1931-10-03 — Page 9

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1931.

SURVEYING BUSINESS

ACTIVITIES

Value of Census Returns in Field of Commerce.

BLUE PELLETS OF FACTS.

Digging Down to the Reality Of Things.

a billion and

THE

ceeded by the impulse toward equal-

CHINA

MAIL

Freight Traffic Fluctuations. ly unsound contraction, which Let me cite an example: Ona speculative excesses transmit in-of the more important business. variably to industry and commerce? barometers which this, monthly The answer is, beitor, more exact Survey rouurde shows the flucus- knowledge an' to all phases of the tions in the total volume of freight intricate operation of Industry, traffic on railways. During the wider distribution of these uscerlast few months, this carloading tained facts, and their use by in- figure has shown a serious drop. dividual business men everywhere If this particular business indica- In their own common-senso plantor were to be accepted alone, we ning. Forward-looking leaders from should have to conclude that dur all ranks of national business haveing the depth of depression last afforded counsel and co-operation to spring, the general business of the the efforts President Hoover set on country had declined more than 30 foot years ago in the Department per cent. from customary levels. of Commerce for the collection of business facts, and have assisted in their arrangement and presentation ever since.

But that was not the case: What has been going on is that new forms and types of transportation have been taking traffic away from This Survey is one of the cul- the railroads, rather than that

been

disappearing. quarter dollars minations of that effort, which has traffic has N The following is the text of a radio talk given recently by Dr. Worth of products. The 66,000 just been radically extended and Motor trucks, pipo lines, electric Julius Klein, Assistant Secretary candy and confectionery shops take modified as a result of experience power circuits, delivering energy of Commerce, Department of in 700 millions more. But, what of its preparation. To-day, it offers to places which once consumed fuel like 2,000 separato all play a part in the develop. Commerce, Washington. There it, you ask, besides a lot of big something

One inquiry that has been "is a great deal of food for thought numbers? Just this, those stores measurements of conditions prevail- ment.

in what he says.

support hundreds of enormous in- ing at the mument in fields of made indicates that there are now There's a new magazine out-ordustries all over the country and if national production, distribution, more than 600,000 motor trucks in the United rather an old one in a new form., your job is linked up with then in and nance. It sets up comparisons operating for hire

Assuming the average You will not find it on the new any way, it will make a lot of dif- running back many years as to a States. stands among thore gaily coloured ference to your weekly pay envelope host of important business indica- annual gross earnings of these pictures of Summer girls, though its whether the bosses of your company tors. I am glad to report that the tracka to be $3,500 each, the freight illustrations are of far more signi- are watching these very figures as Department has had great success hill for the truck movement alone to just where these retail outlets in speeding up all phases of its amounts to over two billion dollars deance to the tired business man at

has been greatly a year. publication, and this particular moment.

are and how they are getting along. aided by the friendly assistance of gross freight earnings of railroads Compare that with the I am re- Pirring to the first issue of the

Department Stores. Commerce Department's newly re-

We've always known department many trade associations, educa- last year about four billions - stores did big business in big units,tional institutions, and individual and you can see why we are rather vised Survey of Current Business.

of that the picture is one Blue Pellets of Facts for Pink but we never knew until the Census business enterprises which culla. sure

anished counting them just a day or borate with their statistical data. traffic diversion rather than traffic

There were actually

destruction in this country when two ago, thal

rail freights fall so sharply. 14.924 such establishments, and that the exact figure for their yearly sales amounted to four billion, 300

Pellets of Optimism,, Now, I do not propose for one moment to impose on your courtesy and, that of my friends by trying to peddle magazine subscriptions. But

I can think of no more valuable million dollars. service to our anxious merchants and

Other Stores,

most of us can

SHADOWS BEFORE

COMING EVENTS ADVERTISED IN CHINA MAIL.

Social Function. To-night--Special Dinner Dance, Peninsain Hotel.

Entertainments. To-day King's Theatre; "Murder By The Clock,"

Today Queen's Theatre; "Sinner's Holiday."

Today Central Theatre; "Dracula."

To-day - Majestic Theatro;

"The Awful Truth." "The Bellamy Trial."

Today Star Theatro:

Home Mails,

To-day -Inward from Europe via Suez (Kashima Maru); from America via ports (Empress of Canada and Pres. Monroe); from London (Glaueue); Outward for Europe via Siberia (President Jefferson), 6 pm.

