TEXAS BUSINESS REVIEW A MONTHLY SUMMARY OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN TEXAS BUREAU OF BUSINESS RESEARCH COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS VOL. XX, NO. 9° October 1946 H I G H LIGHTS 0 F TEX AS BUS I N ES S SEPTEMBER 1946 COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER 1945 Construction contracts ---------------­Life insurance sales ---------------------­Retail sales -----------------------------------­Bank debits _________ ----------------------· Cotton consumption -----------·-··-···· Farm cash income -----------------------· Crude petroleum production _____ _ Pay rolls --------------------------------------­ Employment __________ --------------------·-­ Electric power consumption ----···· Postal receipts --------------------·-··-···-· SEPTEMBER 1946 COMPARED WITH AUGUST 1946 Farm cash income __ --------------------· Retail sales -----------------------------------· Pay ro,lls ___________________ ------------------­Employment --------------------····---------­Cotton consumption ----------------···· Crude petroleum production __ ___ _ Bank debits ------------·--------------·····-· Electric power consumption _______ _ Postal receipts --------------------·--·-----­Life insurance sales ---------------------­Construction contracts ---------------­ PERCENT DECREASE PERCE NT INCREASE 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 TEN CENTS PER COPY ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR Compliments of THE REPUBLIC NATIONAL BANK, DALI.AS, TEXAS TEXAS BUSINESS REVIEW FIGURES FOR Tl-IE MONTI-I INDEX OF TEXAS BUSINESS ACTIVITY (1935-39=100)*...... Index of department and apparel store sales (10)______________________________________________ . Index of miscellaneous freight carloadings in Southwestern District (20) ----------------­. Index of crude oil runs to stills (5) ----------------------•------------------------------­Index of electric power consumption (15) ~-----------------------------------------------------------­Index of employment (25) --------------------------------------------------------------------­Index of pay rolls (25) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------­ TRADE Retail sales of 1,124 independent stores ............................................. -'-----··----------------------­ Ratio of credit sales to net sales in department and apparel stores.______________________ _ Ratio of collections to outstandings in department and apparel stores_____________________ ~;~;iti:~~~;~~~ar; ~~ ~~t~:=~:.-~-~~~·~::::::::::::::::=::::~~:==:::::::::=::::::=;::=:=::::::~~:=::::::::::::':::::::::: PRODUCTION Industrial electric pwer' consumption for 10 companies (thO'Usands of kilowatt hours) ' Man-hours worked in 512 manufacturing establishments -----------------------------------------------­ Crude oil runs to stills (42-gallon barrels) ___-____ ______:_______________________ Gasoline stocks at refineries (thousands of barrels) _____________________________________ Fuel oil stocks at refineries (thousands of barrels) ----------------------------------------­Cotton consumption (running bales)--------------------------------------------------------------,-· Cotton !inters consumed (running bales) -------'------------------------------------------­Cottonseed crushed (tons) ·-------------------------~-----------------------------------------------­ Manufacture of dairy products (1000 lbs. milk equivalent) ________________________________ Cement production (barrels) --------------------------------------·-------------------------------­ Lumber production in Southern pine mills (weekly per unit average in board feet) ______ Construction contracts awarded --------------------------------------------------------------­ Co~st;uction c?nt~acts a':"arded _f?r residential building_____________________________ ______________ Bmldmg permits issued m 44 citles................________________~---·-----------------------------------­ Number of loans made by savings and loan associations________________________________________ Amount of loans made by savings and loan associations--------~-----------------------------­Telephones in service (end of month) -------------------------------------------------­ Crude petroleum production (daily average in barrels) ________________________________________ _ AGRICULTURE Fa rm cash income...·-----------------------'---------------····--·------------------------------------Shipments of Iivestock (carloads) ------------------·-------·--------------------------------------------­Rail shipments of poultry (carloads) · -------------------------------------------------------------­Rail shipments .of eggs (shell equivalent) -----------------------------------------------·-----­ Interstate receipts of eggs at T«1 5,665 -50.8 -7.0 CREDIT RATIOS IN DEPARTMENT AND APPAREL STORES· Cleburne -------­4,872 4,503 5,201 -6.3 + 8.2 Coleman ---------3,969 2,848 4,522 -12.2 + 39.4 (in percent) Corpus Christi __ __ 56,741 63,618 70,850 -19.9 -10.8 Corsicana ------­7,823 11,941 9,609 -18.6 -34.5 Ratio of Ratio of Ratio of Dallas ----------------­609,956 658,658 532,086 + 14.6 -7.4 credit sales collections to credit salaries Del Rio ------------­3,970 4,460 5,823 -31.8 -11.0 Number to net sales* outstandingst to credit salest .of Denison -----------­8,019 8,799 8,600 -6.8 -8.9 reporting Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Denton ---------------­10,33(} 10,671 10,944 -5.6 -3.2 Classification stores 1946 1945 1946 1945 1946 1945 Edinburg --------­4,508 4,766 4,385 + 2.8 -5.4 El Paso -------------­86,171 91,249 9'1,331 -5.6 -5.6 Fort W orth ------­261,997 257,081 216,666 +20.9 + 1.9 BY CITIES: Gainesville --------­5,080· 5,324 6,350 -20·.o -4.6 ALL STORES -----·-···---55 49.6 44.6 59.5 63.6 0.9 1.0 Austin ·················--------6 44.3 36. 7 69.4 69.1 i.'2 1.4 Galveston ----------­47,105 47,327 44,041 + 7.0 -0.5 Beaumont -------------------3 60.1 50.4 60.6 63.5 0.9 1.0 Gladewater --------­3,354 3,628 3,227 + 3.9 -7.6 Corpus Christi ________ 3 50.6 39.0 81.3 76.1 1.4 1.7 Graham -------------­3,388 3,023 3,442 -1.6 + 12.1 Dallas -----------·-·---··----6 52.8 56.9 59.1 63.4 0.7 0.7 Harlingen ----······ 1(},959 10,691 16,120 -32.0 + 2.5 El Paso ·----·--------------3 46.7 37.5 54.2 • 55.1 1.2 1.2 Houston ----·------···­390,373 434,362 379,210 + 2.9 -10.1 Fort Worth ----------------4 52.5 40.1 52.5 66.5 1.0 1.1 Jacksonville ------­5,066 4,496 4,594 + lo.3 + 12-7 Houston ---------------------5 47.4 36.9 59.2 59.9 1.2 1.7 Kenedy ---------------­1,680 1,952. 1,841 -8.7 -13.9· San Antonio -------------4 41.6 32.9 58.0 62.9 1.1 1.3 Kerrville -----------­3,975 5,015 4,343 -8.5 -20.7 Waco ----------------------------5 53.8 45.8 59.8 65.1 0.9 1.2 Laredo ----------------­13,362 14,944 18,419 -27.5 -10.6 Other --------------------------16 44.1 35.2 70.8 69.3 . 0.9 1.2 LongvieW ---------­11,838 13,022 13,145 -9.9 -9.1 BY TYPE OF STORE: Lubbock 36,392 32,419 34,959 + 4.1 + 12.3 McAllen 7,635 8,242 7,365 + 3.7 -7.4 Department s t o r e s Midland 11,112 10,692 14,270 -22.1 + 3.9 (annual sales over Orange 10,859 11,574 12,831 -15.4 -6.2 $500,000) ----------------16 52.6 42.6 59.6 64.6 0.9 1.2 Department s t o r e s Pampa ···-···------·-­8,762 8,452 10,790 -18.8 + 3.7 (annual sales under Paris ----------------------9,346 9,192 16,616 -43.8 + 1.7 . 