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X-3131
,r
FEDERAL
R E S E R V E
B 0 A R D
STATEMENT FOR THE PRESS
For Release in Morning Papers,
Thursday, June 2, 1921.
The following is i review of general business
and financi.::J.l conditions thto'..lghout the several
Federal R~:>se)'Ve Di,:tr~ c·:;s d'.•ring the month of
May 1 as conts.im;d in the f orth~oming issue
of the Fed.era.l l:esorvo Bulletin.
Slow but greatly retarded recovery in production and distribution
has been in progress during May.
the better has
b~en
What appears to be a definite turn for
taken by some branches of domestic industry,
foreign trade is still arrested or depressed.
but
The more hopeful attitude
whl,ch showed itself among buslness men during April has continued; and in
some industries is preparing the way for active development.
Gains ma·de
during the preceding month or two have been generally retained, reaction
being only sporadic,
Foreign trade continues its movement toward a more nearly equal
balance of imports and exports.
There has been a
furthel.~
our foreign shipments and some increase in receipts from
falling off in
ab~oad;
the
figures being especially noteworthy when stated as physical volumes of
goods.
and
F-ailure to recover normal industri3lconditions in foreign countries
speci~l
causes of trade impairmentk such as the British coal
strike~
have hampered progress; while disturbed exchange and inadequate financial
facilities have made resumption of activity a matter oi special difficulty
in some directions.
Readjustment in wages which was given special consideration a month
ago has proceeded but has been slow; while adjustment between wages and
prices (especially retail prices) is
exhibiting special difficulties.
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X-3131
1-a
lrregulari ty and lack of uniformity still exists in marked degree over
large sections of tbe retail price field.and qualihed o·bservers forecast
serious obstacles to the firu1l adjustment of wages to permanent levels)
unless retail prices move much faster to their final basis.
Settling of
prices has proceeded in various wholesale lines to an extent that is re·fleeted in less notevvorthy average ch3.nges; but this process is apparently
more truly an "evening up" or adjustment to a level already reached than
it is a new dip or downward movement toward generally lower values• Basic
commodities have shown ability to hold their own at levels already estab·'
lished.
High costs of transportation, to which reference was made a month
•
ago aw one· of the elements retarding readjustment continue to prvduce a
restrictive influence and are the subject of active
.
investi~tion
and
di~~
cussion.
The uneven character of the business readjustment of the month is
illustrated by
cond~ti~ns
in the various individual industries.
of the latter an approach to stabilization has been made.
tn some
This condition
notably exists in the textile trade and in the boot and shoe industry.
Cbntrasted with industries of this type are several that are either at low
level or moving further downward.
In iron and steel reaction is still
progressing. . Buying is confined largely to immediate needs and as a cou ...
sequence both unfilled. orders and current production show declines.
So long as prices are still in an unstable condition# buying for
future delivery is necessarily retarded in many lines.
Tnis holds good
both of industries where recovery is in progress and in those which are
still declining.
In some branches of textile production. for example,
manufacturers report that while the volume of current trade is good, advance
orders continue
small~
most buyers declining to CQmmit themselves far in
advance.
'-·""f~/-li:.
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•~1
X-3131
1-b
In wholesale and retail trade, there has been some recession,
although such recession has been much more pronounced in the wholesale
than in the retail field.
!t i0 worthy of note that the month of
falls between two seasons of major productive activity.
seasonal industries a recession naturally
spring increases.
~ccurs
Nay
In most highly
just after tne earlier
This accounts for current seasonal declines in activit/
both in manufacturing and in trading businesses.
The anticipated improvement in the labor market due to the opening
of spring a.gricul t11r~l activities has not proved sufficient to absorb the
surplus resulting from the reduced employmont attendant upon present
industrial conditions.
In the eastern sections oi the country as a whole
the employment situation has attained some degree of stabilization.
Growth of unemployment is the ref ore more pronounced in ·khose regions in
which industrial readjustment has not been so long in process.
unemployment, however, has been
consider~bly
Voluntary
augmented during the month as
a result of the in.crease in labor difficulties which ·has accomp3-nied. wage
reductions.
Agr.icul tural developments of the month are ot a
charactar.
s<.;mev;ha t
uncertain
Wnereas climatic and soil conditions had previously beer...
favqrable 1 the wet cold weather of May interfered with crop development
and as a matter of fact great d.arm..ge has been done in certain sections of
the country.
The fruit crop over wide arsas has suffered severely.
Financially 1
May
more prosperous outlook.
.
''
has been a month of increasing strength and of
There has been1 in various sections; an easing
of the demand for funds which has resulted in part from the.
accepJ~ance
lower price levels and in part from the adjustment of business to new
of
X-3131
-2-
conditions.
Federal Reserve Banks have received large new accessions
of gold and have in many parts of the country reduced their bill holdings
and other commitments.
Rates of discount at Reserve Banks have been
reduced l/2 to 1% but commercial and market rates have shown only a
slightly easier tendency.
Foreign
exch~nge
rates have been generally
stable and higher, corresponding to the hopes raised by the German
Reparations Settlement.
The business outlook for the season thus continues on the whole
more favorable, but with little prospect of immediate sharp improvement
of conditions.
,-../"~,,~,
X-3131
0o\._ __.tf~;_2
- 3 AGRICULTURE. The agricultural sit'.laticm during the month :c:tay be
characterized as unfavorable and backward.
Although the unusually mild
winter was exceptionally favorable for the preparation of the gro~d
for the 1921 crops and permitted a rapid growth of all the grains, the
unseasonable spring weather has been injurious to all crops..
The weather
has had an ill effect upon the maturing of winter wheat, while it has
District.No~ 8 {St. Louis) reports
retarded the growth of spring wheat.
that 1
11
condition of the grmving winter wheat crop in this District is still
favorable, despite the fact that the growth has been checKed somewhat by
the· recent cold, wet weather".
Although the condition of winter wheat is
reported to be fair in Arizona and New Mexico 1 the Texa.s crop bas s.hown a
considerable deteriora tion,which is attributed to drouth1 high
the inroads of green bugs and rue;t.
wind~ 1
and
In the central and western spring
wheat belts showers have occurred and the temperature has been generally
favorable 1 aiding the growth of wheat; the seeded grains are up to a satisfactory stand.
Although District No. 9 (Minneapolis) reports, "plowing and
seeding of corn is progressing nicely in Minnesota and South D3.kota", in
most sections the plant has been retarded.
Thus District No. 8 (St. Louls)
states that Ncorn planting in the north has been retarded by
exce~li.ive
moisture and due to the same cause considerable replanting has been required in the south".
n~s
In District No. 11 (tallas) likewise:, "not only
the weather been too cool for the best growth of cotton, corn, and
e~ll
grains 1 but these crops have been adversely affected by the extremely
uneven rainfall throughout the district".
retarded the growth
b~t
The cold wAather has not only
has prevented germination of the seed.
In many
ins~ :replanting' of the various c~ops has been necessaryJ while in
other
sec~~ where
replanting was' avoided, a poor st3.nd has been the result.
~
~-
...
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-4COTTON.
X-3131
The development of. the cotton crop throughout the southern
area has been retarded by unfavorable weather conditions.
Thus 1 in
District No. ll (Dallas), "the effect of the cold wave occurring in April
and May was to check the grawth of eotton where the plant had germinated
and to retard its germination elsewhere.
In West 1exas plowing and planting
have been delayed by drought 1 while in many sections the cold, wet ground
has delayed the necessary replanting." Dietrtct No. 8, (St. Louis) reports
that ilplantin~ t:ul tlvation and replanting of cotton ha.s been seriously
delayed by the over-abundant preeipitatiGnu.
lnfor~tion
received from
all Districts indicates that the acreage planted in cot ton has been con..
siderably reduced.
The results o! .a. recent survey in 150 Counties of
Texas made by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas show that the reduction
in that area. is a.bout 30 per cent.
