Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-15
Capital Store Sales
Climb II Per Cent
Above Year Ago
By Nelson M. Shepard

Washington department stor,
sales, usually regarded as cleal
index to the ups and downs of loca
business conditions, rose IT PEE
cent in the week ended August
over the previous week and II pc
cent over the equivalent week a veal
ago.
The report of the Federal Re,
serve Bank OF Richmond, Va, com.
pared department store sales Will
! those in Baltimore and other cite!
in the 5th district. A report Of TIN
Federal Reserve System, also made
public yesterday. indicated thai
weekly department store sales il
the 5th district were up 10 per CEN
in the week ended August over thu
same week in l947.
Department stores sales for the
country as a whole averaged a pei
cent increase during the year up t.
August 7 and rose 16 per cent il
the week OF August over the same
period last year.
Washingtons II per cent gain
from q year earlier has the Weel
contrasted with a Is per cent gain a
Baltimore. However the Capital
II per cent gain from the previous
week compared with a 6 per cen
gain in Baltimore.
In the four weeks, Washington
sales rose only s per cent over tn,
comparable period of 1947, Will
Baltlmore's registered a IL per cen
gain.
Cumulative sales in the fiftl
district in the four weeks endet
August 7 were eight per cent allow
corresponding sales in 1a47, tn,
Richmond Reserve Bank reported.
Record Sales Forecast.
Retail trade is expected to con
tinue at q record pace over coming
months, Standard IL Poor's Corp
estimates, with some broadening il
consumer demand in prospect as ,
result of third-round wage increases
That is largely because persona
income this year probably will reacl
new peak of around $4,000, 900,
600, 1t was predicted.
The same company pointed ou
that department store sales in
creased 7 per cent in the first hal
OF the year on national basis, ,
less favorable showing that the !.
per cent gain credited to total retail
trade. Here again, higher wage
and generally increased costs ant
expenses entered the picture, bu
those were offset in most instance.
by much smaller markdoWns thar
in the first half of l947, it wa
claimed. Consumer demand is ex
peeted to remain heavy in the fina
half of the year.
Veterans to Get Cash.
The Veterans Administration il
preparing shortly to disburse mil
lions of dollars in insurance divi
dends to veterans of the almos
forgotten World War I. The pro
gram Is perhaps a bit behind Thu
annual schedule for numerous in,
quiries have been received from vet
Grams who got the erroneous ides
that this year the Veterans Bureau
was passing up the dividend.
Inquiries, however, ascertainet
that the auditing of the account
had not been completed, but tina
dividend checks would be mailed t,
all holders of World War I insur
ance in due time. These check
vary in amount from year to yea.
but usually are in excess of $50 OF
the maximum $4,000 of insurance
American Airlines, Inc. reported
$5,067 ,679 loss for the six month
ended June 80. A substantial por
ton of the loss was due to tn,
voluntary Withdrawals of the com
panys feet of so DC-6 planes dur.
ing the latter part Of 1947, official
said. These planes were replaced
gradually in service during the
end quarter of this year,
Crab Feast Draws Brokers.
Grab feast and barbecue outing ar
vieing with golf and family motor
ing to offer week end diversion
for Washington's colony of bankers
brokers and businessmen after tn
drugery of Office routine.
One such crab feast Friday after
noon attracted more than a scor
of members of the Washington
Stack Exchange to the comfortabl
Severn River home of Austin E
Rohrhaugh, of the firm of Robin
son. Rohrbaugh and Lukens, invest
ment securities. Another outing !
scheduled for next Saturday after
noon at the Maryland home o
Jerry P. Johnson, general manage
of the Terminal Refrigeration ant
Wareheusing Corporation.
Mr., Rohrbaugh may have starte'
something for all the guests wer
agreed that the Stock Exchang
should have an annual stag" out
ing. There was good weather TO
change, Friday evening, and tn
guests ligered until late.
Issues Barbecue Call.
Saturdays outing, which Nj
Johnson calls the "Yearling Barbe
que" is for employees of the firm
customers and other friends.
will be held at his Brentwood hom'
1903 Thirty-eighth street at 2 pm
Mr.. johnson has advised his guest
that carving will start between
pm. and $50 pm. and "the sho7
will go on regardless of weather
The invitations read Men Only"
C. Carney Smith, sales manage
of the Washington agency of TIL
Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Go
and three associates, John English
Leon A. LIE Buffe and Arthur N
Sather, will return tomorrow fror
the home Office in Newark, N. .
after three weeks Of schooling. Nj
Smith served as an instructor an
the other three were given specis
training.
The course included As trainee
and nine instructors. Mr. Smit
became associated with Mutus
Benefit in September, 1916. follow
ing service with the American Re
Gross and became sales manage
this year.