Evening Star Newspaper, January 2, 1926, Page 17

¥ , T TITE _EVENIN( STAR. WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, J ANUARY 2. 1926. 17 The Year 1925 One of Great Prosperity in the District of Columbia LOCAL TRADE VOLUWIE | ,_,_ FAR EXCEEDS GROWTH OF CITY'S POPULATION Check Payments Show Increase Of 17 Per Cent While Residents N ‘DOL Adve Rec BY \ oreater ny m Washingt “upports Bo: D Washir al 1 Itimor Ot At d ind: F thie cranses and pr which a: omm of cheek payments to obtain a generally ington b than in this in ht within The assignable This mars ulation g ness remaricah, Chinere hold ing devic: evidences If this curred growth such as by banl associatior and the n in ieveme 1 desp zeneral ex of o peopla espectabl well theater a Graphic ng as 1 individna! stitute (h business amine oib checkin, figires or include v vertising contrac trade Figures District of or about a growth cance, sin made in ments for dollar, we correlation data and Incidents truly b husiness 2 by month tha month of May they have It ix notor ington pointing ¢ the vear ceipts in | stiiking point. I revenues month hy of the pr total for t than in creasing | the eity Jar compa he drawn Chase section Anether may | for red with the corresponding months 1924, umber 3 Per Cent More. BLE VOLUME OF BUSINESS EEN IN NEXT 6 OR 7 YEARS rlising. Building, Insurance, eipts ;md Labor Conditions Point to Steady Upward Trend. L. SETH SCHNITMAN AND J. W. great closed MILLARD. achicvement—such the record of the I'rade, industry and finance, and the [ our present high and ever rising stand- Ty llectively, bespeak the progress durtng the last 12 months United States &an boast progress: few other cities, irrespective of size, can show e stahle growth than that which we have witnessed in on during 1925 In the table below are to be found the z data as obtained from reports to the Federal Reserve FAR o inst i< i ny evidences rd of living hich Washington like size throughout the ollar Volume of Business in Representative Cities. Percentag Inc k7 16 13 A2 rease Over 1924 PREtSbUEEh <o sosies snsi i St Loniso. oo, Milwaukee ... .S ° ANVETage. . .. side New York city of view ST mport remarkable condition N neovide a1 perity \\; catures ereto while <hington husiness na the causes inding of these continued growth vear and the an hasis for the next rmer for <hington years ank Check Figures. hank check has come to play <uch an important role is of prime importance to examine into the volume clue as to the course of business Such an analysis at once discloses the fact that \Wash nsin the whaole. 17 per cent higher in 1923 r. Saofar as pereentages perhaps but when it is considered in the he present rate volume of business erc B on the pred <e 1s not so remarkahl rospects signify a de muation in the dollar check pavinents vay of messuring advert nsiness hy auar an in the hahit \dvertiser can dane stndyins adduced tising i <hingtor e par during he vear st more spare This fs sign nown cor sentiment advertisers. and Were a line cha VI comparing vewspaper ,d general t yurent even to the ext ~howing that the few months of 1925 n business in the dol tising linage during the 425 Shows an increase over the same period of 1924 amount ‘ng 10 about 8 per cent. oming now to actual fignres: In Washington advertisers place: el over 2000000 lines of advertising ipy, s compared with 49,630 833 lnes In 1924, an increase of more than 3 per cent While no figures are avail able 1o indicaie the amount of mone: expended for newspaper advertising the figures on linage. at the average ates per line. show in rough outline the huge annual expenditure for ad vertising in Washington through this n exeess of the cent grow Hation And rate 4y to the necessary ng pop growth which Washington m hetween the wth and the that meas e absorption of au gs. vadios, electri srat and hetween axpressed - ion husiness s zeneral peed Iy vertisin ness this re es the ot hous s oil-burning heat the thousand R othe hefnz had su ™ e evidenced 2 and loan insuranee drted forms even not he so notak crease in thout the instancs deposits Dusiness savings e bl life nd olhs Lany and nt astment this wonld this tremendous growth husiness—in the sales of all wnish “nd equipmen of 1this ety have made a showing in the matter of investments. and this with themselves expendi exer i 0,000 for nes ir £10,1 the head Postal | US conmmas weru DC. l%r u-nv ‘n$ m‘lzll