District No. 8 (St. Louis) reports
that "the Ar~nSa.s Cotton T~de Association estimates that the acreage
reduction in that state _will amount to 35.3 per cent".
TQBACQQ.
ahd 3in
The new tobacco crop has been transplanted in South
Carol~
Distric\ No. S (St. Louis) tobacco beds are reported in good condi-
tion awaiting favorable weather for transplanting.
In this District "the
acreage to be planted is g,enerally reported short,." and reports from
Dietrict No.
5 (Richmond) indicate reductions in both North Carolina and
Virginia, but th~ acreage in South Carolina has been sligntly increased.
The leaf tobacco situation has been very quiet.
District No. 8 (St. Louis)
reports, "tobacco markets are practically all closed ~or the season,. leaving
a large amount of the leaf in farmers 1 hands, most of which is of inferi.or
quality•.
It is reported from ristrict No. 3 {Philadelph~) that manutact•
urers are not buying the newt.obacco on any large scale.
Thus it is sta.tecl
that •purchasing by manufacturers ha.s not been increased within the pe.st
X-3131
month, and the price trend continues to be lower".
appears to be in a rather .satisfactory condition.
The
ci~r
business
Although the demand is
snall and for the cheaper grade of ci~rs, District No. 3 (Philadelphia)
states, "in most cases oper-ations anQ sales have about reached a point of
adjustment which prevents overstocking and at the same time furnishes a
supply of cigars sufficient to meet ordinary needs".
FRUIT.
Although every fruit section has suffered from cold weather
and frost, the extent of the dattage varies with the different sectionsDistrict No. 11 (Dallas) reports that "fruit prospects indicate a larger
and more satisfactory yield than that of 1920".
On the other nand, District
N.o. 8, (St. Louis) states .• that "prospects for fruit in all states of the
District are probably the pcorest on record".
In District No. 12 (San
Francisco) deciduous fruit crops have all suffered from frost damage but
"a greater new acreage coming into bearing this year and an exceptioxally
heavy set of fruit, have offset the effect of frost d~mage, arid the reduct ion in total yield this year a.s compared with 1920 will not be so
marked as was expected from earlier reports".
The .report further say11i
that nin the Pacific northwest present indications are for the largest
apple crop in the history of that section".
However, "the stone fruits
suffered approximately 30 per cent damage".·
GRAIN MOVEMENTS.
The movement of grain to market during April has
reflected a seasonal decline.
.an eAception.
The receipts of wheat, however, have been
At Minneapolis and
Dul~th
wheat receipts were
21.7 per cent
larger than last month and 31.1 per cent larger than receipts during April,
1920&
The receipts at the four principal markets in District No. 10
(Kansas City) were unusually heavy for the season of the year, being
6,307,300 bushels. or 136.4 per cent larger than receipts during April, 1920.
Minneapolis and Duluth receipts of corn, oats, and barley have all showed
• - .......;
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-6-
X-3131
very large decreases from last month, namely,
64.4 per cent for corn$ 67.2
per cent for oats., and 39·9 per cent for barley. n Decreases in the receipts
of these grains were also noted ca,t the four principal markets of District
No. 10 (Kansas City).
This District reports,., "the farmers are apparently
holding much of their corn until a. good crop is assured for this yearn.
On the other hand April shipi:D.ents of grains from Minneapolis and Duluth
were 35.9 per cent larger than last month, but were 16.8 per cent smaller
than shipments during April, 1920.
Stocks of all grains at the close of
April. in the terminal elevators at these cities were 15 .. 3 per cent smaller
than at the close of March, but were 14.8 per cent larger than at the close
of April, 1920.
The price of grains during April
gen~rally
ruled lower
than during March1 the April median price of cash wheat No. 1 Dark Northern
at Minneapolis being $l .. 57 per bushel as against $1.72 during March~
Prices have taken an upturn during May as a result of continued reports of
crop·· deterioration.
ELQUR.
sections.
Somewhat greater demand for flour is reported in certain
In Dietrict No. 8 (St. Louis) an increase in domestic sales is
ascribed to "low stocks in the hands of· retailers and consumers generally J"
although trade as a whole is far below n·ormal.
In District No. 10 (Kansas
City) 1 there is a. slight improvement in the bakery demand~ although jobbers
are buying flour sparingly.
Export demand has been sustained in the latter
District, while in District No. 8 (St. Louie) "has. evidenced decided
symptoms of improvement".
over March..
Production daring April showed some increase
Although average April production in the United States for the
past six years has ·decreased about
of mills manufacturing
9 ..
(Minneapolis)
75
4 per cent from the March figure, output
per cent of the flour production in District No.
during the five weeks ending ~pril 30 increased 4 per cent
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'J'J.JL
X-3131
-7-
over the output during the five weeks ending March 26 (from 21 220,685
barrels to 2,312 1 385 barrels)r
This was 28 per cent greater than the
·of 1,814,180 barrels during the corresponding pei"'iod of 1920.
were operating at about 43 per cent of capacity during
April~
outp~i
These mills
1921.
Output
of reportng mills in District No. 10 (Kansas City) increased 19 per cent in
April . . 1921 over the April., 1920 figure (from 998,981 barrels to 1)193, 081
barrels), and the mills operated at
54 per cent
of capacity,
Although the
~utput fall off during the first week of May, it was again higher d~ing tne
second week than during the
/ correspondin§; week last year. Mill. operation in District No. 8 (St. Louis)
during the 30 day period ending May 15 was at from 40 to 50 per cent of
capacity.
On the other hand, millers in the Pacific Northwest, due to the
of demand for flour) have been more active during the past few months
l&.tH
in exporting wheat than in manufacturing flour.
None of the mills inthat
section are heavily stocked with wheat, and the reports ot
13
representative
firms show 610,502 bushels on hand May 11 as compared with 1 1 024,522 bashels
on April 1 and 1~039,605 bushels on May 1, 1920.
629,417 barrels reported
by 75 mills in April,
~nd
by
76 mills ir. March to 563,166 barrels reported
the mills operated at
during April as compared with
during April# 1920.
April~
Output decreased from
34.5
p~r
cent of capacity
45 per cent during March and 69.8 per cent
.
The price of flour showed a downward tBndency during
but since the opening of May has
a~in
increa5ed with the increase
. in the price of wheat.
LIVESTQCL
As a result of the .ccld weather, both
have undergone some deterioration in
vario~s
r~nges
and steelS.
sections, but the adverse
effect in general has not been pronounced because of the fact that stock
had been .in good condition as a result of the mild winter and plentiful
supply of feed.
Thera has, however* been a seriol.ls shortage of moisture in
the Texas Panlla.ndle., eastern N<Jw Mexico and
Ari~on1..
Stock ir.. that section
r
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X-3131
-·8--
is rep orteci in poor condit:i.on anCI tr1ere Ilf! s been considerable feeding in
New Mexico.
Cattle in large numbers
hav~
be.en moved .from the drought stricken
areas into Texas pastures that have been recently vacated in "what is sajd
to be the heaviest grass cattle movement in many years."
Receipts of each
of the three principal classes of livestock dl.lring April show a falling
off from the March hgures"' but :i.n the case of cattle· and calves aJ..one are
they less than for the same period last year.
Receipts of cattle and calves
/1
at 15 western markets during April were 994,916 head.1 as compared with
1,119; 548 head during W.arch and 1 1 037,350 head during April~ 1S20.
respective index numbers are 99, 111 and 103.
The
neceipts of hogs decreased
from 2 1 390,480 head during March 1 corresponding to an index number of 109,
~
to 2,279,495 head during April 1 corresconding to an index number of 104.., as
compared with 2,109,195 head during April 1 1920, cor.re;,ponding to an inde4
number of 96.
April receipts of sheep were lj077 1 8C6 head~ as compared
with 1~161,549 head in March a.nd 927.t800 head in April, J.920.
index numbers are 79, 85 and 68.