6,371 6,247 6,061 $500,000) ----------------10 45.7 35.1 67.0 65.0 0.9 1.3 Plainview -----------­+ 5.1 + 2.0 D r y goods -apparel Port Arthur ------­17,858 26,508 21,941 -18.6 -32.6 San Angelo -------19,151 23,085 23,916 -19.9 -17.0 stores ---------------------3 39.6 33.1 60.7 66.1 1.7 1.6 Women's specialty San Antonio ______ 231,257 248,810 245,873 -5.9 -7.1 shops --------------------16 44.5 53.4 56.6 60.6 0.8 0.6 Seguin ----------------­3,968 3,559 4,085 -2.9 + 11.5 Men's clothing ·stores 10 47.1 35.2 71.1 69.7 0.9 1.3 Sherman ------------­11,185 11,065 12,504 -10.5 + 1.1 Snyder -------------­2,487 1,808 2,526 -1.5 + 37.6 BY VOLUME OF NET Sweetwater -------­7,116 5,930 6,222 + 14.4 + 20.0 Temple --------------­12,399 11,138 15,137 -18.1 + 11.3 SALES (1945) : Over $2,500,000 ----------16 51.1 47.5 58.1 62.9 0.8 0.9 Texarkana ---------­24,275 31,593 30,927 -21.5 -23.2 $1,000,000-$2,000,000 .. 11 46.4 36.0 66.5 67.7 0.6 1.0 Texas City ---------­6,312 7,564 5,397 + 17.0 -16.6 $500,000-$1,000,000 ----14 43.5 35.5 67.3 66.2 0.7 0.8 -10.1 ­ Less than $500,000 .... 14 37.0 29.5 68.2 68.0 1.3 1.4 Tyler -----------------­23,886 24,059 26,572 0.7 Vernon --------------­5,923 5,877 6,300 -6.0 + 0.8 Victoria -----···-······· 8,054 8,754 10,840 -25.7 -8.0 *Credit sales divided by net sales. Waco ---------­53,395 54,059 54,068 -1.2 -1.2 tCollections during the month divided by the total accounts unpaid on Wichita Falls _ 34,522 34,428 45,307 -23.8 + .o.a the first of the month. isalari.., of the credit department divided by credit aaJ..,. (52.6%), while dry goods stores reported the smallest (39.6%). When the reporting stores were grouped ac­cording to volume of net sales, the ratio of credit sales varied directly with the volume of sales. For the stores with an annual volume of $2,500,000 in 1945 the ratio was 51.1 %, for $1,000,000-$2,500,000 it was 46.4%, for $500,000-$1,000,000 it was 43.5% and for less than $250,000 it was 37.0%. Gasoline taxable sales in Texas, after establishing a new record in July with a total of 174,919,050 gallons, fell off 10.2% to 157,110,177 gallons in August, ac­cording to data released by the State Comptroller. In August 1945 taxable sales amounted to 140,879,206 gallons. The August figure represented a gain of 11.5% over August of last year. Sales to the federal govern­ment in August increased 66.8% from July, but were 92.6% below August 1945. A year ago sales to the federal government totaled 286,954,803 gallons, but in August 1946 they were only 21,229,597 gallons. Reports from 25 Texas newspapers showed a decline of 0.7% in newspaper advertising linage between August and September of this year, but in comparison with September 1945 linage increased 24.l %. Postal receipts in 54 Texas cities decreased 6.8% in September 1946 from August, but were 0.9% higher than a year ago. Twenty-two cities showed increases over the preceding month, and 32 showed decreases. In spite of the fact that postal receipts in September 1946 were slightly higher than a year previously, only 17 cities showed increases during this period, compared to 34 that showed decreases. The increases were in general registered in the larger cities, which resulted in the total receipts in the 54 cities increasing, even though a larger number of cities reported decreases. Wholesale Trade Wholesale sales represent the movement of goods to retailers, and wb~ compared with the changes in retail sales indicate whether atocka In the hands of retailer& are being maintained at a constant level or are being allowed to Increase or decrease. The Information on Inventories of wholeaalers givea an Indication of the availability of goods to retailers, which In this period of shortages is a algnifi• cant factor in the business situation.) Wholesale sales reported by 141 Texas establishments to the Bureau of the Census increased 4% in August from July, with three types of business showing de­ creases and three showing increases. Also thirteen firms not classified according to type of business showed in­ creases. The greatest increase was in automotive sup­ plies with 12%, followed by groceries and food and general hardware, both with 6%. Machinery, equip­ ment and supplies decreased 12%, drugs and sundries (including the liquor departments of other trades) de­ creased 9%, and electrical goods decreased 5%. In comparison with a year ago all wholesale estab­ lishments showed an increase of 45% in sales, with every type of business increasing. The smallest increase registered was 21 7r in drugs and sundries, and the largest was 114% in electrical goods. Inventories of all wholesale establishments increased l % in August over July, with four tvpes of busine~s WHOLESALERS' SALES Source: Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce Percent change Number ' of Aug. 1946 'Aug. 1946 reporting from from Business firms Aug. 1945 July 1946 TOTAL -·-·----------------------······-·····-···--141 + 45 +.c. Automotive supplies ··········--·--···------· 12 + 57 +12 Drugs and sundries• -----------------,---17 + 12 -9 Electrical goods -----------·····----····· 24 + 114 -5 Groceries and foods (except farm p roducts ) ·---------·-----·---·---······-·· 61 + 29. +6 General hardware ---·------·-·-····--··-16 + 49 +6 Machinery, equipment, and supplies (except electrical) -----·······---------6 + 52 -12 All other ··--·-··------------------·-···-··········-16 + 70 + 82 *Includes liquor departments of other trades. showing increases and two showing decreases. Inven­tories of the unclassified group decreased 11 %. The largest increase was in automotive supplies (15%) Machinery, equipment and supplies increased 7%, gro­ceries and foods increased 6%, and drugs and sundries increased 2%. Electrical goods and general hardware both decreased by 2%. In comparison with a year earlier inventories in­creased 38%, with increases in all types of business. Electrical goods showed the greatest increase with 104% and automotive supplies showed the smallest with 3%. WHOLESALERS' INVENTORIES Sour~e: Bureau of the Census, U. S. Departme;,t of Commerce Percent change Aug. 1946 Aug. 1946 from from Business Aug. 1946 July 1946 TOTAL --·-----------------·--·---·-··--·--···-·-······-+ 88 +1 Automotive supplies -·--------·-·-·-----····-------··-····--+ 8 + 15 Drugs and sundries* -----····-·-·--···------·-··---······-----+ 21 + 2 Electrical goods ····---------·--··-·-···---·-·····---·····--·····-+ 104 -2 Groceries and foods (e,;cept farm products) ...... + 41 + 6 General hardware ----------·----------------------------2----+ 81 -2 Machinery, equipment, and supplies (except electrical) ···-------------·-····---------··---------------·--+ 33 + 7 All other ··-··--······-··---···----··------------------------+ 60 -11 0Includes liquor departments of other trades. Foreign Trade (Tonnage figures for export shipments from the principal ports ol the State provide an accurate physical measure of the current volume of foreign export trade. Value figures for exports and import1, however, represent a more common measurement of foreicn trade transactions.) Exports from Galveston, Texas City, and Houston, as reported by the Galveston and Houston Maritime Asso­ciations totaled 638,759 tons in August. This was a 6.8% greater tonnage than that reported for July and continued the June upswing. The export movements at Houston and Texas City decreased 14.6% and 25.2%, respectively, in August from July but Galveston exports g TEXAS BUSINESS REVIEW (the largest for the three cities) shot up 25.3%. The leading commodities in the Galveston gain were cotton, flour, and wheat, while it was the declines