Evening star., 1950-01-08
Business Briefs
Freight Loadinrs in 1s4s totale

Freight Loadings in 1949 totaled
35.909,741 cars. smallest total in
10 years and 1897 below the
previous year -- Association Of
American Railroads. Loadings for
the week ended December 81 to-
tailed 495.634 cars, drop Of 20.5%
from the previous week and 1929
below q year earlier.
Automobile Production in the
United States for the last week
included 94,631 cars and 17,715
trucks vs.. 88.064 and 1850 in the
previous week and 70,765 and 25,-
336 in the like 194s week-Ward's S
Automotive Reports.
The Worlds Telephones total
around $4,000. .o0o,' Of which 40,-
100000 or nearly three-fifths are
in the United States. according to
a statistical study by the Amer
ican Telephone & Telegraph Co.
Listed Stock Values on the New
York Stock Exchange totaled $76,-
291 958.439 on December 81 VS..
$73.174,833.549 a month earlier
and s67,o4s,27s,es6 a year earlier.
American Telephone & Tele-
graph Co. registered with the SEC
5000 .000. 900 Of 21-year debentures,
due February /, 1871, to be offered
at competitive bidding to help
finance new construction.
Ashland Oil 4 Refining Co. reg
istered with the SEC $4,000, 900
OF 20-year sinking fund deben-
lures. and $4,000 shares of no.
par cumulative preferred stock, Of
which 10000 will bs sold by the
company and 10000 for the ac-
count Of stockholders.
Middle South Utilities, Inc.
was given SEC permission to sell
GAG, 900 shares Of no-par common
stock at competitive bidding to
help finance construction by its
subsidiaries.
Safeway Stores, Inc, sales in
four weeks ended December 81
totaled $82.56s,1 ,155. a gain of .32%
from q year earlier; In 50 weeks
ended December 81, 81, ,094 ,887 ,235,
a drop Of 6.17% from the previous
year.
Montgomery Ward & Co. sales
In December totaled $150,419,55S,
decline Of 40 from q year
earlier: in II months ended De-
cember 81. $1,1o741s,51o. a drop
Of 1887.
W. T. Grant Co. sales for De-
cember totaled $40.111,352, a gain
Of 1.6% from q year earlier; for
1s4s. $233.s3o.361. . drop Of .11%
from 1s4s. !
Spiegel, Inc, sales in December
amounted to $17,477.087, a rise
Of 11.9% from q year earlier: in
194e, $132,866,274. q drop of 1.2%
from 1948.
H. L. Green Co. sales for De-
cember totaled $1e.sS3. .4s2, q drop
Of 1.e% from . year earlier; for
II months ended December 81,
$93 .275,317, q decline Of 2.6%.
Edison Bros. Stores sales in De-
cember amounted to 1892. 1872
a decrease of 1870 from a year
earlier: in 1s49, $74,16o,469, a
drop of 1.1% from 1948.
Miller Wohl Co. sales for De-
cember totaled $4,169,SS3 a drop
of 1870 from a year earlier; for
five months ended December 81,
s14.298.176, a decrease of 1857
from a year earlier.
G. r. Kinney Co. sales in De-
cember totaled $3,909, 900, a de-
OF 6.9% from a year earlier; In
1949, 32,20S, 900, a drop of 1.1%
from 1948.
Consolidated Retail Stores sales
for December amounted to $3,42s.-
47s, a drop of 1870 from a year
earlier: for 1949, $31, 1,51s,571, 4 de-
cline Of 11.5% from a 1948.
Air-Way Electric Appliance
Corp. declared a quarterly divi-
dend Of 20 cents a common share
payable February /. The company
paid Is cents quarterly in 194s
plus an extra of Is cents in De-
cember.
Elastic Stop Nut Corp. of Amer
lea declared dividend of 80 cents
a common share. payable February
/. The company paid Is cents In
February, 1949. and IS cents each
IN May, August and November
Electric Auto-Lite Co. an
nounced price cuts averaging more
than 7h% on automotive stor-
age batteries. effective January 10
the second reduction in eight
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