The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1947-01-23
Behind the Scenes
In
American Business
BY REYNOLDS KNIGHT

BY REYNOLDS KNIGHT
New York. - Stimulated by
a larger supply of consumer
goods in many lines, Americans
avidly spent an estimated $127
billion for goods and services
during 1916, establishing a new
high record for spending, $21
billion than had gone across
retail counters in 1945.
Even this melodic tinkling of
cash registers, however, failed
to drown out a note of eau
ton in the retail field. Adver-
tisementS of sales appeared
haltingly in the early fall
months and in a flood after
the Christmas buying had
ended.
Industry in general looks for
good business this year, but IS
convinced that more effort
must be put on selling, that
service will again become an
emphasized part of the sales
mans stock in trade Perhaps
the most pleasing aspect of the
1947 outlook is the fact that
there is still an untitled demand
for refrigerators, radios, toast
ers and that rather large cate
CORY known as durable goods.
Following is an indication of
| what the business outlook is in
four major businesses:
FOOD: Consumers can look
forward to adequate stocks of
almost all foods, including those
in short supply during the war.
They can also expect new shop
ping conveniences in finer food
stores, according to John A
Hartford, president of the Great
Atlantic & Pacific Tea COM
pany. Farmers and professors,
he predicts will see their out
put approaching the 1916 rec
ord production. The entire food
industry, he adds, is embarked
on IAN era destined to contrib
ute substantially to the i'm
provement of production and
distribution methods. Ten years
ago, the advent of the super
market introduced true mass
distribution to the food field.
The next few years will see a
refinement of all the tech
niqueS involved in this devel-
opment," he says.
Supporting this contention,
the Department of Agriculture
predicts that although 1947
food production may not reach
the record 1916 level, the
amount available for domestic
consumption will be approx
mately the same because of the
likelihood of reduced exports
and the availability of i'm
proved farm and processing
machinery.
CANNED GOODS: Barring
serious work stoppages, I would
expect many prewar canned
items to return to retail shelves
in large volume during 1947,'
D. W. Figgis, president of the
American Can company, says,
The Cameo executive points out
that although the war cut off
leading sources of tin from the
Far East, it was steel rather
than tin that constituted the
major bottleneck in producing
tinplate for cans during 1916
Because of the steel strike
early last year and the recur-
ring coal strikes there has been
little opportunity since VI day
to restore war-depleted stocks
of tinplate. At the end of 1916
inventories were the lowest in
20 years" Stating that the in
dustry enters 1947 with a de-
mand for cans that is undi-
minlshed from a year ago, MI
FiggiS cautions that the extent
to which this demand can be
satisfied depends upon the
amount of tin mill sheets that
are produced. This, in turn
hinges to a great extent on thu
cour:e of industrial relations ir
the basic industries during the
year, he adds.
NEW PRECISION STAND.
ARDS: A higher standard o:
quality in manufactured good
IS looked for this year by Ralph
A. Bard, chairman of Eversharp
Inc, and wartime undersecre
tary of the navy. 1.-THE high
precision requirements imposed
by the government on all con,
tractors for war materials ha.
resulted in raising the stand.
ards OF American products tt