in these items through Texas City and Houston that caused the fall in their traffic. EXPORTS FROM GALVESTON, HOUSTON, AND TEXAS CITY · (in tons) Sourc~ : Galveston and Houston Maritime Associations, Inc. ~=-============================================= Percent change Aug. 1946 Aug. July fromPort and product 1946 1946 July 1946 TOTAL -----------------------------------638,759 597,907 6.8 + GALVESTON, TOTAL --------419,523 334,903 + 25.3 Carbon black -----------'----------------119 83 +260.6 Cotton --------·--------------------------------­28,564 18,568 + 53.8 Flour ---------·----------------------------------40,211 19,783 + 103.3 Asphalt ----------------·----·--------'. _________ 1,238 473 +161.7 Metals ------------------------------------------236 321 -26.5 Rice -·-------------------------------------------1, 754 2,359 -25.6 Potash ------------------------------------165 202 -18.3 Sulphur --·-----------------·----------------124, 795 117,030 + 6.6 Wheat ·-----·-----·--·-·-----·----------163,109 131,109 + 24.8 Other ---·-·---·----------··--·-··---------58,776 45,025 + 30.5 TEXAS CITY, TOTAL --···-·--37,668 50,336 -25.2 Flour Potash Wheat Other HOUSCarbon Cotton Flour LivestMetals Rice Asphalt Sulphur Wheat Other ··---­-----­-----------·-··­-'-­--···-----·­-----------­----·--------·-·-··----------­--­-------------···-·--------·---------­-----------­----··--·---··-·-··--------­TON, TOTAL ------·---·-·· 1black -----·------··-·-··----·--­-·-·--·-------------­---··-­-------------­---····-··--··---·--_:·---------~---·---·--­ock ------------------------··-··--·-­·---­·---------------------·-·------­-----··------------·------·­---···-·----·· --------­--···-:._·-·-------·--------­---·-­·-·-···--·--·-·---------------­----··--·--­····--·-·-----------­-----­-­------------·---·-------·---------------­ 3,362 2,444 25, 733 6,129 81,568 9,919 1.000 37,320 2,097 212,668 -66.1 + 144.4 -31.0 +192.3 -, 14.6 5,082 22,010 8,664 474 6,359 101 776 4,329 39,419 94,354 8,426 30,509 10,030 677 6,216 14,266 451 599 45,559 105,935 -39.7 -27.9 -13.6 -30.0 + 2.3 -97.6 + 72.1 +722.7 -13.5 -10.9 PRODUCTION Manufacturing (The volume of manufacturing activity In any Industrial area la a sensitive measure of the chan&'es in business activity. The vol­ume of durable &'OOds manufactured tends to fluctuate more vio­lently than the volume of nondurable &'OOds such as foods, and may aerve to Indicate changes in the business situation at an early date. Since many manufacturins industries vary regularly with the seasons, this factor must be taken into consideration in interpretinl' the chanl'es from month to month.) Crude oil runs to stills in September 1946 were 5.0% below the figure for the previous month. The index of crude runs to stills adjusted for seasonal variation, showed a decrease of 1.4% from August to September 1946 and stood at 151.2% of the 1935-39 level. Crude runs totaled 42,462,631 barrels in September 1946, as compared with 44,678,625 in August, and 32,153,000 in September, according to the State Railroad Commis­sion. Refinery operations in September this year were well above September 1945, at which time crude oil runs to stills droppd 27.0% from the month before. Refinery stocks of gasoline in Texas at the end of September 1946 were practically the same as at the end of the previous month. Distillate stocks, however, registered an increase of 14.0% in September over the previous month, and residual stocks jumped 26.2%. In comparison with September 1945, gasoline stocks were 10.6% lower this September, but disti11ate stocks were up 59.5% and residual stocks 33.l %. REFINERY STOCKS* (in thousands of barrels) Source : Th~ Oil r the September 1945 figures. Biggest August-to-September gains from a percentage standpoint were recorded by Beaumont (2.0%), Mc­Allen (2.5'); ), Orange (3.2%), and Sweetwater (6.2%). For the 12-month period Borger's 46.9% jump was out­standing. Other cities with increases of more than 2.0% in the number of telephones in service included Corsi­cana, Edinburg, Lubbock, McAllen, McKinney, Orange, San Benito, and Tyler. TELEPHONES IN SERVICE Source: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Percent change Sept. 30 Sept. 30 1946 1946 from from Cit,. 1946 1946 1945 1945 1946 TOTAL ·-----·-----------· 759,237 754,831 655,543 +lu + 0.6 Sept. 30 Aug. 31 Sept. 30 Sept. 30 Aug. 31 Abilene ---­----···-­-------­ 9,963 9,968 8,787 +13.4 -0.1 Amarillo ------------------­ 18,779 18,983 17,998 + 4.3 - 1.1 Austin ---­---------­------­ 32,367 32,078 28,649 +ia.o + 0.9 Beaumont ---------------­ 21,623 21,207 19,346 + 11.s + 2.0 Big Spring -------------­ 3,503 3,496 3,371 + 3.9 + 0.2 Borger -------------.------­ 3,855 3,800 2,625 +46.9 + 1.4 Brownsville -~----------­ 3,730 3,714 3,192 + 16.9 + 0.4 Cleburne ----------------­ 2,724 2,723 2,308 + is.o + 0.04 Corpus .Christi ------­ 24,150 24,089 21,634 + 11.6 + 0.3 Corsicana --­--------·-----­ 4,141 4,076 3,390 + 22.2 + 1.6 Dallas --------------------­145,035 143,403 126,167 + 15.0 + u Denison ---------·--------­ 5,348 5,276 4,521 +is.a + 1.4 'Edinburg ----------------­ 1,438 1,428 1,145 + 25.6 + 0.7 Fort Worth -----------. 72,193 71,776 63,324 + 14.0 + 0.6 Gainesville -----------------­ 2,777 2,728 2,681 + 3.6 + 1.8 Galveston ---------------­ 20,856 20,793 18,830 + io.s + 0.3 Harlingen ------------­ 3,899 3,878 3,643 + 7.0 + 0.7 Houston ------------­168,276 167,164 145,019 + 16.0 + 0.7 Kingsville -------------­ 2,069 2,105 1,966 + 5.2 - 1.7 Laredo -----------------­ 5,108 5,080 4,644 +10.0 + 0.6 Longview ----------­ 5,753 5,646 5,106 +12.7 + 1.9 Lubbock ------~-­ 12,836 12,761 10,669 +20.3 + 0.6 Marshall --------­---···· 4,299 4,272 3,743 + 14.9 + 0.6 McAllen -­-----·-··------­ 3,048 2,973 2,470 +23.4 + 2.5 McKinney -----------------­ 2,378 2,340 1,964 +21.1 + 1.6 Midland ------········--·--­ 4,393 4,329 3,669 +19.7 + 1.5 Mineral Wells --------­ 2,828 2,791 3,002 - 5.8 +u Orange --·---------------­ 4,247 4,114 a:516 + 20.8 + 3.2 Pampa ------------------­ 4,493 4,491 3,758 +19.6 + 0.04 P aris -------------------­ 5,051 4,965 4,708 + 7.3 + 1.7 Port Arthur -----------· 15,703 16,546 13,171 +19.2 + 1.0 San Antonio ----------­ 83,054 82,456 72,883 +14.0 + 0.7 San Benito ------­---­ 1,388 1,379 1,101 +26.1 + 0.7 Sweetwater -------­ ~.344 2,207 2,148 + 9.1 + 6.2 Temple -------------­ 4,495 4,468 4,036 + u.4 + 0.6 Tyler ------------------­--­ 10,164 10,019 8,408 +20.9 + 1.4 Vernon ----------------­ 2,533 2,521 2,251 +12.6 + 0.5 Victoria -----------------­ 4,343 4,318 4,161 + 4.4 + 0.6 Waco -------------­------­---­ 18,114 18,054 15,774 +14.8 + 0.3 W ichita Falls --------­ 15,939 16,223 16,766 + u -1.8 Natural Resources (The production of crude petroleum ia a major Industry In Texa1, and the changes In the volume of production have a direct effect upon the income produced In the State. Flprea on the number of well completions by districts Indicate the extent to which new aourcea of oil and cas are beinc developed and the areas of the State in which drillinl' operations are In process.) Daily average production of crude oil in Texas for September 1946 of 2,089,500 barrels was slightly less (1.47'> ) than for the preceding month but was 12.4% above the figure for September 1945. When adjusted for seasonal factors the index of crude dropped 1.7% from August. In September 1946 the index was 165.9% of the 1935-39 average. Oil well completions in Texas, from January through September 1946 were somewhat above the figure for the corresponding months in 1945. Largest number of com· pletions in September 1946 was in North Central Texas which also had by far the largest number of dry holes. TEXAS BUSINESS REVIEW Second in number of completions was West Texas, which led in number of oil wells for the month. Texas Gulf Coast had 128 completions with 88 oil wells, 8 gas wells, and 32 dry holes. WELL COMPLETIONS Source : Tho Oil e>nd Gru Jour"41 September• J an.