Meetings.

October 8 Hong Kong Horticul- tural Society, Jardine, Matheson Co.'s Board Room, 5.15 p.m.

EXCHANGES.

TO-DAY'S QUOTATIONS,

October 9-Hong Kong and Can- Co., Ltd. ton Ice Manufacturing The Rod of Adversity.

2 Lower Albert Road, 10.45 a.m. Apparently, an anation, we

Land Sales. 4 Of course, this transfer of the learn best in suffering-under the

For instance, freight carrying job is a mighty

October 5-At P.W.D. Offices, rod of adversity, it took a long series of business de- serious thing, especially for the two lots of Crown land. 3 p.m. pressions before the United States distressed, railways, which, after exerted itself to organise a sound all, are still our major stand-bys mmufacturers than giving .Our 57,000 drug stores (so-called)

and credit mechanism, when it comes to transportation them, not gossip or pleasantly have yearly sales of one billion 68 currency

which our Federal Reserve System But, viewing this carloading de.. soporific pink pellets of optimisin, millions. Then the old-style cour-

now administers, even though incline as an indicator of the volums but a suggestion as to the means try store--which whereby they can inform them-remember-is still going strong, foreach of those old depressions a gen- of the nation's business as a whole, selves of the actual business situa- from extinct, and is now represent-cral collapse of banks caused all it is not quite so serious from the tion and then do their own thinking ed by 87,68 establishments, with kind of ghastly suffering. And general point of view as would be latest national|å fall in all forms of transport busi- and their own planning. They have annual business of two billions. The so, from the two been pestered with enough, free ad- 20,000 jewellery stores account for experiences with depression, that mess.

And so, let me repoat, by better- vice and prophesy to last them the annual sales of 530 millions, while of 1931 and this one from which rest of their natural lives. Their the amount of business done by the we have just begun to emerge, we ing our knowledge of the facts and uncertainties can be cleared by just 15,900 places handling radio supplicare gradually, collectively, drawing our use of that knowledge we are We making material progress in the re- thing; facts, well-developed runs to mother half billion. One another enlightening lesson.

business. And facts. It is up to them, the busi-of the big retail units we must not see that this new, mass production construction of

ess men, to analyze and appraise verlook is represented by the 24,333 elvillantion of ours has got to that, certainly. is a job of compell- and apply those facts themselves lumberyards which handle two bil-balance itself it must match pro-ing Importance. each one to his own case..

Hons a year in building materials. All told, we have 1,550,000 retail stores, and they are indeed in many ways a most formidable factor in our business scene.

Chock-full of Statistics. Hence the importance of this new effort on the part of the Commerce Department to bring together in plainly understandable form all the

facts

The current

on busines, magazine is chock-full of statistics, at course in fact, it is "nothing else but"-but they are carefully selected statistics, and since we have to have our statistics, like our spinach, I for one prefer vilne band picker and washed, with all the nonessentials eliminated.

Automobile Figures, Perhaps, the most surprising dis. closure of the Retail Census is the importance of the automobile in creating business activities.

There are 253,300 sales establish- ments, filling stations, and garages in this country which minister to the nuto and its operations, and their annual combined business This publication is not intended amounts to nearly 10 million dollars, just for a few learned economists; only execeded by the 11 billion dol- It present in simple condensedlar national outlay on food. We all phrases and tables just the facts the like to poke fun at statistica-we average business man wants. Of remember Mark Twain's comment edure, if he rather fancies himself as a statistician he has plenty of materal in that monthly for a good

work-out.

that figures can't lie but lars can figure-but even the jests render a tribute to the respect we must all pay these instruments of exact measurement.

duction to consumption-and must arrange to, keep up the consuming power which underlies markets, must make every possible effort to curb this periodic unbalancing of the whole commercial muchinery through failure to keep a watchful eye on the vital factor of equill- brium-not making things that can

not be sold.

NOTE ISSUES

Official Monthly. Returns.

On London

Bank, wire

1/1

Bank, on demand... 1/14 Bank, 4 months' sight 1/1 % Credits, 4 months*

sight

1/3 % Documentary, 4

months sight.... 1/3

On Paris.

On demand Credits, 4

aight

670.

months'

€55

Nom

22

On Berlin-

The returns of the average On demand amount of bank notes in circula-

On New York---- tion and of specie in reserve in Hong Kong, during the month On demand ended September 30, 1931, as cer-Credits, 60 days' sight 251⁄4% tified by the Managers of the res- On Bombay--- pective Banks is as follows:-

Spacio Amant. In Reserva.

