Business Gradually Improving, Survey Shows
INCREASE SEEN
IN EMPLOYMENT
THROUOUT U. S.
-5
Eight Hundred Compan
ies In 26 Lines Of Busi
ness Report On Favor
able Factors.
Gradual improvement in business
conditions was reported to the unem
ployment conference of the National
Association of Manufacturers, in a
trade survey of industries throughout
the United States.
Eight hundred companies in 26
lines of business answered a question
naire of conditions as of October 15,
J. Lewis Benton, general secretary,
said.
Favorable factors, on these basis of
these reports, were noted as follows:
1. Better business than last fall is
reported by 8 per cent of the compan
ies, compared to 5 per cent last year.
Eighteen per cent held the same bus
iness, compared to 14 per cent last
year.
2. Employment shows a slight in
crease over October, 1930. Five per
cent of the companies increased their
forces, compared to 2 per cent last
year. Thirty-one per cent have held
the same personnel, compared to tv
per cent last year.
3. Wages have held their own or
been bettered in 54 per cent of the
companies. Decreased production,
sales, and prices strike a general aver
age nearly three times that of wage
reductions.
4. Inventories are the lowest in
years, indicating that when general
buying is increased, plants will be
compelled to enlarge forces to speed
production.
Several industries showed marked
improvement over their state of trade
a year ago. Among these were auto
mobile accessories, 14 per cent in
crease; chemicals, 11 per cent; elec
trical supplies, 18 per cent; leather,
27 per cent; paper and pulp, 14 per
cent; rubber, 25 per cent; stationery
and printing, 9 per cent; textiles, 17
per cent, and miscellaneous, 9 per
cent.
Fifty-eight per cent of the firms
said they considered prospects for the
winter fair, good or excellent.
The employment relations commit
tee recommended that unemployment
relief should be on the basis of pay
ment for work actually performed. It
urged that politics be kept out of ad
ministration of public relief funds,
and that local bodies control the work
under the supervision of a central state
authority.
Available work should be spread
over the week to help the largest pos
sible number of applicants, the com
mittee suggested.
James W. Hook of New Haven,
Conn., described a, survey made by
the New England council’s industrial
committee to determine what business
executives believe are the activities
most needed to increase employment.
"The majority vote,” Hook said,
"urged employers to keep as many
people on their payrolls as possible by
eliminating overtime and reducing
weekly hours.”
William G. Rose of Cleveland pro
posed a similar program, suggesting a
20 per cent reduction in working
hours with corresponding decrease in
pay.
m __
LICENSE PLATES
FOR 1932 TO BE
BLACK AND YELLOW
-5
North Carolina’s 1932 auto tags
will be the "New York” type—black
numerals against a yellow background.
The words “North Carolina” will ap
pear at the top instead of at the bot
tom, followed by a small "32.” There
will be no classification numbers, but
tags will be sold numerically, regard
. less of the type of vehicle—except
that the truck series will be different
from that of passenger cars.
Tags for both passenger cars and
trucks will go on sale December 15
and every motor vehicle is required by
law to be equipped with new tags by
January 1.
A new system of charges goes into
effect this time; the charge being 5 5
cents per 100 pounds for all passenger
cars, the weight being figured to in
clude the 'nearest 50 pounds’ with
$12.50 as a minimum. Thus, there
are 16 different license fees for Fords
alone.
The minimum for trucks is $15.
Pneumatic-tired truck fees are 5 5
cents per 100 pounds for not more
than one and one-half ten capacity;
70 cents per 100 between one and
one-half and three-ton capacity, and
$1 for all over three-ton capacity. .
Solid-tired trucks bear the heaviest
rates, since the state motor vehicle
commission wishes to eliminate such
trucks as rapidly as possible. For these
vehicles, the rate is $1.20 per 100
pounds for those of not more than
one and one-half ton capacity; $1.40
for hose of two to three-ton capacity,
and 2 for those of three to 10-ton ca
pacity.
There is also a new system for get
ting tags, now that the license rates
have been placed on a basis of weight
without relation to horsepower. Brief
ly it’s as follows:
"Persons owning the cars for which
they purchased 1931 tags will receive
from the state commission at Raleigh
application cards which are to be pre
sented to one of the motor club
branches in purchasing tags. Persons
who have bought cars formerly own
ed by others must send to the state
commission their papers showing trans
fer of ownership, in exchange for
which they will get application cards.
Persons from eut-of-state must send
to Raleigh their title papers and get
the regulation cards. For new cars,
we can arrange to handle the details
through dealers to avoid bother by
purchasers and can issue tags direct
ly upon presentation of purchase re
ceipts.”
