington Board
of Trade; Abner H. Ferguson, ad-
ministrator Federal Housing Au-
thority; Roger B. Hull, general
counsel National Association of Life
Underwriters; James S. Kemper,
president Chamber of Commerce of
the United States; William Mont
gomery, president Acacia Mutual
Life Insurance Co.; Jennings Ran
dolph, chairman House District
Committee; Emil Schram, chairman
Reconstruction Finance Corp, and
10 V. Morgan, District of Columbia
Board of Tax Appeals.
Senator John A. Danaher will be
POSTMASTER. while the guest speak
ers will be DR.. Perrin H. Long and
DR.. Claude L. Benner. Nearly 300
members and guests are expected.
Credit Program Announced.
Washington bankers are deeply
interested in the consumer credit
conference to be held by the Ameri-
can Bankers Association in st.
Louis April 1925. The program,
Just announced, includes such
speakers as Chester C. Davis, for
mer member of the Federal Reserve
Board and now president Of the
Federal Reserve Bank of st. Louis;
Thomas C. Boushall, president Of
the Morris Plan Bank of Virginia;
J. j. Schurmann, jr., president Cen
eral Motors Acceptance Corp, and
Charles H. Watts, president Bene-
ficial Management Corp.
During the past year the District
Bankers Association has turned at
tention on consumer credit as more
and more small-loan departments
have been established. Frederick
P. H. Siddons, secretary of the
American Security & Trust Co., is
the associations Consumer Credit
Committee chairman.
Retail Sales Up IA Per Cent.
The latest department store sales
comparison by the Federal Reserve
Board of Governors states that sales
in the fifth district from January
/ through the week ended March 8
were IA per cent ahead of the like
period in 1910. This was exactly
the same as the gain in the st.
Louis area, also the best advances
among the II districts.
Boston, Kansas City, Dallas and
San Francisco all reported 10 per
cent gains over last year through
March 8. Sales in Atlanta and
Cleveland we're II per cent better
than year ago.
Business in Chicago was 9 per
cent better than last year, in Phila-
delphia 8 per cent, New York per
cent and Minneapolis per cent
ahead of 1910. The average ma
tional gain was 10 per cent, the
survey said.
Carpet Declares Dividend.
Directors of Carpet Corp, food
distributing firm, have declared the
regular quarterly dividend of so
cents a share, payable March 81 to
stockholders of record March 20, it
was announced on the Washington
Stock Exchange.
Thirty shares of National Mort
gage g. Investment preferred sold at
Az on the exchange today. Capital
Traction IS figured in $500 transfer
at los, a very small sale in Mergen-
thaler was recorded at 207s and
Lanston Monotype came out at 225s
D. j. Needham, general counsel
of the American Bankers Associa-
ton, will be the chief speaker at
forum meeting of Cincinnati Chap
ter, American Institute of Banking,
tomorrow evening. Many Ohio
bankers from other cities will attend
the meeting. Mr.. Needham will go
from Cincinnati to Louisville to at
tend the A. B. A. Conference in that
city on Thursday and Friday of this
week.
William B. Willard, vice president
of the National Savings & Trust
Co., is back at the bank after trip
to Nassau. David Bornet, another
vice president of the same institu-
ton, has joined the Florida vacation
colony for several weeks.
Heard in Financial District.
Preston w. Grant, secretary of
the Insurance Club of Washington,
who is connected with the National
Savings & Trust Co., will be out OF
the city on business for several
weeks. While he is away C. Nelson
Bean of the District Underwriters
Association will act as club secre-
tary.
H. A. Smith of Woodward g.
Lothrop is attending a retail sales
conference being conducted by the
Armstrong Cork Co, at the home
of1ce In Lancaster Pa During a