The respective
In Distx·ict No. 12 (83-n Francisco) there
has been an increase in shipments of grass fed RteMs
a~1c1
f>pring lambs to
eastern markets 1 while in District No. 11 (Dallas) the spr~ng market movement "has been slow to materialize."
The average price of cattle and hogs
during April was decidedly lower than in March.
The most recent quotations
appear to show prices at approximately the same levels.
April and May showed little change.
Sheep prices during
Production of packing house products
cvntinues on a greatly curtailed scale, but some improvement was noted in
April business.
f_ETROLE!TM·
·,
There were signs ~f a reviv~l of buying for export account.
Petroleum production continued to increase during April
and the early part of
May 1
despite the fact that the March output was larger
than that recorded in any previous month.
The Kansas-Oklahoma field, which
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(~;,"'~: {~
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x..;3131
-9<;~bowed
the most important increase in production, bad an average daily
production of )86~000 barrels during the four weeks ending May 13, as com~-.
pared witn an average daily production of 370, 500 barrels tor the f uur
weeks ending.April 181 and an average daily production of 356,000 barrels
for the corresponding period in 1920,.
California was
in M.irch.
The average daily output of
3381 981 barrels during April 1 as compared with· 337,683 ba.rrels
In contrast t·o these increases the average daily production of
the oil f ielQ.s in District No~ 11 (Dallas) continued to decline from
barrels in Febr1.ary and
April.
394J 174 barrels in Ma.rch to 38b 249 barrels
1
403) 243
in
Drilling operations decreased during April 1 although there is
normlly a consid5n1ble increase at this se3.son of the year.. District No.·
ll (Dallas) led in this decline with an initial average daily production of
97,176 barrels
in April,
as
compared with 1391 413 barrels in March.
number of wells completed in that District dropped from
395
to
359.
The
H~1ever,
an entirely new field was opened by the discovery of 5,000 barrel well near
H:l.ynesville, Louisiana.
(~nsas
The number of wells completed in District No. 10
City) declined from 763 in March to 538 during April) but the average
daily initial production only declined from 71~460 barrels to 65;147 barrels.
Fifty-eight new wells with an initia.l daily output of 18.~470 barrels were
opened during April in California.
nounced a cut of
25
Pipeline companies during April an- .
cents in the price of crude oil in Texas.
Thls reduced
the price to $1.50 in. North Texas fields and to $1.00 in the coastal sectiori.
The same reduction was made in prices of all grades of crude oil in certain
of the california fields) but there was an increase in the price of
Pennsylvania crude oil.
The prices of most. of the le:t.ding petroleum products
'
.
declined during April, but the declines were more n:a.rked in the case of those
products which are used ·purely for industrial purposes than in the case of
those required by automobiles.
{_..:~f._....,
X-.3131
CO/IL.
Demand for bituminous coal is still very slack in all sec-
tions of the country.
co.nsurr~tion
Bowever, production is running considerably below
as is evidenced by a decline in stocks from about 45,000,000
tons on January J to 37.oootooo tons on Jpril 1.
amo1Jllted to 27 ,875,000•:tons,
75, 82,
and 102.
for .April
as compared with 30,,328,000 tons during
March and 37 ,9)9,000 tons during A:P:til 1 1920bers are
Br~duction
The respective index num-
Many mines in Alabama and Tennessee are shut
down for lack of orders, and others are operated only two or tt.ree days
District No. 10 (Kansas City) notes an improvement in produc-
a week.
tion, but reports a great lack of market demand even in the case of railroad fuel.
Production of anthraei te coal increased somewhat during APril
and amounted to 7,914,000 tons, corresponding to an index nurr.ber of 107,
as compared with 7,603,000 tons during March, corresyonding to an index
number of 10.3, and 6,225,000 tons during April, 1920, corresponding to an
index number of 84.
increase of nearly
Reports from District No.
50
3
(P"iladelphia) shew an
per cent in the stocks of retailers between Jan-
uary l and ]lpril l, and a considerable decline in consumers supplies,
Leading retailers in that District announced advances of
25
cents ner ton
;for domestic sizes during the first two weeks of rvray, but this action has
failed to stimulate the demand.
Business in steam sizes continues to
be very stagnant, as a result of curtailment in industrial operations
and severe
corr~etition
from bituminous sources.
In District No. 2 (New
York) demand for egg and stove sizes of af\.thraci te is
other sizes have almost no IDi:'rket.
low, and ovens in the
~e.-iifth
of ca;PaCity.
C~lellsville
re~orted
Beer.ive coke production is still very
district are operating at less than
By-product coke nroduction is at a higher rate 1
but this is due in -part to the demand for the by-products.
of stocks
fair, but
of coke has resulted in strenuous price cutting.
ACCumulation
,..,..
-11lRON
MD
STEEL .. -
tled ctondition.
X-3131
The iron and steel industry continues in an unset-
The volume. of new business is small and largely for imrr.e-
diate needs, in spite of the price reductions announced some time ago.
In
fact, it is stated that when there have been larger tonnages to distribute
buyers are usually shopping extensively! with the result that some concessions in prices have developed, e.g., on wire
is stated, continues dull.
nails~
Seasonal increases in purer asing, however.
These have given rise
are shown by the automobile and oil industries,
on the one hand to some demand for sheets, bars and stri-p steel, as well
as to release of orders on which deliveries had been sus'Pended, and on
the other hand, to some demand for tubular goods.
,putomo·bile manu!actur ..
ers, it is stated from l)istrict No. 3 ('Philadelphia}
ar~
however appa-
rently drawing heavily on their accumulated stocks, and the demand in both
There has been some in-
industries is re-ported to be far from normaL
crease in demand for fabricated steel fo.r structural work.
report of the Bridge Builders
c;A
Thus the
Structwal society shows a further in-
crease in orders placed with its znembers..,.. ip from
in March to 32~ per cent in Jlpril.
29 per cent of ca.paci ty
The unfilled orders of the United
States steel corporation, however, show a further falling off, reflecting
At the close of ppril they were
the conditions indicated above.
5r845,224 tons, as compared with 61 284,765 tons at the close of Ma.rch.
The re spec ti ve index nUmbers were lll and 116.
general the industry is now operating at from
It is estimated that in
35 to 40 per cent of
ca~ty.
The number of furnaces in blast further decreased during A"l)ril t·Ttllr 103
at the onening of the month to
•,
96
at the close.
Pig iron production during
Jlpril was 1,193,041 tons, corresponding to an index number of 51, as
compared with 1. 595,522 tons during March, corresponding to an index
number of 69.
Nevertheless, it is stated from District No.
3
....
....,.,
'~_,),___j;J
_
~
;j'"""'\~
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1
(Philadelphia) that stocks of pig iron are undoubtedly accumulating.
Many blast furnaces in that Disttict are being operated merely to utilize
the coke output of by-product ovens, which have been kept in ot.:eration as
a result of the demand for the by-products and because of the danger of
Steel ingot ~reduction has likewise de-
ovens deteriorating if closed.
creasedJ from
lt570,978 tons in March to 1,213,958 tons in ftpril..
respective index numbers are
67
and 52.
In District No.
The
6 (Atlanta)
alone steel mill operations are reported. to show improven:ent.
NONFERROUS METALS .. - COpper production declined very considerably during
April~
as a result of the closing of most of the large copper mines.
Pro-
duction of re-porting companies in northern Michigan an::ounted to only
4,282,414 pounds in April, as compared with 11,201,915 pounds in March
and 11,907,128 pounds in April, 1920.
District No- 12 (San Francisco)
reports that for those mines which are still operating copner production
is approximately
47 per cent of capacity.
As a result of the
curtail~ent
of mining operations the p~ice of cop]:ler (New York:, net refinery) rose
fro:m
12.375 cents to 12.75 cents during May, but volume of demand ha.s not
shown any noteworthy improvement.