-Sept. (all wells) Dlotrict Total I 011 Gas Dry 1946 1945 TEXAS ·---·----------------------­607 376 33 198 5,912 5,348 North Central Texas ----­226 117 7 102 2,123 1,639 West Texas ---·-·­-----­--···--·-­144 118 , 1 25 1,280 1,334 Panhandle -----------------------­ 26 15 10 243 417 Eastern Texas ---------------­ 41> 27 6 12 539 25() Texas Gulf Coast -----­---­·­128 88 8 32 1,291 1,217 Southwest Texas ----------­ 38 11 26 436 491 *For 4 weeks ending September 28, 1~46. AGRICULTURE Income (The amount of income received by farmers is a composite measure of the prosperity of agriculture, taking Into account both tbe volume of products sold and the prices received. Since the marketings of many products are concentrated in certain seasons of Ibo year, It is Important that the data be adjuated for seasonal variation In order to show the baaic change& In the aituation of •1rlculture.) Estimates prepared by the Bureau of Business Re­search indicate that Texas farmers and livestockmen received approximately $135,219,000 in cash income during September as compared with $111,413,000 re­ceived in August. This is an increase of 17.6% for the month as well as an increase of 17.2% over the Sep­tember farm cash income of 1945. Compared with pre­war years (1935-39) income last month was up ap­proximately 200%. Notwithstanding the 17.6% rise in farm receipts over August, the index for September, when adjusted for seasonal variation, dropped 31. 7% from its August level. In other words the August-to-September gain in dollar income, though substantial, failed to measure up to nor­mal seasonal expectations. During the first 9 months of 1946, farm cash income in Texas totaled $797,511,000, or about 4.3% more than in the same months in 1945. District gains ranged from a 29.6% increase in the Trans-Pecos area to a decrease of 23.3% in the East Texas timbered plains. Total income for the year to date is shown by districts in the accompanying table. The outlook for most fall crops this year is highly favorable, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. An increase of 58?{ over a 10-year average is expected for snap beans. The latter part of September gave evidence that the biggest crop of Texas grapefruit, oranges, and lemons in the history of the State would begin rolling to market soon. A 30-million box citrus harvest is expected this season, as compared with 28 million boxes last year. The forecast for the FARM CASH INCOME* Indexes, 1935-39= 100 adjusted for seasonal variation Amount, Jan.-Sept. (in thousands of dollars) District Sept. 1946 Aug. 1946 Sept. 1945 1946 19•5 TEXAS ----··---­203.8 298.2 168.7 797,511 764,361> 1-N ---------------­292.1 ' 1-S -------------------­313.8 2 ----·-----------------­163.6 3 -----------------­227.1 4 ----·-····--···--------­154.5 5 ----······-·· ·--------­66.3 6 ----------·-···-·····-­707.0 7 --------------------­209.3 8 ----·---------------­160.5 9 ------------------­364.7 10 -------------­-······­130.6 10-A ------------------274.7 482.2 542.3 331.7 310.5 100.8 97.8 278.5 251.2 308.5 •265.5 460.9 946.9 311.7 215.1 138.4 241.0 105.9 62.9 353.5 178.8 184.5 386.6 169.8 82.9 90,752 47,057 71,424 42,108 116,844 39,434 37,939 69,956 91,191 45,076 28,493 117,237 82,Z77 54,045 73,198 38,418 102,727 51,405 29,271> 63,670 87,532 48,106 28,423 105,289 *Farm cash income as comnuted by the Bureau understates. actual farm cash income by from 6 to 10%. This situation does not impair the accuracy of the indexes. year's Texas cotton crop, however, took another drop as of October 1, when the Crop Reporting Board of the United States Department of Agriculture indicated that production would be 25,000 bales below the forecast of a month ago. The greatest crop yields in the nation's history are being realized as the growing season nears an end, and the Department of Agriculture reports that aggregate production of all crops will be 2.5% higher than the record-breaking high of 1942. With predictions of record-breaking crops and the lifting of price control on meats, the outlook for farm cash income in Texas this year remains favorable. Gov­ ernment experts predict that the national farm will be 150% larger than the 1939 mcome. mcome Prices (The prices received by farmers constitute one of the elements of farm cash income. Changes in prices are of primary concern to farmers and all businessmen relying on the farm market. Farmera are also concerned with the prices which they have to pay for com­ modities used in family maintenance and production since these prices help to determine their real income.) September prices of Texas farm products moved down­ward from the August and July levels with the excep­tion of cotton, poultry, and dairy products. Of 22 com­modities, 10 rose over the August price, 10 declined, and 2 remained unchanged. All grains declined with the exception of wheat, which remained unchanged. Practically all products were well above the September 1945 prices. Cotton rose steady showing a 3.6% increase over the August price, rice was 2.6% higher, sheep 6.6%, horses 5.8%, mules 1.4%, eggs 18.8%, chickens 3.2%, and butterfat 3.1 %. Hogs showed the greatest loss over the 31-day period with a drop of 22.2%. Other products declining in price were: veal calves ( 1.3 % ) , beef cattle (0.7% ), corn (5.1% ), grain sorghum (7.4?() pota­toes (8.0% ), sweet potatoes ( 10.0%), and wool (2.4% ). For the 12-month period (September 1945--46) cotton increased 61.9%, cattle was up by 26.8%, veal calves LOCAL BUSIN Percent change Percent change ABILENE Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 38.5 + 7.9 Department and apparel store sales Postal receipts ···········-·······················$ 27 ,418 + 17.4 + 5.3 + 17.9 + 2.5 Building permits ............................. , .. $ 342,569 + 6.4 + 83.3 Telephones in service.......................... 9,963 + 13.4 - 0.1 Air express shipments_______________________ .102 + 85.5 18.4 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) ·-···-····-·-···-··-··········$ 24,194 + 40.7 + 1.0 Placements in employment____________ 669 + 57.0 + 13.8 Unemployment ····--·············-············· 4480 + 97.3 - 2.6 Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 CORSICANA Sept. from from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 P ostal receipts ·················-··········-····-$ 7,823 -18.6· -34.5 Telephones in service --------------------­4,141 + 22.2 + 1.6 Bank debits to individual accounts ( thousands) ·--··-·······-·········-······$· 9,141 + 32.8 + 26.2 Percent change Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946DALLAS Sept. from from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Percent change Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 AMARILLO Sept. from from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 16.5 - 6.0 Postal receipts ····-········-············-······$ 50, 731 -10.2 - 11.2 Building permits ·····-·························$ Telephones in service·-----------··----------­ 650,920 18, 779 + 63.2 + 4.3 + 38.1 1.1 Air express shipments________________________ 351 + 51.3 3.6 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands ) ·····-·······-············-----$ 59,489 + 44.9 6.2 Placements in employment_______________ 717 + 33.3 + 12.0 Unemployment ·····-·-··-·-··········-·-··· 1,300 +356.1 - 7.1 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 36.5 + 14.6 Department and apparel store sales + 34.1 + 18.0 Postal receipts ····················-·-··········-$ 609,956 + 14.6 - 7.4 Building permits ···-························-·$3,162,240 + uo.4 -46.7 Telephones in service-...................... Air express shipmen ts ...................... 