DOLLAR VOLUME OF BUSINESS IN WASHINGTON | | ANNUAL GROWTH OF CHECK PAYMENTS MONTHLY COMPARISONS -1924-1925 MARCH OF PROGRESS IN WASHINGTON General t'n Population Check payments Postal receipts Telephones in use Electricily consumers consumers Water connections Real estate 114 Gasolin Ruil Rullding ment Structurdl stes Southern pine Aption Trade. Department siore sales Ten-cent stare sales Newspaper advertising Bankinz and finance, Tanks and sfers s e & fon cts ot .. Daolla on ¥ isumption . lnmber con sun M fey De Line: Resources of compan Resouy assoc trust . . Dl Iding and lnan Aions® Life insirance (mesw Rusinees failures e Business failures (labilities) *A= of June 30 Acknowledgment other data within this the Governmen Dadze Corporation um Institute and coaperated for the ordinary) Thenotes decr the dat irticla, is m to the R. G. Dun to the individual In all cases the totals month of December. MARCH OF PROGRESS: Number Dollars Dollars Number Dollars lars Dollars Dollars Number Dollars is well as to the Federal Reserve Roard it 7 Iner a0h 3 000 17 00 000 412 ART.000 74.000 Bameman 1her 52 ns 000 won 573 Tons won ann 31,500,000 2.815.000 48,630,000 s 0o irs 2535.659.000 a0 000 000 30 £63 40,4 58,437, n0n 000 115 1,693,606 24 149 128 +45 ease. in this table, as well as for those ade to the several departments of to the F. W 1 Azency. to the American Petrol: firms and persons who so gladly for the vear 1925 include astimates INCREASES OVER 1924 PLECTRIC CONSIMERS GAS COMNECTIONS MECTIONS ATITO REGISTRATIONS GASOLINE CONSIMPTION SEAL RSTATE TRANSPPRS DRPARTUFNT STORR SALZE TEX-CENT STORE SALES "ITPAPER ADVERTISING SUTLDING CONTRACTS ATARDED CRANT CONSUMPTION STRUCTURAL, STEPL COVSIMMPION TANGIHLE "EALTH LIF INSURANCE SALRS e E ROy Y Ay BUSINESS PAILURNS, WUMBER LIABILITIES cities of like and even smaller size. hax | practically nothing in the way of labor problems. It is quite notable. thevefo it can be said that as the yea: rounds out labor conditions here have seldom been Lrighter. The expression of this condition is quite clearly set ont in the diagram given elsewhere on this page showing the calls for help at the United States Employment Sery ice. Tt 1s of prime importance In talk ing of labor conditions in Washington that SALES OF ORDINARY LIFE INSURANCE IN D. C. | | | periencea the lepicts trend of the mid of com countiy At Even the thix advantage Fen sir Pirposes the awn of a obser chart hington s nit while chart th gains which husiness Postal Re heck pavments, represent do checks drawn on all hank acconnts, today con- besi xingle current index of the astute ohserver will ex pertinent general data, deductions drawn from the hech pavments Such data 921 1922 stal receipts. newspaper ad- nditions. building insurance and retail alone. The increase in de pariment store sales during the last half of 1925. as compared with the corresponding period of 1924 and which will he shown in greater detail later in this article. evidences the «lose connection between advertising | and husiness. One thing more with regard to gen erai conditions here: Washington | being relatively fr Industrial enterpri labor e medinm life postal raceipts mbia for the 1e solid growth in the 10 which vitnessed. the over 424 amounting 1o § per cent uhle the rate of papulation is of especial signif If adjustment were 1o he figtires on check pay- the fluciuating value of the should find a sirikin hetween those sdjus nH he figures on postal rec the Rross receipis postal station, which ald sense the puise of incrense Th the | to note that the average wage paid to | the 10,000 wage earners engaged in | manufacturing industry in Washing- ton s almost $350 annually greater than that pald to wage earners in the manufacturing industries of the entire country, and this hecause of the high- | |1y specialized types of manufacturing | | enterprise located in the District of | Columbia. Of the $15.000,000 annually | from the type of | paid to wage earners engaged in man. | gives < which ahound in | ufacturing more than 40 per cent goes (Number of Connections or Consumers) tivity. were smaller month | in 1875 than in 1924 until which time 20 per cent < in Wash ally dizap months of of postal re tation brings wr upon this creases noted in the posial of the Park road station month during 1925 as com- sinee run ahead b ons that busi quite during the el and this fact he downtown idence to t vious year. with