The price of zinc increased slightly
during the latter part of .April, but receded during May to a level only
slightly higher than that recorded in the middle of April.
during APril amounted to
March.
16,550
tonst as compared with
Zinc production
15,741 tons in
Stocks of zinc on APril 30 totaled 79,581 tons, as compared with
80,990 tons on APril 1.
Lead prices continued to ad'rance during April
and May, both for ore at the mine and for refined lead at New York and
St. touis.
District NO.
10 (Kansas City) reports that as a result of the
increase of lead ore prices, additional properties are o-nening each week
and a considerable
uortion of. the labor surplus is being
absorbed~
,..
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X-3131
-13-
COT'ION TEXTIT..ES# - Prices of raYJ eotton advanced sorr.ewha.t during .Arril
and quotations manifested less instability from day to day.
consumption
during the month amounted to 408,882 bales, or 29,000 bales less than in
March.
A dro-o in cons~tion is. however, usual at this season of the year.
There has been an increase .in activity of the cotton yarn mills in Dis-
tricts No. 1 (Boston) and No. 3 (~hiladelphia).
The ~hiladelphia reuort
states that the greatest part of the business comes from the rosier:y and
light weight underwear trade.
Orders still remain small a..Tld there is
little inclination to place them far ahead.
More mills resumed operations
in A~ril) and production varied from about 50 ~er cent to 75 per cent
•
of capacity. The situation in District NO. 6 (Atlanta), so far as indi~
cated by returns made by 10 representative yarn mills showed contrary
tendencies.· These mills re~orted a. decrease of 1}.4 per cent during April
in the quantity of their output as campared with March, while production
was )8.8 per cent below that ·of ~pril
19ao.
Ship~ents fell off 33~5 per
cent from the preceding month, while orders an hand at the end of April
were 12.3 per cent below these for the end of March.
On the other hand,
14 cloth mills in District NO. 6 (.Atlanta) had a yardage 0.8 per cent in
excess of that for March, and orders on hand at the end of the month
showed an increase of 8 :per cent.
o~ying
District No. l (:Boston) states that
is so close and such little margin is left for securing
~refits
that manufacturers are \UlWilling to accept orders far in advance, so t':-!at
in· print cloths rrore particularly contracts of longer duration than July
are the exception.
In the case of ginghams and sheetings, which were
early. subjected to price revi.sions, sales have been well sustained and in
}
some instances the gingham. output has been teken for a four monthst ueriod..
Sales of print cloth at Fall River
~ounted
to about 550.000 pieces for
C'"·C'
luiUU
.. 14 the 4 weeks ended May 14 - an increase of 28 per cept over the preceding
period of
4 weeks•
FIN! SFING, OE .COTTON FABR!OS.t - Thirty-four of the 58 rr,embert of the
National Association of FiniShers of cotton Fabrics reported total finished
yards billed during the month at 86,311,438 yards, as conroared with
~6. 732,621
yards in March.
The total average percentage of capa.ci ty operated
was 66 per cent for all reporting Districts, as compared with 67 per cent
during the preceding month.
The total gray yardage of finishing orders re-
ceived anounted to 92,920,824, as compared with 88,342,599 in March.
!he
total average work ahead at the end of the month am01mted to 10 days for all
reporting districts, as compared with
s.4 days during the preceding month.
HOSIERY. - The continuance of the strike in Philadelphia full-fashioned
hosiery mills resulted in insistent demands upon other centres.
But most
mUls, having booked orders for 3 to 4 months in advance were unable to
silk
accept new business.
As a result seamless and mock fashioned·flines have
been doing unusually well, and some mills have been using night shifts.
X-3131
- 15-
The demand for
se~ess
cotton hosiery is not so great aS for other lines - in
fact in some instances business is dull.
wholesal~
TWenty-three firms selling to the
trade, which regularly report to the Federal Reserve Bank of "Phila-:--
. delt;:>hia., re?ort an increase of 13.3 per cent in the value of the
ufaetU.red during A!'ril as compared with Morch.
clined, mwever,
28~3
pet cent, while unfilled
nr.odu~t
man-
Orders booked during April de-
orders at the end cf April
o•·
registered a fractional increase of 0.3 per cent.'
The eight firms selling to
the retail trade had increasedthe value of thsl~r out"9ut
tl:.e month..
4} .. 3 -per cent during
Orders booked during the month were 0. 1 per cent 1 arger than those .
of March .and. unfilled orders on hand at the end of the month were 15.7 per cent
in excess of those on hand at the end of Met"ch.
UNDERWEAR.:-
District No.
3
(~hiladelphia.)
reports that a.l though orders
· for fall are being placed with the underwear mills, they are so small that
they barely amount to 20 per cent of what is normal for this season of the year..
The cool and wet weather of early May caused an imrr.ediate falling off. in orders
for current delivery, good evidence of the uncertain state. of the market.
"In
the main however the market displaYS considerable activity, and manufacturers
in many lines are unable to rr.eet the present demand for short time deliveries."
fb.e 21. firms which make monthly reports showed an average output
less in APril than during the preceding month-
5· 7 per cent
Orders bodked during April fell
20.. 7 per cent as compared with March and unfilled orders on hand
A:~ril
)0 ''Jere
5.3 per cent less tl"an at ·the end of the previous month.
The 61 mills making reports to the Knit Goods Manufac.turers 1 l1ssociation
of ,Au.erica had an output in A:Pril of
was
109,937
dozens of winter underwear which
35· 6 per cent of normal. The production of sumrr.er underv.rear amounted to
292,001 dozens or
58-3
per cent of normal.
Thirty-two representative mills
which furniShed data for both March and April had a production of
Digitized fordo~ens
FRASER during
the latter month as compared with
285,515
dozens in
275,382
~arch.
,...., A\
~-...
'----'±U
- 16 Unfilled orders on the lst of A1)ril rose from 361,076 to 423,727 dozens.
orders received during tt.e month of A"Pril rose from
Nicl''
354,959 dozens to
There was a slight drop in cancellations which fell from
4,937 dozens to 4,279 dozens•
WOOLEN TEX'rlLE,S .. -
Tr_e ne'IR wool clip is now being gathered and sales in
District No. 12 (San Francisco) are reported at prices of 10 cents to 16 cent~
per -oound in the grease as compared with
50
cents per "JOUl'ld last year.
The
District clip will probably be somewhat below that of the preceding year.
On the basis of estimates given by representative wool grcwers and warehouse
companies it is thought that the 1921 clip will be anywhere from
75 per cent
of the 1920 clip in the States of Arizona and ,Pashington to 100 per cent in
oregon and
Utah~
Estimates for California and Idaho are :Dut at 90 per cent
and at 80 per cent for Nevada.!·: Unsold holdings in all sections of the
country are thought to ~proximate
clip.
65 '!'Elr cent to 75 per cent of the 1920
Western holdings 'rave been mov-ing east\'..rard by water in considerable
volume for the past two months.
District N'o. l (Boston) reports ths.t the
wool market is even more o:f a buyers' market than it was in
stocks of
rS~J
~~arch
as the large
wool have been augzr;ented by further im-,ortations of wool and
tops which h..ave depressed prices.
yarns are in demand in District No.
The finer counts of woolen and worsted
3 ('Philadelphia) but no substantial price
changes have occurred since Anril, although some buyers have aS::ed concessi ens
from the contract :prices of March, in order to rr.eet current quotations.
The
cloth mills in all sections are exhibiting a fairly high degree of activity 1
a1 though there ap-rear to have been no develonments of narticular interest
during the past month.
"" )", ,r,
"-.J ":1:: _;1_
X-3131
- 17 CLOTHING. - District No. 7 {Chicago) has secured returns from
clothing
five re-presentative/manufacturers and nine tailors to tte trade and those
~~N'S
statistics are sufficiently comrrehensive to give a fairly corrmlete picture
of the clothing industry for the city of Chicago.