_*_
HUGE MSI IN DROUGHT
110 MET II RED CROSS
Relief Given to Distressed Helps
in Meeting Serious Situation,
Chairman Payne Says.
‘‘Tho year of the great drought,”
as these past twelve or more months
will be known to future generations,
wrought great damage to millions.
Not alone did the crops, which were
burned in the fields in twenty-three
states, in the summer of 1930, deprive
several million persons of food, but
the drought disaster continued in the
summer of 1931 in the northwestern
states, and also brought other minor
catastrophes in its wake, such as for
est fires, and the grasshopper plague
More than a year has elapsed since
the American Red Cross launched, in
August, 1930, its first moves for relief
ot the drought-stricken farmers, and
In that time more than 2,750,000 per
sons were given food-, clothing, med
ical aid, shelter or other type of as
sistance. At no period during this
year were there fewer than 70,000
persons being aided and at the peak
of the relief work on March 1, last,
more than 2,000,000 persons were be
ing helped.
Today, still as a result of the
drought, the Red Cross is giving ex
tended relief in parts of North Dakota,
Washington and Montana, where re
rvf linnfll'Orla rtf f D mill PC’ \V AT P
wiped out this past summer, when a
second and more severe spell of dry
weather was prolonged in that region.
This drought relief presented the
greatest task that has ever been un
dertaken by the Red Cross as a peace
time activity. The Mississippi Valley
flood of 1927, w'hile more spectacular,
and calling for relief of a costlier type,
because homes and possessions were
swept away, affected hardly one-fourth
the number of people who suffered be
cause of the drought.
In addition to the broad program
cf drought relief still being carried
on, John Barton Payne, chairman of
the American Red Cross, has given
the following suggestion to Chapter
chairmen, in regard to unemployment
relief: “Where there is suffering and
want from any cause and the funda
mental local needs are not being met,
Chapters may participate in the com
munity plans for meeting the need.”
Some type of general family relief,
whether for the drought victims, the
unemployed or the war veteran and
his family, were carried on by more
than 3,000 Red Cross Chapters last
year, Judge Payne said.
“The drought relief work of 1930
31,” he added, "the relief now being
extended following last summer’s
drought, principally in Montana and
North Dakota; the assistance which
is being given to ex-service men and
, their families; and the part which
several hundred Chapters are taking
locally in their communities’ relief
measures are activities of the Red
Cross, national and local, which have
met end are meeting some of the seri
ous needs of the present situation.”
-5
Finds Missing Child Dead
-S- _
Cleveland.—Sebastiano Romano
approached the desk sergeant at Cent
ral Police Station. He explained that
his son, John, 11, was missing from
home. The officer glanced at an un
identified drowning report and hand
ed it to the father. Romano read the
typewritten description and collaps
ed.
-<!
Ice patrol vessels of the Coast
Guard cover a radius of 5,000 to 6,
000 miles in their search for bergs and
warn ships by radio.
-9
Many things beyond human com
prehension are real, nevertheless.
AN ULTIMATE CONSUMER
I .. ' " . ■ . ■
This baby in a drought stricken section of West Virginia was one of the
ultimate consumers of the foodstuffs given by the American Red Cross tn the
past year. More than 2,750,CC0 persons were fed by the organization.
"Hello, Baby!” Stirs
Ire Of 3 00rPounder
-5
Chicago.—The police say Frank
Beters must revise his social tech
nique.
This became apparent they report
ed after he had accosted a strange
woman with "Hello, baby!”
The woman weighed about 3 00
pounds. Her reply was a left upper
cut. It was a glancing blow, however,
and Beters was able to flee. The wo
man pursued him.
Poliiemen Matthew Brennan and
Fred Krueger, in an automobile, wit
nessed the affair and overtook Beters,
holding him untiTthe woman arrived,
whereupon she hit him again.
The police locked him up.
"But the lady,” said Officer Bren
nan, "went away without giving her
name. She explained that her husband
was jealous and might smash his way
into jail for the purpose of homicide.”
-5
Secretary Doak tells labor that pros
erity is due before long.
Shoes rebuilt the better way. All
kinds of harness, trunk and suitcase
repairing.
Fayssoux’s Place
Phone 433 113 E. Innes St.
'^±SB
NeXT time you are out
of fix as the result of ir
regular or faulty bowel
movement, try ThedforcTs
Black-Draught for the re
freshing relief it gives
thousands of people who take it.