the annnal | To he. sure th | way | thus far to employes in bakeries and printing establishments, two branches of industry which ar | highly specialized so far as the tvpe of labor necessary is concerned. The aver- age annual wage of this 40 per cent so engaged, amounting to $1,700, is prac tically $200 higher than the already large average for the manufacturing employes of the city generally While calls for laborers are today considerably in excess of 1924, as ean he seen from the chart already alluded to. and these at relatively stable wage rates. there fs no noticeahle decline in labor efficleancy such as fs nsaally ex in industrial communities | during perinde of comparatively high prosperity and rapid advancement nch as Washingion Is now enjoving. ast bulk of ealls for lahor in Washington are for unskilled male help. and female domestics, this rondition arising principally from the high type of manufacturing enter prise already spoken of as well as from the present unprecedented build ing wave. The comparatively high wages paid to manufacturing emploves, coupled with the known large wages paid within the building industry, which may he truly sald to represenmt t! hackbone of Washington's prograss. and the stahle employvment by the Federal Government afforded to 65 000 emploves at an average salary between $1.600 and $1.700 annually, gives Washington little 1o fear fn the of future regression, but does unmistakably point to a continuation of the stable growth which we have witnessed Building Industry. This brings us straightway to a con sideration of the Lujlding industry, which, with 13,000 skilled and uyn skilled emploves and an annual wage bill in the neighborhood of $25,000.000, greater employment to more wage earners than do the manufactur - DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC SERVICE he vear 16 per cent greater bring light upon the in- | mportance of this section of < a trading suhcenter. Simi- risons and conclusions may with respect (o the Chevy | rheck on the march af busi he made from the viewpoint per advertisinz. If there ls including newspapers, | |ing industries of Washington and | which, incidentally, is more closely | related to the condition of the laho: market than any other group. The purchasing power of the building | tradesmen and the new demands which his wares create for the mani fold lines of furnishings and equip ment, to say nothing of the relation ship between this industry and the | antomobile, gives ample basis for the statement that building has plaved = | footlight role {n our march prog ress Ruilding awards in the Distriet of Columhia since the war have heen trending steadily upward. Since Jiun communities, which are truly a part of Washington and which look 1« Washington for thelr livelihood, re. tail outlets. education and diversion the developments of the past vear would appear even more remiark- able The past five vears have set a new mark for residential construction, but this alone is not the onlv significant factor in our steady development Commerelal improvements have rapid Iy assumed a new importance. The financial district has spread north ward from the Treasury nucleus ic ward I, street. Real estate offices imposing and solid front have ziven DEPARTMENT (In Percentages of 1923 STORE TRADE Average Monthly Sales.) | It Actual Sales Sales Volume Corrected for Seasonal Variations 1912, the total value of actual contracts awarded has amounted to $330.000 400, Totals b vears are shown in the fallawing table and the accompanving chart sets forth pictorially this growth hoth quarteris and annually Washington the war nary 1. hutidinz huilding awards since Cont Per Sq ¥t 10.889.000 8302000 The year 1420, accompanied by countrywide economic difficulties wag influenced by a period of un stable high prices. Following this was the well known buvers' strike and a rapidly declining price trend |am may he evidenced by the data in the ahove table showing the average cost per square fool, which Inci dentally was higher in 1920 than in any vear until 1923 Of late years the average cost per square fool again has tended to increase, but largely from a different cause. The increases since 1421 may he quite BUILDING CONTRACT. husiness centers may a new aspect to K street. Fonrteenth streat has firmly intrenched itself as the automoblle mart. The centering attraction of the Capital and the Unlon Station