Orders for fall suits
received by the clothing manufacturers to date were
27.5
per cent less in
terms of suit units than those for tt.e sarr.e season during the previous year
while the number of suits made in A~ril was 29.9 per cent less than during
the same month a year ago.
The tailors to t'-e trade reported 42 per cent
fewer orders (expressed in suit units) in April than during
23.6 per cent less tf'an during March of this year.
p~ril
1920 and
suits rrade in Ar)ril were
40.£ per cent below the nurrbers for the same n:onth a year ago and 20.2 per
cent bel ovv the totals fo.r March.
SILK TEXTILES. - Districts No. 2 (New York) and No. 3
{~hiladelphia)
both rr,ention the fact that the silk industry was less active during the
last week in Anril and at the beginning of May.
thought to mark the transition from the
s~ring
The drop, however, is
to the fall season.
Orders
for fall delivery are coming in slowly, in sufficient ~uantity to mainof
tain operation at about 60 per cent/capacity. Reports from Paterson
and vicinity indicate a sligtt advance in May operations over the 60
per cent reported for Anril.
Imports of raw silk during .Al)ril amounted
to 3 5, 886 bales as compared with 14,043 bales in March.
New York warehouses at the end of
16,386 bales.
A~ril
stocks in
rose to 20)038 bales from
~--
X-3131
- 18 SHOES AHD I,EATRER.
?rices of nides a.ni skins nave qdvar.ced ractier
sb.a:r'}:ly during May from tiJ.e a.bnonrld.lly low levels ::;revdiling in Ap.ril.
Calf d.U1 go"-t skin :prices registered advances of
by :::..bout
~Iay
30 per cent.
c..rproxi~tely
50 per cent
20, whl.le cow and steer hide ;rices incre<.:tsed between 20 ciUd.
The number .of sl:ins t:urchased advanced coincidently with
the rise in }:rices.
T:O.e derr.and. for calf skins, especid.lly in tne ligr.t
weights, a.nJ for ,::olored gla.zed. kid has
increa.~ed
steadily in volurLe until
t.nere hd.s a.risen considerable difficulty in oota1nin; t.iese varieties of
leat.ner.
During the past month
more staple lec..thers.
d~d
ha.s spread from tnese lines to
Sole lea.ther ®.s ddvanced about 2 cents per pound,
c..ni considera.ble dema.nd for black glazed kid ha.s developed..
T.i:le deffidnd for
belting leatner, on t~e otner band, hcis shown some slackening during 1~y•
.Reta.il shoe scJ.es continued on a very satisfc.ctory scale J.uring A:t;:,ril a.nd
May.
Dem;.nd for women's s.noes is still considerably in excess of Jem""nd
for men• s shoes.
Shoe factories in District No. 1 (Boston) continued. to
operate in April at about 50 per cent of ca.paci ty t as in February and March.
Shoe stocks of seven Boston department stores were 32 ~er cen-.; less on L~ay
lst than on the corresponding date in 1920.
stores measured in iolla.rs were less
t~
The sales of shoes of
t~se
one per cent lower 1uring the
first four mont~s of 1921 than in the corres:poniing period of 1920.
Ten
New England stores outside of Boston showed shoe sales 17 •.5 per cent less
during the first four ::lont::,.s of 1921 than during the corresponding yeriod
of 1920.
fer
s~er
July 15.
an
District No. 3 (P.ailad.e!pbia) reports tmt unfilled eontracts
d.elivery are sufficient tq occupy most plants a.t Cdpacity until
r1cmy ord.ers for fa.ll delivery have oeen placed., which indica.tes
incre~sed
confidence in the present level of prices.
Plant operations
r ':l::f.".-...
'\ '·"'
~J
.,1
•
r'-'10
l>:ltl ~'
X-3131
... 19 In District No. 8 (St. Louis)are being maintained at
cent of
capacity~
fTom
90 to 100 per
The deme'1.d centers in cheaper shoes and specialty goods.
Prices in District No. 8 (St. Louls) ctecli.ned between 5 and 10 per cent
during the past month.
Durir.g I!Iay, two of the larges:t shoe
~
ma.J.lufa.ctu~
-:r~
concerns in the United States and a large tarming comra..1y .::onibir. . ed to
form a new corporation which will manufacture and dis·:;ril·ute shoes on a
large scale in both the eastern and western
LUMBER.
Demand for lumber
continue~
st~tes.
to improve during April as a
result of an increase in building operations and a further recession in
prices.
District No. 12 (San
FrC:~nc5.;;co)
for lumber is showing a0t:i:::i.t;y a:1.d
:::;ta~:)Hi ty~
from week to week and movement to local
groWing 11 •
:reports that the present market
~d
"The d~mand is increasing
ea.stern consuming centers is
Orders received during t:ne four weeks ending April
~0 b~r
the
four lumber manufacture~s 1 association of District No. 12 (San Francisco)
showed an increase of 54 per cent over those for the four weeks ending
March 26.
Production during the same .period increased 4?.4 per cent and
shipments 58.4 per cent.
Shipments were 11.? per cent
resulting in a further reduction of stocks.
~bove
production,
One hundred and fifteen
belonging to the West Coast Lumbermen• s Association report3d for
~ills
t.'.:e
four
weeks ending March 25 a cut of 220,262,000 board feet, sbipmcnts of
253,427.000 feet, and orders of 263,666,000 feet.
for tte four weeks ending March 26, with 118 mills
Corr~sponding
report~ng
18?,917,000 feet, 209,9?0,000 feet, and 213,431,000 feet.
industry has not
~ffiprove~
in 1n1ison with the mill industry
figures
were as
foll~ns:
T:;...a J.oggin3
~d,althou;il
the present visible su:ppl;r of logs is limited, many logging companies show
no tendency to reS\'.ffic op"'rations.
evidenced in
District
No~'
Increased del'!kllld for southern pine
6 (A.tla:1ta) during April.
'''""s
In the week endinc;
..
r·
X-3131
:r"' _,
- 20 April 29 orders received by 134 mills of t~e Southern Pine Association
were only 7. 8 per cent belov• normal proJuction, whereas actua.l prod..uction
was 26, 8 per cent and shir,ment& 14. 9 per cent below normal production.
In
Dist.t~ct No. ll (Dallas) the production of 29 souti:lern pine mills amounted
to 61 per cent of normal.
Orders booked by the 29 mills were oquivalent
to '72 ·· per cent of tn.eir nor...rkil production, wherea* the same .nu.r.lber of r:-ills
only booked orders equ.al to 61 per cent of their normal production in March.
On .April 29 the volume of unfilled orders on the books of t...:..ese 29 reporting
mills w~s 37,699,200 feet, in com~arison with orders totaling 30,265,302
feet reported by
.::1
like nu.'11ber of mills en April 1.
District No~ 8 (St. Louis:
reports tb.at there was a heavy vohune of criers for yellow pine and Douglas fir in tile latter part of April, which has been followed by a lull in
demancL
11
Tne
~endency
of prices of high grade hardwoods is decidedly nprvarl,
lower grades continuing weak ,:1nd unsteci.d.y11 •
Reports of both Ir4nufa.cturers
-md retd.iler·s of lumber in District No. 9 (Minneapolis) iniicate a consiJerable
increase of a,cti vity.
Tile April cut of 15 roan-,lfacturJrs
Wcl.S
23. 2
per cent greater t.uan in Marc.a and s.o.ipments increased 46.2 per cent.
Stocks at tne enJ. of tne month. were 1.1 per cent higher t.hu.n the close of
March.
Com:pd.rison vvitb.. April, 1920, however shows cut 37.1 per cent less 1
shipments 47.1 per cent less,
an~
stocks 46.5 per cent grecJ.ter.
District
No. 5 (Richmond) states that lumber prices have fallen from 10 to 15 per
cent in the past
month~
.