Mr.E. W. Cecil, a construction super
intendent in Pulaski, Va., says:
•——^■— "When I get con
stipated, my head aches, and I
have that dull, tired feeling—just
not equal to my work. I don’t
feel hungry and I know that I
need something to cleanse my
system, so I take Black-Draught.
We have found it a great help.”
Sold in 25-cent packages.
Thed Ford’s ^
WOMEN who are run-down, or suf
fer every month, should take Car
dui. Used for over 50 years. e i77-»
Sits On Cat;
Duel Follows
Detroit.—Jesus Ortega carelessly
sat upon Salvatore Caramen’s cat. In
the duel that followed Ortega died
and Caramen lies in a hospital near
death of four bullet wounds.
*•
Heat with coke . . . the clean, efficient fuel
Industrial Progress
AND PAYROLLS
UNEMPLOYMENT is not merely the misfortune of
the few. It is an economic affliction from which all suf
fer.
It has been written about, talked about and fought
about. From Wall Street to Main Street, everything and
everybody has been blamed. But that does not help the sit
uation.
Efficiently operated businesses have little to fear from
competition. Take stock of your own business!
Are you operating as efficiently as mod
ern business methods permit?
Are you using the most efficient ma
chinery, or are you, industrially, still in
the ’90’s? %
We have a direct interest in community development.
The growth and progress of a utility depend on the growth
and industrial progress of the towns or cities it serves.
An electrified business is an efficient business, reduc
ing its costs, increasing its market—a guarantee against
unemployment.
It is not a cure-all, but it is a step in the right direction.
PICK YOUR BUSINESS UP BY
THE BOOT STRAPS, ELECTRIFY!
SOUTHERN PUBLIC UTILITIES CO.
AND
N.C. PUBLIC SERVICE CO.
PHONE 1900
Ride the street cars and amid the parkins nuisance
==1
MAN ELECTROCUTED
Kinston.—Jack Gardner, 37, was
electrocuted at the municipal electric
plant here when he came in contact
with a 2,30-volt line. Gardner, a line
man, was helping to make connections
atop the plant when the accident oc
curred. A fellow-worker pulled him!
off the wire. No pulmotor was im
mediately available. The victim was
burned on one leg. Those in charge at
the plant said the usual precautions
had been taken by the linemen but
Gardner apparently stepped off a rub
ber mat in his work.
-5
Minister Active At 90
Manchester, Maine.—This town
boasts the distinction of having one of
the oldest active preachers in the
country.
The Rev. I. Warren Hawkes, pastor
of Friends Chhrch, recently celebrated
his nineth birthday and the followl
ing Sunday announced his intention of
continuing work in the pulpit.
-1
No Dull Times Here
Note these year-to-year increases in
the per capita consumption of dairy
products:
1918-28 From To
Milk, gallons _43 _56.6
Ice cream, gallons _ 2.07 2.90
Butter, pounds_14 _17.34
Cheese, pounds _ 3 _ 4.11
Net profits of the big dairy corpo
rations were 13.1 per cent greater in
1930 than in 1929, but the dairy
farmer enjoyed no such prosperity.
----5-:
King George and Prince of Wales
cut incomes to aid nation.
Dogs Drown Fox In
Sewer
_ -c
o
East St. ' Louis, IN1I.—Amature
huntpn, out to kill a fox that has
b'"'' r^Blinjf-chickens, found their two
dsJL#™n an‘ma^ int0 a sewer.
Thefo* Was drowned before released.
;--5- ,
Father To Go To School
-5
Valparaiso, ‘ INnd.—The Notre
Dame University enrollment for 1932
will include the name of Peter J. Hern
71, Valparaiso, who is returning to
his alma mater after an absence of
fifty-three years. Hern’s first attempt
at a college degree at Notre Dame,
shortly after the University had been
opened was cut short when the school
burned.
He said he was unable to return
when it was rebuilt. Hern’s son, John,
was graduated from Notre Dame in
1908.
_a_
o
FARMER KILLS SELF
Kinston. — John S. Waters, 33,
found dead from a bullet wound at
his ht»me three miles from Deep B.un
at 9:30 a. m., was a suicide, according
to the coroner’s office here. Waters, a
farmer of the Tull’s Mill section, used
a small caliber rifle to end his life. The
reason for the act was unknown. Wa
ters had been in ill health some time.
He is survived by a widow and 12
year-old daughter.
-5
Germany seeks to buy Farm Board
wheat on three-year credit.
--;-5
Washington veers toward budgetary
limit on arms at Geneva.
lu ......
NORMAN INGLE )
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