hag again heen felt. witness the completion of the Hecht and Lanshurgh projects. The large Wood ward & Lothrop addition brings home the fact that while community be moving even farther to the northwest. the section between the Capitol and Fifteenth street is to experience an un precedented growth. obsolescent build ings giving wav to a_modern skyline The contemplated Government con. struction on the south side of the Avenue is mow more than a vision The new Press Club soon fo grace the site of the old Ebbitt, the New Willard addition. the Harrington ad dition, a_new office buflding at Fif teenth, New York avenue and G, the new Federal-American Bank at Four teenth and G. the Denrike office build ing on Vermont avenue, are hut a handful of the new supplanting the old. Immediate to the Capitol and Union Station, the Acacla project and others in the offing bear out the fact that, regardless of any Immsdiate S AWARDED IN D. C. (Showing Distribution by Quarters.) 1925 |largely attributed to the many re | inements and built-in features uni versally found in the homes and of- fices of late construction. The de cline in the average cost per fool which occurred between 1924 and 1925 was due in some measure to easier prices for building materials and g more favorahle lahor market | A continuation of these tendencies might conceivably operate to make 1926 an even higher bullding year than the one just closed. The price decline which panied the economic cataclysm of 1920 not only staved contemplated construction in the country at large. but negatived a direct comparison with the volume of high-priced con struction of earlier vears. By 19 the price structure had righted itself | and untl _early in 1925 it appeared that the high level of building ac tivity reached In 1922 was for Wash. | ington to stand as the record build- ing year. It will be noted from the chart that 1926 lagged behind 1924 until midyear, a characteristic al ready noted in general business. and that the closing six months, with an Increase of 42 per cent over the last half of 1924, operated to bring this year's total even above the formerly unparalieled point reached in the year 1922. Awards in 1925 even ex “eed the total of 1920 and 1921 com bined. Suburban Development. Intreating of Washington's growth it is impossible to overlook the tre mendous suburban development in nearby Maryland and Virginia. In line with this it is noteworthy that postal receipts In the Chevy Chase Station have doubled since 1920, Were It possible to segregate data nn building activity for the suburban accom. | slackening in residential construction, changing skylines in downtown Wash ington will mdre than sustain the | high level of construction which truly represents the backbone of Washing ton industry giving impetus to trade in general. A forecasting line deveioped by the writers. not losing sight of the fact that any such device must be used with extreme caution, polnts to continuation of the upswing in Wash ington construction well into 1926. This line is shown in the accompanying chart and should he read merely with respect to its change of direction and not to the extent of directfon. It will he noted that, although 1922 was our bhanner building vear with the excep- tion of the vear just closed, the fore- |1autln: line gave indication of the de |cline Which was registered in 1925 as yearly as lune of 192 cast accurately the sloughing off in late 1924 and early 1925, and, hegin ning with February, 1% indication of improvement that Tuly despite the fact that at mid vear, bullding awar King bhehind 19 by per cent, writers were ahle 1o say that this vear would probably eclipse the year 1922 a prediction which completed figures have since amply subst:ntiated | “Other data pertinent to the huilding ‘lndllfllr\ in Washington are available | which indicate parallel increases that have taken place since 1924 in the con | sumption of cement. structural steel and Southern pine lumber. Almost 900,000 barrels of cement were de. livered into the District »f olumbia by cement manufacturers during the pyear | an increase of 24 per cent | over the ar 1924, while the amounts of structural steel and outhern pine consumed in the District during 192 registered increases of more than per cent over the preceding vear Incidentally the increasing consump. tion of structural steel and cement bears further testimony that com- mercial