Show GROUND FOR encouragement the first detailed report of the national business survey conference appointed last fall by president hoover is encouraging to everybody except chronic pessimists and those who for personal or political reasons would like to make conditions appear worse than they really are in many lines of industry chairman barnes bames reports conditions axe are actually better than aney were a year ago in the few where they are not so good the difference between this period of 1930 and the corresponding period of 1529 is very small and is dimini diminishing credit is getting gettine easier everywhere A third more long term bonds have been marketed this winter than last year bank rates are steadily declining saving bank deposits are increasing in the east life insurance companies coup anies wrote 3 per cent more business in february than one year earlier thus justifying the estimate of increased investment reserves in their hands building and loan associations report increased deposits more farm loans are being made but there is a marked falling off in foreclosures fore closures and installment sales are up TIP to last years and paints axe are being kept up public utilities have begun a program of new construction st which will run about more than 1929 construction work except in residential building is much ahead of last year road buildings buil build dins inLo contracts let in january and february are 82 per cent over 1929 new building contracts in the second week in march were the highest in eight weeks and are expected to increase as mortgage money becomes more freely available railroads have orders out for more rails more locomotives and almost as many new cars as last year and railroad payrolls for february were higher than in february 1929 the commitments of the railroads call for spending more in the first six months of this year than in the first half of last year electric railways are spending more for the year shipyards are active employ employing inz 28 per cent more men in Febra february arv than in february a year ago and 10 per cent more in november telephone expenditures for the year will run ran above 1929 more radio sets were sold since new years than a year ago electric light and power companies are carrying out their promise to spend more this year than last iron and steel output is increasing automobile production is proceeding at rate to build cars this year with payrolls in the industry for february 25 per der cent higher than january and 28 per cent above december farm implements business is about 5 per cent off textiles are from four to 17 per cent below normal for the season book and job printing was two per cent greater than tha n last year and newspaper production three percent higher k m february those are not generalizations or ca guesses esses they are s specific pei cefic facts they are something to show to the armb grumbler who declares that things are L getting worse instead of better As a matter of cold fact this country has nev never er before experienced so wide spread a depression from which recovery began begab so quickly it started in the I 1 fast east and recovery is coming comina first in the east but the re establishment of the high level of industrial and commercial activity and aad general prosperity which we were enjoying a year tear ago is bound to overtake the wave of depression everywhere before the summer is over unless all signs fail |