An increased demand for southern pine ani Douglas
fir is reported from District No~ 3 (Philc1delphia), but "Sales do not
average more than 60 per cent of last springf s business 11 •
Prices in tba. t
District lld.Ve declined since January 1, and quota.tions for both hc....rdwood
and softwooi are now about 50 per cent below the high levels of ,1920.
/IJ
\'--"' ':L..: \.:!::.
X-3131
.·
,-,. " ,._
0-.i:~)
-21BUILDING OP.EM,TIQNS.
of activity during April.
Building operations showed a marked increase
This activity is
ev~dehced ~like by st~tistics
of tc.e value of contracts awarded., the number of builiiing permits issued,
and the value of building permits.
Wherects tb.e increase of build.ing opstates .
erations in February was confined tojwest of tne Mississippi River, an);
adv~ce
in April was reported from almost all sections of the country.
Tais upward movement was most general iri the case of resiiential building,
but considerable
incre~ses
of the Districts.
in other classes of building occurr•d in some
Contracts awarded in District No. 1 (Boston) amounted
to about $15i700,000 in April, as compared with $12,200,000 in M.irch, an
incree:.se of 37 per cent.
About $6,500 1 000 of tt.c April total w<:.s for res-
identi4l purposes, as compared with
¢4,300~000
in March. . In District No. 2
(New York) contracts ~~arded during April had a total value of about ·
$52#100~000
.
.
as compared with a value of $30.900,000 for MaDch. ~n incredse of
,•
69 per cent.
Residential building amounted to $18,100.000 .in M4rcn and
$28,500,000 in April.
Contr.:1cts totalling .$15,100,000, of which 05,300,000 '
were for residential purposes, were awarded in District No. 3 (Pb.iladelp11ia)
during April, in comparison with
~c~
awards of $14,100,000. of
:,j5,000,000 were for residential purposes.
In District No.
~
w~ch
(C:teveland)
contracts awarded during April totaled about $34,800,000, as co=Pared with
awards amounting
to
$32,700,000 in March.
Of t.a.e April total only $9,100 1 000
wa.s for residential puxposes, as compared with
for new buildings in twenty•three cities of
~11,400 2 000
~istrict
taled 1,688 in April as compared with 1,718 in lv'ha.rch.
in Marcn.
Permits
No. 5 (Richmond) toThe value of tJ::is ne•
construction amounted to $13,594,575, the highest monthly figure ever recorded for this group of cities.
This was due to the inclusion of or1e in-
X-3131
~
-2;:-
dustria.l project -.vhicn will cost
~6,000,000~
_r-,f'-,
C·::.:J)
"The housing situation in
o.ll cities in the :0istrict continues critical 11 •
A considerable increase
in building activity is r.;;::orted from Jistrict No. 6 (Atlanta), but this
is wore
noticc~ble
in tne
nt~~ber t~an
in
t~e v~lue
of building permits.
Contra.cts a:-Nariei in Jistrict No. ? (Chlcago) iuring kfril totaled $53,700,000
_ of 'VLiet. ~13,000,000 were for residences, ;:;..s compared v1ith
. 37 ,·:rOO~OOO luring ;1<.irc:.:., of
wb.ic~ ~9,300,000
<1
were for residences.
total of
In
five Nportin; citi.ss of ::istrict No. G (St. Louis) tiJ.ere was an increa.s.e
in numter of permits durin~ April J but their total was less than in lV..a.rcn•.
Nine cities of District No. 9 (Uinn;;<.:.polis) issued 2,368 ~nnits, valued
at i5,SOG,Oll iuring Ar:ril, as compuei witn 1,639 permits, value·i at
$2, S21,59l~ ::'..uring r.fa.rch..
Tnis incre.::~,se in builiint; c..<.Cti Vi ty is accou..."lted.
for almost entirely by an increase in the permits issued for the
of s~~ll bJilii~ss~
sas City show
a,
2,770 in March.
R~ports
construction
from seventeen cities in District No. 10 Fan-
total of 2)GS8 permits issued. in April, as compared with
Nine cities in District No. 11 (Dallas) report 2,SI.9o :per-
nits, v ...:lued at $5s 633,349, issued in April, as co:::pared. vvi th 2, 331 penni ts,
valued at $5,190 1 191,. issued in ~.1arch.
Tile value of building permits for
twenty cities of District No. 12 (San Frc..ncisco) cUnounted to $19,907,521
in April in compCl-rison with $1CJ, 542,035 in March.
11
:::;,cti vi t y approaching a building boom is in progre ss1
E1J[PLOYTviENT4
The employrr£nt situation has
r..ent during the past month.
In Soutj,ern California
n
s~ovvn
no signs of
i~provc-
On the contrary, all available evid.ence :points
to """ sligl:.t increase in numbers
un~nployed,
despite the d.bsorption of labor
by farming Jistricts und industries which ~ve experienced a limited revival
of active operations.
In New
Engl~nd,
the situation remained virtually
r
u·::.:.·i
X-3131
1"1, ~.d\..-,~
-23unchanged during the month.
There~~s
a. slightly increased derrand for tex-
tile operatives, especially weavers, and for mecCanics in the building trades.
TDere was no revival in the metal trades, aowever~
ment Office reported a fair demand for common
The Boston Public ~loy-
labor at 50¢ per hour.
The
Springfield office stated thd.t the der.:a.nd for farm. hands was less t.ckll1 usUcLl
a.nd tn.ere was no difficulty in securing men a.t wages 20 per cent to 25 per
cent below those prevailing a year
et.go~
During r,1ay several ra.t.a.er exten-
sive strikes added to t4e number of unemployed -notably
garment and paper making iniustrie• and the building
t~ose
trades~
affecting the
In District
No. 2 (New York) there was probably a slignt decrease in nunfuers employed
during the montbk
The New York State Bureau of Labor estimated
t~t
about
500,000 persons were idle, 150,000 of whoc were unemployed because of labor
-tisputes.
.Among the latter 'Nere included rnd.rine vwrkers, traction <.::JJ.d build-
ing workers in vc.rious cities 1 and. employees of :printing c.nd. publismug
establishments.
in numbers
The Industrial Commission reports a 2 per c.ent reduftion
emploj~ed
in fd.ftories of New York State during April.
Wage re-
ductions which affected about one-half tue firms reporting to t.c..e Federal
Reserve Bank of New York in April ,have since become more wiit;S:fN2l-i, a:nd. it
is Jstimated t:Uat about three-fourths of the worf"..ers in the District :c.ct.ve
.been affected by reductions eit~er acnieved or prospective.
Employment c~-
ditions nave lh~dergone little change in District No. 3 (PDil~delp~a).
result of attempts
As a
t . . reduce wages, strikes are in progress in Philad.elpcia
affecting the full-f<J.sbioned hosiery _workersj.~; tile printers and Cdrpet weavers.
T.!lere are also strikes among tne building traJ.e 1vorkers of Philadelphia and
otner large cities.
1-a.rly noticeable
11
In District No. 5 (Ric:c.mond.) unemployrr:ant is particu-
among middle aged c.u"ld older women who have been releco.saJ.
from factories in considerable numbers 11•
Farm la.bor is in excess of
ic;;-.. _nd.,
i
X-3131
-24and wages have been greatly reduced.
an
incre~se
In District No. 6 (Atlanta) there was
in April of-8.8 per cent in numbers employed in Atlanta accord-
ing to the United States Department of Labor.
decre~ses
On the otner band,
of 13.2 per cent and 8.9 per cent respectively were reported from New Orleans
and Cbattanooga.
Orleans~
A atrike of metal trade workers in New
wbicb. bad
lasted two nontbs was finally settled by an agreement to accept wage reduc·
tions of 10¢ per :C.our.
