Facts & Figures

Railroads. In January and February, the net income of Class 1 U.S. railroads was $17 million, less than half of 1948's $37 million in the same period.

Retail Trade. Montgomery Ward & Co.'s iron-fisted Chairman Sewell Avery had bad news for stockholders: March sales were off 16.7% from 1948. Ward's biggest stockholder, Massachusetts Investors Trust (which owns 1.5% of the stock), had bad news for Avery: it would oppose his re-election as a director at next week's annual meeting. But chances were good that indestructible, 75-year-old Sewell Avery would be elected anyway.

Shipping. The U.S. Maritime Commission gave the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. the go-ahead to build the biggest liner ever constructed in a U.S. shipyard, a 48,000-tonner to cost $70,373,000 (TIME, Aug. 2). The Government will put up $42 million in subsidies and for "defense features" such as double engine rooms to cut down the danger from torpedoes. The U.S. Lines will put up $28 million. With its 33-knot speed, the 2,000-passenger air-conditioned ship, to be launched in 1952, will have a good chance of breaking the transatlantic speed record now held by the Queen Mary.

Television. Admiral Corp. showed seven new combination sets with television (12 1/2-in. tube), AM and FM radio, and a phonograph that will play RCA Victor's new 45 r.p.m. records, Columbia 33 1/3 r.p.m. long-playing records, and standard 78 r.p.m. discs. Admiral claimed its prices ($475 to $575) were $50 to $200 below comparable sets.

Airlines. Edward V. Rickenbacker's tightly run ("We squeeze the pennies and then we squeeze the mills") Eastern Air Lines made a profit last year, as usual. On an alltime record gross of $66.5 million, Eastern turned in a net of $2,350,000 (98-c- a common share), almost double the 1947 figure.

Morale. The Cleveland Graphite Bronze Co., which employs 496 foundry workers, has a plan to make working in a foundry pleasanter--and also cut down the danger of infection from dirt, acids, etc. The company pays 25-c- a day to every worker who takes a shower bath at the plant before going home. The company reported last week that it paid out $28,837 in 1948 shower money.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.