145,035 6,960 + 15.0 + 72.8 + 1.1+ 4.8 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) ·····-···_:··········-······-····$ Placements in employment............-.. 702,747 4,660 + 43.1 -6.0 3.2 + 7.6 Unemployment ---·-··························· 9,000 -28.0 -21.7 Percent change Percent change Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946AUSTIN Sept. from from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 50.9 + 7.9 Department and apparel store sales + 28.1 + 13.8 P ostal receipts ····----·-······-···········-·'$ 100,937 + 3.2 15.5 Buildinll' permits ···-········-··-··-··-·-··$1,875,193 +356:6 + 43.9 Telephones in service.....·-······-·······-· 32,367 + 13.0 + 0.9 Air express shipments---·············--·-463 + 97.9 + 14.9 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) ··············-····················$ 100,410 + 41.1 + 18.2 Placements in employment.............. 909 + 82.5 0.4 Unemployment ·········-·····-···--··-······· 2,750 + 107.4 2.2 Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946EL PASO Sept. from from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 50.3 + 10.6 Department and apparel store sales + 18.1 + 2.1 Postal receipts ··-·-·····························$ · 86,171 - 5.6 - 5.6 Building permits ···········-···-·············$ 517,709 + 67.8 + 53.9 Air express shipme)lts............... ·-····­ 1,189 + 69.4 2.3 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) Placements in -········-·-··············-·····$ employment.__________ 89,801 813 + - 53.5 28.4 + 9.7 + 2.0 Unemployrn,ent 2,150 + 83.0 -20.4 Percent change S"ept. 1946 Sept. 1946 FORT WORTH Sept. from from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Percent change Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946BEAUMONT Sept. from from 1946 Sept: 1945 Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 41.9 + 13.6 Department and apparel store sales + 38.6 + 26.3 Postal receipts ······-··················--·····-$ 261 ,997 + 20.9 + 1.9 Building permits ····················-·········-$1,265,571 + 93.0 - 19.8 Telephones in service........... '-····-······· 72,193 + 14.0 + 0.6 Air express shipments................. ·-···· 2,07& + 48.2 + 0.7 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) ················-···········-····-···$ 229,853 + 19.0 - 11.5 Placements in employment.............. 3,270 + 27.4 + 3.0 Unemployment ···········-····-················· 9,000 + 31.0 - 6.3 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 52.5 + 9.3 Department and apparel store sales + 18.2 + 9.1 Postal receipts ······················-···········-$ 42,103 - 0.3 7.7 Building permits ................................$ 441,210 + 479.4 + 9.1 Telephones in service ··-----------······---­ 21,623 + 11.8 + 2.0 Air express shipments ---·---·····-------­ 274 + 81.5 + 7.9 Bank debits to individual account.s (thousands) ·················-····-··········-$ 61,039 + 13.1 + 0.02 Placements in employment (area) .. 2,324 -22.6 3.6 Unempfoyment (area) ·····-·············­ 8,300 + 315.0 - 14.4 Percent change Sept.1946 Sept. 1946 CORPUS CHRISTI Sept. from from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Percent change GALVESTON Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 28.3 -2.4 Postal receipts ··-·····················-···-····$ 47,105 + 7.0 - 0.5 Building permits ················-············-$ 516,249 - 8.3 +209.8 Telephones in service-----------------------­-Air express shipments________________________ 20,856 358 + 10.8 + 38.2 + 0.3 + 7.5 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) ················-······-··········$ 49,509 + 18.5 10.0 Placements in employment (area) 1,154 -22.1 9.4 Unemployment (area) ................... . 2,300 +360.0 -4.2 Retail sales of independent stores_ + 44.3 6.6 Department and apparel store sales + 40.5 - 5.6 P ostal Receipts ·······-···-······--·-·-····$ 56,741 -19.9 - 10.8 Building permits ·-········-················-$ 741,161 +143.2 - 42.1 Telephones in service.-­--·-·------------­ 24,150 + 11.6 + 0.3 Air express shipments ··-·-············· 512 + 55.6 + 3.4 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) ··-······-····-·-······-···-··$ 59,854 + 0.6 - 13.4 Placements in employment______________ 659 + 27.7 9.6 Unemployment ···········-···-·--····-·····­ 2,800 + 154.5 9.7 CONDITIONS Percent change Percent change HOUSTON Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 SAN ANGELO Sept. 1!)46 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. Department a nd apparel store sales Postal receipts ·-··············-·········-······$ 390 ,373 + 34.9 + 19.2 + 2.9 -1.1 + 3.4 -10.1 Postal receipts -·································-$ Air express shipments -­-----------------­Bank debits to individual accounts 19,151 233 -19.9 + 92.6 -17.0 + 3.1 Building permits ................................ $3,478,511 Telephones in service........................ 168,276 + 72.5 + 16.0 +n2.1 + 0.7 (thousands ) .................................... $ 23,913 + 26.1 2.2 Air express s hipments..... _................. 3,287 + 99.9 4.3 Bank debits to individual accounts (thousandsf ·······················-···········$ Placements in employment (area) 692,835 4,764 + 23.7 + 16.5 0.4 + 31.0 Percent chanire Unemployment (a rea) ...................... 18,000 + 125.0 - 1.6 SAN ANTONIO Sept. Sept.1946 from Sept. 1946 from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Reta il sales of independent stores.. + ~7.3 + 3.2 Departm ent and apparel store sales + 31.2 + I 1.1 Postal receipts ····-·····-·········-············$ 231,257 - 5.9 · - 7.1 P.ercent change Building permits ····················-··········$1,378,558 Telephones in service ........................ 83,054 + 14.6 + 14.0 -13.1 + 0.7 JACKSONVILLE Postal receipts .................................. _$ Building permits ····························---$ Sept. 1946 5,066 43,000 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 + 10.3 +269.1 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 + 12.7 + 3.9 Air express shipments...................... Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands ) ·················-·················$ Placements in employment.............. Unemployment ··-······-····-················· 1,392 197,952 2,345 14,000 + 4.3 + 27.4 -1.9 +250.0 6.1 4.5 + 2.5 -11.1 Percent chanire Percent change TYLER Sept. Sept.1946 from Sept. 1946 from LUBBOCK Sept. 1946 Sept'. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. 1946 Sept. 1945 + 43.8 Aug. 1946 + 4.5 Retail sales of independent stores.. Postal receipts ··-·-·····················-······$ Building permits ·························-·····$ Telephones in service ------------­---·------­ 36,392 543,956 12,836 + 56.2 + 4.1 +142.2 + 20.3 + 8.8 + 12.3 + 24.6 + 0.6 Postal receipts ·····-·········-········-·-·····$ Building permits ···········-···-··············$ Telephones in service__________________________ Air express shipments._____________________ Bank debits to individual accounts 23,886 460,022 10,164 358 -10.1 +375.8 + 20.9 0 -0.7 + 53.9 + 1.4 -19.9 Air express shipments ---------------------­Bank debits to individual accounts 190 +183.6 0.5 (thousands) ···········-·······················$ 30,427 + 28.7 - 4.8 (thousands ) ................................... . 