The New Orleans printers were on strike at d;J.te of
writing,_ asking a '44 hour week instead of tile prevailing -18 hour y,reek. _T.fle
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago received reports directly frm:: 178. concerns
at p.resent_ employing 115,000 workers, giving da.ta as to
,
t~
nur..1bers employed
and the amount of pay roll in April as compared with the preceding :r:onth. ·
There
~been
returns from
a decrease of 3.9 per cent in numbers as compared
C~cago
wit~ r~rch
and 1.9 per cent for the District as a whole.
Pay roll
totals bad fallen 6.3 per cent in Chicago and 4.2 per cent in the District
at large.
The Free Employment Offices of Illinois showed a fall during
April from 275 to 232 in the number of applications
fo~
eacn 100
pl~ces
open•.
In Detroit, however, at date of writing 118,497 men were reported unemployed
as campared with 100,347 on April 12.
ticular cl::lange
~
conditions is noted.
In District No. 8 (St. Louis) no parT~
trend in wages continues sharply
dovmward. and furtl:i.er cuts :nave occurrad within t:Ue
flour milling. cooperage, plumbers'
sup~lies,
mobile bodies, candy .md in some cases in
pc:~.st
30 d"'-YS in lumber.
far.m implements, stoves, auto-
tJ::..e builiing trades..
is especially pronoWlced among common labor ani railroa.d workers.
Unen.'Ployment
In District
No. 9 (Minnea.polis), reports from 15 lumber manufo.cturers w.u.o ernployed 1, 9a4
men in March showed an average decrease of 5 J)er cent in number of employees
in April, while 29 iron mining companies employing 5,309 men in !furc::..
reduced t::..eir forces about 6 per cent during tile month.
~d
IfJ.c:;n,;;.:.n copper
X-3131
-
2;::) -
mining companies showed a reduction of 43 per cent in numbers in APril,
as a result of rather extensive closing.
t~ere
ever,
is little surplus labor.
In the farming districts, how-
The United States
Dep~rtment
of Labor
reported decrei::l.ses in numbers- employed a.t t.o.e end of April a.s compared
with t:C.e end of March for both Minneb.polis and St. Paul, amounting to one
tenth of l per cent and 13.? per cent respectively. These figures, nowev~r,
only
apply/to large. esta.blish~nts employing over 500 men. District No. 11
(Dallas) says "an unusually large surplus of farm labor is r~rted from
t.Ue rur.::l-1 listricts due ».rgely to the growing tendency .on the part of the
f.:.r,.;.ers to cultivate only such acreage as they are able to take ca.re of
wi!ulout hired help".
Largely as a result of strikes in the building tra.dss
ani a:nong ma.rine workers, unemployment increa.sed in District No. 12 (San
Fr....ncisco} where 15,000nen were out of work in May, but elsewhere in the
District, iecreases
were the rule..
JU though improved conii tions in tile
lumber industry toget.aer wi tn demands for agricul tu.ra~. labor Cd.USed a decre~se
in the surplus labor in the cities, the reduction han not been
matarial as was anticipated because demand as
elsewh~re
a~
wo.s restricted by a
disposition on the part of fanners to do more work unassisted&
\ffiOLESALE TRADE.
wholes~le
firms in the four
and boots and shoes,
country luring
in May
Tae seasonal increases in the sales of reporting
sG~.les
t~e
whic~
le~ding
were
lines of hardware, groceries, dry gooas
~ite
pronounced and general througnout the
month of March were followed by equally
for most reporting lines.
~arkcd
recessions
The returns from 25 wholesale bard-
ware firms located in District No. 3 (Pbilc:LdelpJJ.ia) were an exception to the
general rule, as net sales increased 11.4 per cent during April
.
''
~s conp~red
with l\'b.y, although sales w.:;re 18.? per cent below those for April 1920..
T.b.e increa.se ;l£tributed to a gd.in in building activity, as the der..ani for
X-3131
-26mill supplies ani gener.::.l
existed in recent
rr.ontD.s~
~rJ.cvc..re wc.s
sa.id to be tD.e poorest that has
ne;.:.rts fr-::,L .51 wholesd.le grocery firr::.s in
t=.at Jistrict s..::.owei declines of 14.. 9 :per cent from H'""'rc:Ll totd.ls e:,nd 3o,4
:per cent from the sQles of April 1920.
AltD.ough sharp price declines ex-
plain sowe part of tD.e difference in total s~las 1alues as between this
ye.o.r and last, they do not account for tile whole of t:W.O.t difference.
Re-
turns from District No. 4 (Cleveland) present comparisons only wi til April
1920, ani declines for the eight ::..:.rd•vi:!re firms were 21.9 :per cent, sli;i:.tly
gre~ter t~
in Jistrict No. 3 (Philadelphia), while sales of 14 grocery
houses were 37.7 per cent less and sales of iive dry goods concerns, 4..2
percent.lower.
s~les
In hardware 1 groceries, dry goods. and ::oats and shoes,
in District No. 5 (Richmond) fell off from tile :March totat by amounts
ranging from 1.7 per cent in the case of hardware to 27.2 per cent in dry
goods~
The lcclines as comfared with April 1920
in hardvare to ,39.1 per cant in dry goois..
smll lots for
i~z.eliate
v~ried
from 22.7 per cent
Orders in all lines are in
shipment with the exception of dry
g~ois.
Declines
in April sales as cor.1:pared with !/Iarch were more :r:ronounced in general in
District No. 6 (Atl2.lltc..) than in District
porting dry goods fires
wbic~ w~s
J
No~
S (Ricb.mond.).
however, showed a reduction of 25.5 per cent,
not quite so large as in the Richmond section.
firms reported
s~les
firms, thE; drop v;as
The 15 re-
The 13 hardware
10. 6 per cent below March; in the case of 20 grocery
16~
2 per cent • and for seven shoe houses, 33.4 per cent.
Declines as compared with a year ago averaged 39.7 per cent fer iry goods,
the ctnimum figure, - and 47. 5 per cent for groceries, the
maxirrum~
In
District No. 7 (Chicago) grocery sales of 26 firms suffered an almost
e~ually
heavy decline of 42.8 per cent, dry goods sales (12 firms) were
35. 3 :per cent. lower, anl shoe sales (10 firms)) Z4. 2 per cent less than
O.urin5 April
1920.
In District No. lO (Kansas City) the sa.les of three
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r-·,,1
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reporting grocery firms were less than those of April 1920.
l..__.v•lJ~_j_
April sales
were also less tJJ.an those 'of Harch although weo.ther o.ni ro~J.. coniitions
were assigned as the cause of this fact.
re~:::Jorting
three
The wholesale
~trlw~re
sales of
firms are likewise 40 per cent belmv the totc;.ls of o. ycc..r
..1go a.nd. 18.1 per cent less thm in l/Iarch..
Contrary to the general tend.ency, ·
0ronounc-::i
the wholesale trade returns froinDistrict No~ 11 (Dallas) bad shovm/rcluctions
in March So1es of hardware a.s compared with February and the report for
April states tuat reductions not only continued but were slightly
tb.a.n in J;larc:U..
gr~at~r
Seventeen grocery firr.Js had sales 12.4 per cent below rtrcih
totals which in turn were slightly
bel~~
February figures; sales of five
dry good$ houses were 25.8 per cent lower; and. sales of tvvo hardware
fims, 9. 7 per cent less..
com~ared
As
from 30. 0 per cent· for J:.::l.rdwttre to
~Jo.
4J~
-v.,ri th April 1920, decre:..ses r..1ll.;ed.
0 per cent for e;roceries..
District
12 (Sari Francisco) says that the volume of orders for s-urr.:-.1er delivery
pl .....ced. by retailers is not only much
in this respect
\7d.S
witnessed in April.
quanti ties for imnedic.tc need.