Banks Chartered Bank of India, Australia and

AYPTOC

poration ...122,803,490 112,000,000† Mercantile

dia, Ltd.... 3,658,397

Wire On demand

7714

77%

On Calcutta-

Wire

772

China ......$23,800,700 $ 8,300,000* On demand Rong Kong and

772

Shangha!

Banking Cor-

On Singapore-- On demand

491%

On Manila-

·Bank of In-

1,350,0005

On demand

46

On Shanghai-

Tis. 77 44% dis.

45%

(Bank's

1/8 % -15 15/16

Nom. Nom.

Total ...$150,208,603 $121.650.000

"Dig Down to Reality. No easy job, this. We can not 21 hand toward simply wave Washington and say "Let there be set up a super-economic council, a get of master minds, to whom all of us can pass along the full re- sponsibility to put things in order about our business" while we go

This is emphatically | if any! not the time for buck-passing of that sort (if you will pardon that inelegant but exactly accurate one of you phrase which every understands). As President Hoover Value of Census Returns.

says, a battle on a thousand fronts How Trouble in the Slump Yet as to business, so immense

will have to be waged if we want Originated. and complicated are the affairs of

Busi- our country that we have had to Our whole trouble in this slump to conquer this situation. proceed in completo ignorance of originated largely in the fact that ness must dig its way down to .instead of souring off the most outstanding economic facts we had too much guesswork, too reality all these years. Why, until just much easy-going playing of hunches, through the pink clouds of specula- this week, when our first nation-Aud so I do not believe it possible tive dreamland. This survey Is wide retail census ever conducted to overrate the importance of these one of the prime tools for that dig- began to approach completion, no- new statistical studies to Americanging effort.

In addition Securitics deposited Be Cheerful. body has been able to say definitely enterprise. And I am glad to any

with the Crown Agents valued Bar Silver in Hong how many grocery stores, or gas that our business decisions are com-

at £180,000.

Kong Sling stations,

The following statement of the department ing to be based more and more 'upon to be cheerful over the outlook.

now using securities lodged with the Crown | Copper Cash stores, or business houses of any precise and tested knowledge; and Many industries are specific kind there were in the coun- such knowledge is best expressed these facts to lay firm foundations. Agents by the Mercantile Bank of Copper Cents ........3% prem. try, or how much business they did. solely expressed, I might say-in Here is a definite example of what india, Limited, against their notes Rate of Native In And until we have such, basic data the tables and symbols like those mean. The good showing of in circulation, is published for as those how are we ever going to which this monthly Survey pro- textiles, soap, and other lines in re- general information under Section 5 get to the bottom of such questions sents,

or

as the chain-store issue or the meat- trade problems or a lot of others?

some of have

been

.

But there is every reason for us

an en-

On Yokohama-- On demand

* In addition Sterling Securities On demand

are deposited with the Crown Dollar Agents valued at £1,298,600, In addition Securities deposit ed with the Crown Agents and Straits Government valued at 23,078,000.

Security

Treasury

Bonds pay .able @ 100

Latest Amount

market price

in 1933/35 .£180,000 100%-100%

Sovereigns

buying rate) Silver (per oz.)

terest

8%% p.4. 24% dis,

cent months is due to no small ex- of the Mercantile Bank Note Issue Chinese Sub. Coln .. Bill's Awakening.

tent to this intelligent gearing of Ordinance, 1911, (Ordinance No. 65 Hong Kong Sub. Coin Par. Of course, many businessmen production to consumption-the of 1911): I am going to give you

unfortunately mis- better balancing of industry to its; those newly-discovered facts on re-led by the speculative tempts markets-through the intelligent tailing now, thanks to the courtesy tions of this last boom per-use of statistics. We are obvinua. of Mr. Guernsey and Doctor McFall, formance 29 Was the chaply coming out of the depression nationally known distribution ex- whose friends got concerned over now; and, at the same time, we are perts of the Census staff, who have his increasing Indulgence in seeing the basis laid for directed the investigation.

liquor. Catching him one Satur. during, stable prosperity that will Food Stores.

day night in that stage tech at least modify the next unbalanc- So, hold your breath now, while nically referred to, I