38,583 + 40.1 + 1.1 Placements in employment________________ 468 - 16.1 7.3 Unemployment ················-·····-··········· 1,200 +242.9 -14.3 Percent change WACO Sept. Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1946 from 1946 Sept. 1945 Aug. 1946 Percent change Retail sales of independent stores.. Department and apparel store sales + 26.1 + 21.2 + 9.3 + 15.6 PLAINVIEW Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 Postal receipts --·-····-····················---$ Building permits ·······-·······················$ T elephones in service'...... ·-··············· 53,395 584,993 18,114 -1.2 +185.4 + 14.8 -1.2 + 68.1 + 0.3 Retail sales of independent stores.. Postal receipts ···········-····-····-····---·$ Building permits ··········-·-···-----·--·$ 6,371 77,000 + 23.1 + 5.1 + 57.9 -18.3 + 2.0 + 16.7 Air express shipments..... -................. Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands ) ··············-··-···-··········-$ Placements in employment....·-······· 190 48,180 745 + 71.2 + 73 .7 -28.6 + 12.4 + 17.2 3.0 Unemployment 3,300 + 65.0 - 5.7 Percent change Percent chanire PORT ARTHUR Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 WICHITA FALLS Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 31.3 + 0.01 Retail sales of independent stores.. + 14.0 + 8.5 Postal receipts ·························-·-······$ 17,858 -18.6 -32.6 Postal receipts ··········-······················-$ 34,522 -23.8 . + 0.3 Building permits ···········-·······-·······-$ Telephones in service ----------------------­ 140,442 15,703 + 3.7 + 19.2 -+ 28.2 1.0 Building permits ................................ $ Telephones in . ' service_______________________ 97,203 15,939 + 70.5 + 1.1 -40.3 -1.8 Air express shipments-----------------­ 165 +132.4 + 3.1 Air express shipments________________________ 224 + 40.0 -14.8 Bank debits to individual account.a Bank debits to individual accounts (thousands) ··························-····-·$ Placements in employment (area) 26,309 2,324 + 27.0 -22.6 -10.1 -3.6 (thousands) Placements in ----------------------------------­employment..........._. 37,078 410 + 22.6 -22.4 -- 1.4 1.7 Unemployment (area) --------­ 8,300 +315.0 -14.4 Unemployment ---------------------------­ 2,085 + 170.1 -10.1 20.8%, hogs 12.9%, sheep 7.7%, eggs 15.5%, and but· terfat up 38.7% . During the same period potatoes fell 45.8'f<_, in price while prices of horses, mules, and tur· keys during the last 12 months showed smaller declines. PRICES OF TEXAS FARM PRODUCTS Source: Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department or Agriculture Sept. 15 Aug. 15 Sept. 15 Commodity Unit 1946 1946 1945 Cotton --------------------lb. $ 0.348 $ 0.336 $ 0.215 Cottonseed -------------------------ton 63.00 63.00 53.44 Corn ---------­---­-------·---bu. 1.50 1.58 1.17 Grain sorghum ---------------cwt. 2.50 2.70 2.05 Oats ----------­----·--­---­-------bu. .89 .90 .67 Rice -----­--------­-------­---­ bu. 1.95 1.90 1.73 Wheat --­--------------­bu. 1.80 1.80 1.47 Barley ----------------------­bu. 1.34 1.32 .98 Potatoes ----------·-····--bu. 1.15 1.25 2.12 Sweet potatoes ----------­bu. 2.70 3.00 2.27 Beef cattle --------------­cwt. 14.00 14.00 11.04 Milk cows -----------------­head 95.00 94.00 81.76 Veal calves ----------­cwt. 14.90 15.1() 12.33 Hogs ---------­------­cwt. 15.80 20.30 13.99 Sheep ----­----------------­cwt. 8.10 7.60 7.52 Horses --------···· head 55.00 52.00 56.36 Mules ---------------­-­head 75.00 74.0<> 82.56 Wool -------------­--------­lb. .41 .42 .40 Eggs ----------------­doz. .418 .352 .362 Butterfat ------------­lb. .66 .64 .476 Chickens --------­ lb. .257 .249 .255 Turkeys ·­-------------­lb. :280 .270· .2~4 For the first month since July 1940, the prices paid by farmers (including interest and taxes) on a nation­wide basis declined in September. The decline from August was 2.0% as compared with a rise of 0.6% be­tween the same two months a year ago. Since Septem· her 1945 farmers have seen the prices which they pay for commodities used on the farm and for family living advance 13%. Last month the national index of prices paid was 31 % higher than in the 10-year period 1929-39, 68% higher than in the 5-year period 1934-39, and ll0% higher than in the 5-year period 1910-14. There is no doubt that farmers today are living on a new plane. Since the national index of prices received declined by the identical percentage (2% ) between August and September, the national parity ratio remained unchanged at 122, compared with ll3 a year ago. Expressed in terms of their base period, these ratios indicate that farmers in the United States enjoyed a 22% larger real income last month and a 13% larger real income in September 1945 than they did in the year prior to World War I. Marketings (The l~vel of farm income Is affected not only by chansea In prices, but by the volume of products farmers send to marlret In a given month. Data on shipments of farm products must also be used to explain the changes in the level of farm income from month to month.) Total shipments of Texas livestock, poultry, and eggs dropped sharply in September. The only increases shown were in sheep and frozen and dried eggs. September rail shipments of livestock were 18.0% less than August shipments this year, whereas in 194.S be­tween the same months there was an increase of 27.5%. The September drop followed a 17.7% decrease in August from July. Livestock markets in Texas, as well as elsewhere, were disturbed by the return of O.P.A. meat price controls. Hog shipments fell drastically (72.0% ), while cattle dropped 27.7%. Movement of sheep by rail rose 11.8%. All interstate shipments de­clined during the month, with decreases ranging from 71.5% for hogs to 4.9% for sheep. Intrastate move­ments all increased for September over August move­ments, calves being the highest with a 157.0% increase. There were no reports of any intrastate hog movements. Rail shipments of all livestock totaled 8,025 carload lots this month, compared with 9,788 carloads shipped in August. In other words there were 50,670 fewer animals shipped this month than last. With price con· trols off and the apparently large demand for meat over the nation, there should be a considerable increase in shipments within the next few weeks. SHIPMENTS OF LIVESTOCK (in carloads)• Source: Bureau of Business Research in co-operation with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture =-=-=======-=================================== Percent change Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 from from Classification Sept. 1946 Aug. 1946 , Sept. 1945 Sept. 1945 Aug., 1946 TOTAL SHIPMENTS ------- ---·--­8,025 9,788 10,691 -24.9 - 18.0 Cattle -------­--­------------­----­-----­-­Calves ---­--­----------­-------­-·-------­Hogs ------------­-···--·------­-------- -·--·­Sheep -·-··--------­--­--····­--..