Evening star., 1943-12-19
Business Briefs
Corporation profits for 1943. af

corporation pr0f1ts for 1913, after
taxes, will reach an estimated
So, 900, 900 900, an all-time high. the
Commerce Department said yester.
day. Profits before taxes are ex-
pected to range between $22 900 ,00o.-
900 and $4,000. .000, 900, also a new
peak. These corporations will pour
into the Treasury in taxes about
two-thirds of their unprecedented
earnings.
The Associated Press weighted
index Of IS wholesale commodities
advanced to a new 1943 high of
l07.259o in the week ended Decem-
Der 10, compared with 1911 in the
previous week and l0227 a year
earlier.
The Federal Power Commission
has ordered the Pennsylvania Power
& Light Co. to show cause within
go days why it should not eliminate
from its books what the commission
described as write-ups totaling $685.
526,894 over original costs.
Excess profits totaling $4,000, 900
will be refunded to the Government
by the Newport News Shipbuild'lr
d Dry Dock Co., r. L. Fletcher. the
company's controller, has declared.
The shipyard is engaged almcst r.
clusively in building warships for
the United States.
The st. Regis Paper Co. notified
the New York Curb Exchange it has
offered to purchase all or part OF
the outstanding minority shares Of
the Taggart Corp. at S. share. St.
Regis already owns 81 per cent of
the stock.
New blast furnaces coming into
production have relieved steel makers
OF worry over the scrap shortage,
The weekly metal review notes a
reduced consumer demand for cop
per, indicating cutbacks in the NUM-
tions program.
Eastern railroads have engaged
private detectives to help stamp out
an lncipient black market in rail
tickets and reservations that has
developed in recent months, the
Associated Press reports. The roads
are receiving full. cooperation from
hotels and tourist agencies.
Despite an anticipated increase in
lard production in the II months
which began October l, the supply
for civilian consumption may not
rise from present levels, review by
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner IL
Beane states. Demands Of lend
lease and the soap industry are the
controlling factors.
In the past eight weeks Business
Weeks index has advanced over 5
points to a new record of 243.7. That
is 2fc rise. but even So it does not
presage a new uptrend-a break
from the stable level established in
the summer, the current issue states.
Masonite Corp, manufacturer Of
insulation boards. reported net in
come Of 1882 ,555, equal to As cents a
common share for the three months
ended November 30, compared with
net income of s346,584, equal to 81
cents common share, in the like
1912 peroid.
The Securities Commission report
ed these transactions by customers
with odd lot dealers or specialists on
the New York Stock Exchange for
December II: 1893 purchases in
volving 95,506 shares: 1888 sales in
volving 99,449 shares, including 81
short sales involving 1.434 shares.
Holders of distillery stocks who re-
ceive spirits as dividends may sell
the liquor to others but they must
make full report on the transac-
ton to the OPA at once. Names Of
both seller and buyer must be in
cluded
Lumber shipments of asa mills re-
porting to the National Lumber
Trade Barometer were Is per cent
below production for the week ended
December II, l943. In the same
week new orders of these mills were
81 per cent less than production.
Walter Hoving, president of Lord
& Taylor, said yesterday that far
from signs that widespread imitation
is taking hold, there are strong in
dications of trend in the opposite
direction"
Corpuscles. as we'll as cOrporals,
can fight. Enlist YOURS at the Blood