Ing. Am we hop off to a non-stop endurance told, as "passed out," they cart- Of course, all business doubts and fight, right through a cloud-banked him down to the town cemetery, difficulties will never be settled by of statistics, which, until this and deposited him, In a half-dug the simple process of setting up and moment, have been made public. grave. There, now," they told circulating figures: The need for Eirat-well, what does come first each other, "when Bill wakes up careful, intelligent interpretation In our daily need? Food, probably. he'll get a scare that'll keep him of these business indicators for There are 497,716 food atores in the sober for a long time. But when their comparison in every direction, United States, and their annual the sun rose next morning, the will always be with the business sales volume runs to more than sleeper slowly, painfully opened bis man

A little girl who disliked milk puddings had been made to finish' her portion before leaving the tablo.

"Now may I get down?" she asked, with a sigh of relief.

"When you've' said "your, grace," nodded her mother.

"But I've nothing to give thanks for," answered the child.

"Then you'd better stay there." This was too much for the little eleven billion dollars. That la 22 | eyes, gazed round in confusion, and And as you study these or any par cent. of the total retail business then ant up with a shout of Jay, other current business figures regirl, and putting her hands to of the country and nearly three "Glory be!" he cried, "I'm the first member this: Our civilisation regether she murmured times the amount of our total expert man up on Resurrection Morning!" fuses to stand still at any moment "For what I have received I'm trade to the whole world. Anong Nothing is more disastrous these them are 9,200 delicatessone:" (Put) days than misinterpreting the ac them all along one stract and you'd tual circumstances of one's elfum have a very considerable mileage of tlou

"hot dogs" and all! plekfast), Then Value of Exact Knowledge, we have found 40,000 meat and flab How can we get away from the markets, which each year sell nearly impulse to unsound expansion, suck

to let a statistical artist make a truly grateful, and I thank Heaven final picture of any of its features. I wasn't slck."'

Its form and character constantly

shift, and scales and measures de- Murphy: That drain pipe must, vised for it must shift as wall, and, be rather hard for a pillow, Pat

Pat: Faith, no. Ove stuffed must be applied with knowledge of

||It with straw! the shifting/

LONDON EXCHANGES

Rugby, Yesterday.

Paris

New York Brussels. Geneva Amsterdam Milen Berlin Stockholm Copenhagen Oslo Vienna

100% 3,97

28%2

20

*9%

78.

17

1614

174

17%

2014

Helsingfors

∙170

Prague Madrid

196

45

109

300

600

Lisbon Athens

Bucharest

Yokohama. www.deres 2/6 3⁄41⁄21⁄2 Silver Spot ... 15, 15/16 Silver Forward, ... :161⁄2"

-British Wirelose Service.

me

Jome a COLUMBIA You Should Get Today!

9405-Sanctuary of the Heart

RECORDS

Ketelbey's Concert Orch. 9416-In a Monastery, Garden ...................... Organ Solv. 9382-Valse Creole .................... Grenadier Guards Band. 9383—A Midsummer Night's Dream

Grenadier Guards Band. 9439-Hungarian Dance in D Minor Catteral Violin.

9277-With Verdure Clad Bonner. Boy Soprano. 9229-Ave Maria. (Schubert).

Organ Solo, 9209-Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 Squire's Octet.

9204-Carmen-Flower Song ........ Jordan Tenor,

9160-The Bohemian Girl-Overture

B.B.C. Sum. Orch.

The Anderson Music Co., Ltd.

BARCLAYS

LONDON

LAGER

THE

BEER

FOR A

LORDLY

THIRST.

Sole Agents-

CALDBECK, MACGREGOR & CO., LTD. . Incorporated under the Companies' Ordinances of Hong Kong.

Prince's Building Ice House St. Tel. 20075.

LLOYD'S

RED HORSE

VIRGINIA CIGARETTES

CORK TIPPED

$0.80 Per Tin of 50's

WARRANTED PURE AND NON-INJURIOUS TO SMOKERS.

MANUFACTURED BY :-

RICHARD LLOYD & SONS.

LONDON, ENGLAND,

IMPORTED BY:-

TABAQUERIA FILIPINA.

·ASIÁTIC BUILDING.

Five Kings?

George IV

Old potch Wid

Yes-

when the fifth is: KING GEORGEIV

Sole Agents: › GANDE, PRICE & CO., LTD,

Tel 20135.

St. George's Bullding, Ice House Strests --

HONG KONG Y