construction is on the inerease and seems to give credence to the opinion that if the present building wave is to continue in accordance with present indications it will rest very Jargely upon increased activity in this type of huilding development Realty o Transfers. Paralleling an increase of nt In bullding awards, there is he noted an Increase of 13 per cent in the number of real estate transfers Deeds recorded in 1925, evidencing the transfer of really, totaled 18,500 as compared with 16391 in 1 Rec ordation of 1rust instruments has ex pertenced a similar increase. the total of 1925 heing 24.000 as compared with 20,256 in 14 It is here significant note that the resources of banks and trust companies and bullding and ioan Associations in the Distriet of Columbla have shown respectable in creases over 1924, as may he seen from the tahle on this page While there are no data availahle covering manufacturing autput for 1925, an estimate of $80,000.000 as de rived from figures for tvpe concerns represents an increage of 9 per cent over the 1923 total of $73,168,000 hy the Census Bureau for that vear In the table beiow are listed the significant industries operating in the District of Columbia. together with the value of their output for the year 20 per tn This chart fore- | procured by | were lag | sonal | | and | vears ago the produects of | The 1tne in bold outtine represents the theoretical course of sales volume am a mathematical elimina tion of seasonal tendencies. Washington business possesses an gave such | unusual situation in that there are not in only present in the economic a longtime increase, the and business cyeles fahrie, the| what we chonse to term a evele” caused hy the many conventions and adjournments gress. These movements ha cided effect upon the trade in Hnes of class merchandise. Of o the convening Congress added population for the period” outnumbering many actual membershin of high purchasing power group adds considerably age for the city stock the bus € Con a de Congress. the of which to the ave SKiflful management control upon the part ness leaders in Wi minimize the influence of sional” factor so that little noted in the total sales voli casnal obser Significant over data for Washington de stores. In spite of the culties incident to the Lirce programs of the several st is o he noted a consistent inc the rate of stock t Auring and 1925, A turnover of 3.7 time Washington during 1925 con with 5 for the country his Dy toa, are the dim hnilding there nover at la Chain Store 10-cent stores Nales. of wh three felt Chain are 11 units oper: concerns, have degree the prosperity vear. Aggregate proximate $3 £2.815,000 in per cent An important business march ir 0 the fact that he District of Cc ber and in the liahilities were almnst smaller than in 24 the business progress of the past has rested upon a firm | niv necess tolle for and incompetence Na picture of 1he prog ington would he complete ithout mention of the really remarkable ah sorption of sil-hurning heat de household ate radio, 1o sav nothing of the vet noteworthe ! Automohiles which we have witn Auring the vear 1925, Less than fiv urge of the pres ent dles in 1975 nmentars 0 he foun: ness num «mount aultec asis, taki and ng electri refr Manufacturing in the District of Columhia Industis sad and ofher hakers products tine and publisbing, book and jah Printing and punlishing. nesspapera and Contertionars and ice sream Sanghteringtand ‘mest packine Pianing mifi produet [ee manufactirsd Marhie slats and stane work Structural and ornamental ronwark Lithographing Foundry and machina shop products Reverages Conper. tin and’ shest Al StRer industries wholesale iron wark Total. all industriss The classification. triee.” inciudes the gas for e “Al other indus. manufacture of been found adaptable illuminating and heating pur- use. The table below shows increases es. the operation of steam railroad | which have taken place in the sales Number of Fatah b perindicals 308 310 Ao 3317387 .80 Austries firet mentioned had hardly 1o household repair shops, the operation of electric |and installations of such devices raflroad repair shops. the manufacture of paper and wooed pulp, and the man- ifacture of baking powders and veast, which ranked fourth. sixth, ninth, tenth and fourteenth respectively, among the industries. in number of wage earners. separately. in o | | Ttem. Oll_hurners. number | Eiectrie