·-···--·---­--4,627 1,25,7 89 2,052 6,316 1,320 317 1,835 5,864 2,067 180 2,580 -21.l -39.2 -50.6 -20.5 ---+ 26.7 4.8 72.0 11.8 INT~RSTATE PLUS FORT WORTH ··-­-­-·-·--------­6,490 8,965 9,615 -32,5 - 27.6 Cattle -----------­·­-------­---------­-------­3,776 5,783 5,437 -30.6 - 34.7 Calves ---------­-----·-----­--­-···--·····-·-·­-1,090 1,255 1,902 -42.7 - 13.l Hogs -------------­---·-­-------­----------·-······ 89 312 169 - 47.3 - 71.5 Sheep --­--------­--­--------·····--·--··-····· 1,535 1,615 2,107 -27.1 - 4.9 INTRASTATE' MINUS FORT WORTHt -­----­----­------­1,535 823 l,<>76 +42.7 + 86.5 Cattle ---------------------­------······· 851 533 427 +99.3 + 59.7 Calves -----­---------- ­------­-----------­ 167 65 165 - 1.2 - 157.0 Hogs -------·--·-------------------··-···· 5 11 Sheep -----·---------------···----­-­------.. ---­ 517 220 473 + 9.3 +135.0 •Rail-car basis: cattle, 30 head per car; calves, 60; hogs, 80; and aheep, 250. tintrastate truck shipment. are not included. Fort Worth ship­ments are combined with interstate forwardings in order that the bulk of market disappearance for the moath may be shown. Shipments of poultry and eggs by rail decreased in September from August, chickens going off 17.5% and eggs 41.3% for the month. There were 23.5 carloads of chickens shipped this September as compared with 28.5 carloads moved in August. There were no reports on turkey movements last month and 7.5 carloads were reported in September. Carload lots of eggs fell from 308.5 to 181 over the same period. Intrastate move· ments of chickens were off 50.0% for the month while RAIL SHIPMENTS OF POULTRY AND EGGS FROM TEXAS STATIONS (in carloads) Source: Bureau of Business Research in cooperation with the Division of Agrieultural Statistics, Bureau of Airricultural Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture Cla.sslfication Sept. 1946 Aug. 1946 Sept. 1945 TOTAL SHIPMENTS Chickens ·----------------------------------------------­ 23.5 28.5 12 Turkeys -·------·------------------------------------------­ 7 .5 0 3 Eggs-shell equivalent• ------------------------­ 181 308.5 421 Shell ------------------------------------------·---------­ 5 10.5 39 Frozen _....... : .... _________ ----·------··---­-·----­ lG 9 35 Dried -----------------------------------------·-:.______ 18 35 39 INTRASTATE SHIPMENTS Chickens -------------·-----------------------------­ 4 8 6 Turkeys ---------­----­--------------------------=­ 1 0 2 Eggs-shell equivalent* -----------------------­ 34 31 81 Shell ----· ----------------·----------------­----------­ 4 7 29 Frozen -------------------------·------------------· _ 3 4 6 Dried -----·----------­-----------­-------------------, 3 2 5 INTERSTATE SHIPMENTSt Chickens -------------·--------------------------------­ 19.5 20.5 Turkeys -·---··------------------·------------------·------­ 6.5 0 1 Eggs-shell equivalent* ----------------------­147 277.5 340 Shell ------------------------------------------------~--­ 1 3.5 10 Frozen ------­-----·------------------------------------­ 13 5 29 Dried --------------------------------------­-­ 15 33 34 •Dried eggs and frozen eggs are converted to a shell--eration with the Bureau ot Labor Statistics, U. S. Department ot Labor Number ot reporting eetablish­mentaIndustrial group Percent change Sept. 1946 from Sept. 1945 Sept. 1946 from Aug. 1946 TOTAL ······-········-··················-···-··--·· 400 Food products ····················-······-········ 84 Textiles ········-'··········-'··················-········· 14 Apparel .................................................. 25 Finished lumber products .................. 17 Forest products ···········-·--·-·-·············· 14 Paper products ····························-········ 9 Printing and publishing...................... 26 Commercial products .......................... 53 Petroleum refining .............................. 34 Stone and clay products................ ·-··· 35 Iron and steel products..... ::................. 29 Nonferrous metals products.............. 10 Machinery (except electrical) ........ 38 Other manufacturing ····-··-·······:·-··· 12 -6.2 -21.7 + 19.2 + 7.4 + 0.5 + 0.8 + 7.6 +38.7 -8.6 + 23.3 + 44.5 + 8.0 + 4.7 -15.0 -46.4 -1.6 -15.6 + 2.1 0.0 -15.1 + 1.9 + 2.5 + 0.3 + 0.9 + 2.7 + 1.7 -6.9 + 7.1 -7.8 + 4.3 Industrial Relations (Althoul"h no statistical data are available on Industrial disputes In Texas, a knewledge of current developments in Industrial rela· lions is necessary to an understandinc of the State'• labor picture.) The maritime strike, reported to be the nation's great­est shipping strike, tied up nearly all Texas port activi­ties for 16 days during September. The strike ended when a special government order permitted wage in­creases which the maritime workers had obtained through negotiation, but which has been barred by the Wage Stabilization Board. The fact that some maritime work­ers belonged to the C. I. 0 ., and others to the A. F. of L., added to the confusion. In Galveston a local labor leader was convicted of constructive contempt of court as a result of difficulties growing out of the maritime strike. Approximately 2,600 telephone workers in Houston were off their jobs as a result of a four-day walkout concerning a seniority dispute. The workers returned to their jobs after an agreement was reached to arbitrate the dispute. Workers at a manufacturing company in Denison returned to work after a three-day walkout in a dispute regarding the discharge of four employees. A strike of city bus drivers in Beaumont and Port Arthur ended September 28, after a work stoppage of nearly two weeks. A one-day strike of 150 San Antonio garbage workers was settled when the city agreed to union demands of a pay increase of one dollar a day. Other strikes occurred in such widely varied businesses as a Beaumont newspaper and a San Antonio flour mill. From the international viewpoint, in early September a strike of stevedores in Nuevo Laredo temporarily para­lyzed the international movement of goods into Texas through Laredo. Unemployment (Estimates of unemployment in various areas of the State are currently made by the district supervisors of the United States Employment Service. Data on the payment of unemployment benefits also provide a rough measure of unemployment in Texas, although only employees in establishments employing 8 or more werkera for 20 or more weeks per year are covered. Veterans' claim action• and disbursements are less inclusive, hut throw light on the important problem of veteran re-employment.) Unemplo')'ment in 17 Texas labor market areas, as reported by the United States Employment Service, declined 10.8% (10,410 fewer persons unemployed) between August and September 1946; but the September figure was still 73.2% above September last year, with 86,380 unemployed in September 1946 as compared to 49,876 unemployed in September 1945. For the first time in many months all 17 of the labor market areas showed declines from the preceding month with Dallas (21.7%), El Paso (20.4% ), Brownsville (19.2% ), Longview (19.2% ), and Texarkana (19.1 % ) reporting the largest decreases in unemployment. The amount of benefits paid out by the Texas Un­employment Compensation Commission declined in Sep­tember for the fourth consecutive month. September 1946 payments of $726,810 left a balance of $154,760,400 in the Unemployment Trust Fund. Employers' contri­butions during the month were $227,844 which was approximately 31 % of the disbursements. Although unemployment in the major labor market areas of the State has increased 73.2% since Septem­ber 1945, employment over the State as a whole (as indicated in a foregoing section) has risen 10.4% over the same period. This situation is largely accounted for by the large increase in the size of the civilian labor force since V-J Day. Also of significance is the fact that the unemployment figures cover for the most part only the larger industrial areas of the State, whereas the employment data are State-wide. Former employees of manufacturing establishments received the bulk (56.4%) of benefit payments during the third quarter of 1946, according to a recent quarterly report of benefit payments by major industry groups. Unemployed from retail and wholesale trade received 16.7% of all payments, those from service establish­ments, third among the major groups, took 4.8% and transportation unemployed 6.3%. Among the 15,442 first payments made during the quarter (i.e., to newly UNEMPLOYMENT Source: U. S. Employment Service Sept. Aug. Sept.Area 1946 1946 1945 TOTAL ·····-········································-··········· 86,380 . 