Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-04
Unemployment

The payoff statistics were
those on unemployment. They
failed to show any substantial
rise.
In many areas the unemploy-
ment curve was definitely down.
ward: Fewer new and continued
claims for unemployment COM
pensation; fewer overall unem-
ploylnent totals. more people at
work. OF the 81 areas surveyed,
concrete figures on March en-
ployment were obtained from
As. OF these, "a indicated de-
cline in joblessness during
March, and four said conditions
at least were not any worse.
Seventeen showed an increase.
Steel and Coal Areas Hit.
The rise was most pronounced
in the great steel and coal CEN
tiers. March unemployment in
West Virginia industries amount
! ed to 10 per cent of the working
force; State officials called the
March load of unemployment
compensation claims the heaviest
in five years. Unemployment
claims in Illinois were more than
twice the total of a year ago;
in Indiana the number rose
above $4,000 in March as COM
pared to 83,791 in February and
only 17,454 a year earlier. Ohio
registered sharp ,lpswing;
March unemployment in Penn
syIvania was up 1875 per cent
from 1859. In each instance the
rise conceded with a drop in
steel productiOn---doWn in March
to the lowest level in four years.
In Washington the Census
Bureau reported an increase Of
$1,000 in unemployment across
the Nation to a four-year high
of 3.725.0 The increase was
the smallest in six months. and
officials said the number of job
less was "leveling off, The
March figure was the highest
since the 4,123, 900 in March 1850.
Retail Business
Retail business picked up in
March, but not as much as many
merchants would have liked. And,
they said, it wasn't only because
of the delayed Easter shopping
season easter falls on April ID;
last year it was April 81.
January and February were
awful" said a spokesman for a
big New York department store,
land if it hadn't been for our
big sale, March would have been
lousy, too. You've got to be
f1ercely promotional to come
anywhere near equaling last
years volume"
A spot check of Nationwide
retail trends showed cities with
higher volume in March out
numbering cities where trade
was down by nearly 20 to one
The February to- March gains. to
be sure, were mostly unimpres-
sive, and in a great many in
stances department store volume
was down substantially from the
shakespeare levels Of March.
1858. But. many merchants said,
there was no comparison at all
with the depressed conditions of
1949 and early 1850.
Excise Cuts Awaited.
Appliance sales marked time
| in March-too many people were
waiting for excise tax reductions
but smaller housewares sold
briskly and scattered cities re-
ported good demand for room
air-conditioning units, in the
North as we'll as the South. Fur
niture was in a slump; smaller
low-priced TV sets did we'll, espe-
cially in areas newly opened to
television where they stole the
play from other categorieS OF
merchandise. Sales of shoes and
apparel were somewhat below
expectations; merchants figured
Easter shoppers were waiting
until April.
Retailers. bordering mid
March Commerce Department
report on curtailed consumer
buying plans, leaned heavily or
such traffic boosting devices as
price-cutting and ore-wide