retrigerators tie). number 1004 515 (domes. *December partly satimatad The Radio Retail Dealers’ Assor These were not shown |ation of Washington estimates that ler to avold disclos- the sales of radio and equipment were ing the operations of individual es-|approximately 0 per cent sreater in tablishments. From the foregoing array it is apparent that the vast bulk of the manufacturing output in Wash ington is destined for home consump- tion House Furnishings. The tremendous increases already noted in residential constriction have naturally trended to an enlarged mar 1925 than in 1 sales roughly earlier. During 124 with the double those Christmas f a year = the vear 19.000 new automnhiles wer Washington. Of this numbher more than 17.000 were passenger cars. D INg 1924 the total sales af antamebiies were 15.051, of which number 13.6i3 were passenger cats 1925 more than CALLS ON U. S. EMPLOYMENT SERVICE | ket for house furnishings and equip ment. The readjustment of consimer expenditure. contingent pon home ownership, may temporarily reduce | males in some Iines. but the increasing | ratio of home ownership OilImn‘—ll | now to be more than 30 per cent of | the total dwellings, eventually pro Auces a prosperity of ita own for all lines of business. The purchase homes affects the income of hut a por tion of the consuming public at any cne time and these are subjected 1o reasonably adjusted payments. . Re- gardless of any temporary lull which come in general business hecause of large drafts upon income to pur chase homes, home ownership always tends In the long run to Increase all types of consumptive demand SALES AND TURNOVER OF REPRESENT | ATIVE DEPARTMENT STORES | Year Saies -#33.800.000 31.500.000 © 307300000 : gazoo0.000 Tumover 32 31 . 27500.000 The accompanying chart depiots the month to month movement In depart- ment store sales in Washington in percentages of the average monthly sales for the vear 1923. This growth is | best observed by comparing the high seasonal peaks reached in December of each vear. These show a consistent Increase in each case except 19 which remained at ahout the 19 |level, and this, most largely hecause |of the effect of declining prices on | the total dollar velume of business. A BUILDING FORECASTER FOR WASHINGTON Considering these accomplishment« we must not lose sight of the fact thay Washington inhabitants are ahle hoast of a higher per capita income than is to ba found in any of tie States of the Union. which condit of itself explaing away in very measure the cause for the steadv 1. ward growth which has thue far taken place. Then, again, there these facts! The ratio between the adult and it total population is larzer here thar 10 be found in any other city of the country; our female npopulation pos- sesses greater financial independence while out of a total of more th 75,000 personal income ftax retu covering the year 1923, over half were joint returns of husband and wife, in dicating the fact of this financial in re |dependence: as few as 3,500 male heads [ eral | salary | of families and 2.600 1 | matnder | Boll weevil or no holl weevil, male heads of filed returns. with the re. equally distributed hetween single males and females. Of the e ployved adults in Washington the Fad Government takes about 0 per cent. The relatively stable em ployment thus afforded, together with existing wage levels in industry and levels in ather emplovments has the effect in preserving the stead ily increasing margin between the pe capita income of Washington resi dents and the country al large- a margin which has. during 1925, allow- ed the people of Washington more of the comforts and necessities of life without hindering the ever-increasing progress of thrift and savings witnes< ed in the sales of life insurance, in- creased savings deposits, home owner- hip. local real estate developments and even In the speculation in Florida lands. . CAN SUPPLY WORLD. families | South’s Cotton Capacity Upheld by Alabama Experts. 2 @ the cot- ton belt of the United States can pro- duce all the fleecy staple the world will consume and pay for at a “living | price.”” i the opinion of Alabama ex: [ periment station officials. This could be accomplished thronzh intelligent use of fertilizer and hetier varieties of seed. said DProf. M. .1 Funchess, director. after studying ri =ults of experiments extending over a 3-year period. AUBURN, Ala., January