96,790 49,876 ======= Abilene ···········-·····-··-···············-·················-· 1,480 1,5 20 750 A~arillo ················-··-··-······························· l,300 1,400 285 Austin ····--···-·························-·-········-·····-· 2, 750 2,813 1,326 Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange ················­ 8,300 9,700 2,000 Brownsville ·····-····--····-·············-···--········· 1,315 1,628 450 Corpus Christi ··········-··················-·-·····-····· 2,800 3,100 1,100 Dallas ···········-····-·······································--·~ 9,000 11,500 12,500 El Paso ·-·····,-·-·---·-·························-········­ 2,150 2,700 1,175 Fort Worth ·····-··············-···--·····-··········-····· 9,000 9,600 6,868 Galveston-Texas City ····················-·····-·-···· 2,300 2,400 500 Houston-Baytown ··········-··········-····-··········· 18,000 18,300 8,000 Longview ·-·-··········-······-·····-··················-····· 1,900 2,350 1,500 Lubbock -······································--················ 1,200 1,400 350 San Antonio ···································-··-·--····· 14,000 15,750 4,000 Texarkana ·····························-··········-····-······· 5,500 6,800 6,300 Waco ......................................................... :...... 3,300 3,500 2,000 Wichita Falls .................................................. 2,085 2,319 772 unemployed); 7,350 went to former employees in manu­facturing; 3,438 to those from trade; 1,107 to trans­portation, communication and utilities; and 1,026 to persons who had been employed in services. During the third quarter 14,768 accounts were ex· hausted, and compensation totaling $2,853,059 was paid for a total of 191,166 weeks of total or partial unem­ployment. Women received approximately one-third of the total payments for unemployment. The third quarter report of benefit determinations indicates that 22,587 new claims were disposed of on the first determination, of which 18,935 had sufficient wage credits and 3,652 had insufficient or no wage credits. There were 5,225 disqualifications, 4,438 of which had voluntarily quit jobs. In addition, 6,769 claims were denied on the issue "able to work, avail­able for work." Placements (The number of placemellts reported by the United States Employment Service indicates roushly the relationship of the supply of and the demand for jobs In various parts of tbe State. Place· ment data do not include private placements In business and indus­try, but only those made through the United States Employment Service. Furthermore, the number of placements made should not be considered as additions to total employment, since many of them represent shifts from one job to another.) Placements in employment in the 17 Texas labor market areas, measured by reports of the United States Employment Service, increased 6.4% from August to September 1946, hut were down 0.9% from September 1945 figures. The greatest percentage gains in place­ments during the month were in the Brownsville (43.7%), and Houston-Baytown ( 31.0% ) areas, while the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange, Corpus Christi, Galveston-Texas City, Longview, Lubbock, Waco, and Wichita Falls areas show declines ranging from 0.4% to 9.6%. Placements were still down an average of 30.9% under September 1945. PLACEMENTS IN EMPLOYMENT SQUrce: U. S. EmplO)'JDent Service c::::=:::;:.=:::===::===================================== P ercent change Sept. 1946 Sept. 1946 Sept. Aug. Sept. from from Area 1946 1946 1945 Sept. 1945 A1,1g. 1946 TOTAL ·----·····-----··· 25;38S 23,862 25,625 -0.9 +u Abilene -----------­---­ 669 588 426 + 57.0 +13.8 Amarillo ----------­ 717 640 538 +33.3 +12.0 Austin ----------­ 909 913 498 +82.5 -0.4 Beaumont-P ort Arthur­ · Orange -------­ 2,324 2,411 3,004 -22.6 - 3.6 Brownsville ----------­ 171 119 256 - 33.2 +43.7 Cor pus Christi -----­ 659 729 516 +27.7 -9.6 Dallas ---­ ---­------­ 4,660 4,330 4,955 - 6.0 + 7.6 E! P aso ----------­- 813 797 1,136 -28.4 + 2.0 Fort Wort h -------­ 3,270 3,174 2,567 + 27.4 + 3.0 Galveston-T exas City__ 1,154 1,273 1,481 -22.1 -9.4 · H ouston -Baytown ---­ 4,764 3,637 4,088 +16.5 +31.0 Longview ------­ 605 666 450 +34.4 -9.2 L ubbock -----­ 468 505 558 -16.1 -7.8 San Antonio -------­ 2,345 2,288 2,391 - 1.9 + 2.5 Texarkana ---­--~ 705 607 1,189 -40.7 + 16. 1 · Waco -------------­ 745 768 1,044 - 28.6 - 3.0 Wichita Falla -----­ 410 417 528 -22.4 -1.7 GOVERNMENT Federal Finance (Federal collections of income, pay roll, and eiclae taxes YVJ' directly with the level of business prosperity. During the war period federal taxation has likewise become an Important determi­nant r>f seneral buainesa actlvlt,..) Federal internal revenue collections in Texas amounted to $112,030,497 in September, or 4.4% less than the $117,160,883 collected in September a year ago. Col­lections for the July-September period, the first quarter of the current fiscal year, were $231,009,760 or 5% smaller than the sum collected in the same 3 months last year. Income taxes yielded about $7,000,000 less this past month than a year ago but "other" taxes claimed an additional $2,000,000. Nevertheless for the first quarter income tax collections were up slightly (1.3%) and "other" taxes were down 14.6%. With­holding taxes for the second quarter were all collected during July and August to show a 13.2% decline from comparable 1945-46 figures. Collections in the First (or South Texas) District were off less than the Second (North Texas) District collec· tions for the month but for the fiscal year to date their positions were reversed. First District collections in September 1946 were 3.3% below September 1945 col­lections; Second District collections fell 5.7%. Thus for this fiscal year 1.7% less has been collected in North Texas than in the same 3-month period of 1945; South Texas collections were down 7.9%. Despite the fact that the federal government took in more during the last 3 months than in any 12 months previous to the war, expenses continued to exceed reve· nues. Both collections and expenditures were under original estimates for the quarter, but the greater dis· crepancy appeared in expenditures which did not include G. I. terminal pay or other commitments. Although there is disagreement in high administration circles as to whether or not the federal budget is going to be balanced this fiscal year, the federal debt on Septem­ber 25 was $252, 785,000,000. State Finance (Statistics on State finance are closely connected with cli•~• In the level of business activity. State occupation, production. use, and sales tlll