~-ared
belo~;v
last year, but no ,improvement
Buyir13 continues to be in lim$. ted
The reductiot1s in sales; however, as com-
V<i t.a. the preceding month are on the whole not by any meons as striking
Sales of the Z4 reporting hariware firms dropped
as in ot.a.er Districts.
only L 7 per cent; grocery so.les (30 firms) fell 13.. d per cent; shoe sales
(L fir..1s), C 4 per cent ani d.ry goods sales (12 fims) recorde•d. a. slignt
advc.nce of 1. 4 per cent.
As compared with a yec...r ago, declines ran from
3S.2 per cent for groceries to 15.2 per cent f;or dry goods.
RETAIL TRADE.
Retail
flcct(;d a s0c::.sonal decline.
showed a lecre-.s:; both
r::ontb '- ye:::.r .::.go..
wb.~n
tr.~de
throughout the country during A-;·ril re-
In :rract:..cally every District the net sales
coirrfc;,red witil l..1st ::r.onth and also with the same
However, when the price changes are considered, it v10uld
see::-_ th.:;.t t.a.e actuCi-l volu:. e of units sold during April, 1921, was gre.::.tor
r.-··""
'-.> fC•••
·~-)
X-3131
-2.8-
than that sold during the s....r:..; r.:.onth :. ye"-"r ago..
T:..:.a unse...:.sonable we""t:.:er
cond.i tions during April <:.;,nd tt.e fact tlk.~t E.;.ster f;;;ll in I1s.rc:U ttis year
in
instead of/April were, of course, large factcrs in t:.:e iecr3:.se of ss.les.
The reports from r·epresenta ti ve de:partJLent stares shovv a decred..se in net
sales frcm the sa;:e month u. year ago of l, 9 :per cent in District No. 1
(Boston) 1. four per cent iYl District No. 3 (Philadelphia), seven per cent
in District No. 5 (Rictmond) 1 17.7 per cent in District lTo. 11 (Dallas),
and 9.3 :per cent in District Uo. 12 (San Frc:.ncisco).
In evary District
stocks on hand at the end of the month again showed a large
decre~se
from
stocf::s on :Uand. at the end of April, 1920, the decrease in most Cci.Ses being
l.:;.rg.:;r tron the cornyara.tive figures of a month ago..
Most Districts showed
a slight increase in stocks at the close of April as cor:J_pared vvith stocks
at the close of
r~rdrch.
The rapidity of tb.e turnover of stocks b.,:;.,s been
gener-W.ly slovv-er than last month.
the end of April to total purc:uases
The percento.gG of outsLnciing ordej$ <:1t
durin~
,
the c . . .lend.'""r ye<J..r 1920, :aa.s been
· generally decreasing, which affords evidence that the
=ercL~nts
have been
confinin; their purchases to meet ir::mediate raq,uiremcnts, and. :UC.ve not been
Pl'"'-cin;
~ny
gre . . . t amount of orders for future delivery..
However. reports
fro::1 v.::.rious Districts indicate tna.t some retailers are now
anticipate their
fall deli very.
re~uirements
be~Iinnin::;
in that they are pla.cin? some orders for
to
-29X-3i31
PRICES.
As regards prices) there seems to be increasing realiza-
tion of the fact that a relatively stable wholesale price level will
not be obtained until liquidation has occurred in all lines in which
production> ccnsumption or prices are out of harmony one with another.
Liquidation of a pronounced sort has occurred during the course of the
past ye:1.r in raw naterials such as grain and live stock, cotton> wool,
hides> copper and other r.onferrous
~n
materials
prices.
these lines are
n~~
meta~s,
with the result that raw
being sold at approximately pre-war
In the case of cotton 1 hides 1 and non-ferrous
meta~s,
condi-
tions in April and ear-ly May were such as to indicate that a fair degree
of stability had been obtained and prices showed slight increases over
March levels.
Woc1l prices, however 1 continued to decline because of the
abnormally heavy
i.mportat~.ons
.vhich are being made in anticipation of the
new tariff measure.
It is impossible to say whether this relative stabU.ity in the
textile and agricultural lines will be perna.nent or not.
In ti1e case of
cotton, wool 1 and grains 1 stocks vv-hich are being, held at present are
considerably larger than were customary before the 1var.
Commodities in
which the carry-over stocks from the period of abnormal g,overnment
denand were relatively sma.ll 1 did not feel the effect of liquidation as
early as other comrnodi ties.
iihen buyint= was restricted and production
curtailed in textiles and ether lines, however 1 the effect of this was
passed on to such corn.rnodi ties as coal,
building materials.
As a
result~
petroleum~
iron and steel and other
prices in these lines have been reduced
but not as much as in the cas8u mentioned abov'3) since stocks had net
accumulated to the same extent.
Decli~1e
in spct prices of bituminous
coal has been very spectacular> but the present level is still as high as
•
r r.
~~.,~
\.._.,.-' 1'-..).~ ~ .. }!:_
-30-
in
X-3131
1919 and th.e first months of 1920, and at present the tendency of
these prices seems to be towards higher levels.
Contract prices for
the coming year have apparently not yet crystallized.
p~troleum,
price
w~th
level..
Pig
iron~
and leading building nateria.ls are still being reduc,ed in
present levels ranging up to and e.oove twice the pre-war
As conditions improve in the manufacturing lines demand will·
doubtless increase for these commodities, and it is impossible to ,say·
whether these factors will be stronger than those making for lower
levels.
An interesting factor of recent weeJ>:s i~ the readjustment of
prices within industries in such a way as to bring a mere normal relationship of the variol.ls grades or classes of manufactured goods to one
another.
cloth.
This has been especially noticeable in the case of cotton
Profits in certain lines have been narrowed down to such a
point tnat readjustment of this sort is essential to future business.
Index numbers of wholesale prj.ces show that the decline in April
was somewhat greater than in March.
Labor Statistics shows a decline of
The index number -of the Bureau of
5 per cent,
in March, while the index number of the Federal
compared with
~eserve
3
per cent
Beard, constr1.1cted
primarily with the view to international comparisons, also shows a
decline of 5 per cent.
Retail priees of food were likewise reduced at
a somewhat more rapid rate in April than in March.
According to the index
of the Bureau of Labor Statistics based upon prices of 43 articles of
food in a large number of citiesJ the reduction amounted to 1.3 per cent
in March and 2. 5 per cent in April.
the shift
No statistics are available to shew
in the retail prices of other cor.omodities.
•
r·, "'-,;"':'
"'J'(j'<
-31-
x..3131
SHlPPlNG. The shipping situation snowed some improvement during
May,. the most encouraging feature being a sudden demand in the early part
of the month for the charter of coal-carrying ships for lV'.ay loading.
The demand was chiefly for United Kingdom
destination~
as a result of.the
stiffen~!!.
continuance of the British coal strike, but rates .all around.
consequence.
in
Whereas ships had been chartered to carry coal from North
Atlantic ports to the Continent for as low J.s $3.75 per ton in March and
April 1 the quotation in the .early .part of May was
$!5.25 and higher.
While
these increased rates have not been sufficient to attract many ships that
had deiinitely been laid up, they put a stop, for the time being at least,
to further plans of owners for placing additional vessels in the hands of
caretakers.
The conditions underlying the steamship business, namely,
high operating costs, diminished cargoes, and low rates are, however, not
substantially changed, and it is generally agreed that an increase of
production and of the demand for goods throughout the world must be
realized before the present situation can be much improved.
As for the marine strike in American ports, the effect has been less
serious than was anticipated although some outgoing steamers have been
delayed..
In a statement issued toward the end of May, Secretary of
Commerce Hoover, gave some figures showing the effect of the marine strike
in the various United States ports from Mayl- 22 inclusive.
The figures
show that 190 American steamers were detained by the strike, while 936
American steamers sailed from American ports during that time.
pac~fic
The
Coast ports have felt the strike most severely, the Gulf ports
somewhat less, and the Atlantic ports only to a comparatively small extent.
.J
@FedFRASER