visitors were impressed with the possibilities for a great steel industry here. Mr. Woldin said that he expected to spend about $25,000,000 in the near future on properties in Cape Breton and New Glasgow. He also said that $4,000,000 to $5,000,000 will shortly be spent on the coal mines of Cape Breton in an effort to secure greater efficiency.

General business conditions are somewhat slack at the present time. There is no great hope of rapid improvement.

Tacoma, Wash., July 1st:

Bank clearings for the first six months of 1920 were $138,726,548, against $114,108,069 last year.

During the first six months of 1920, 1,437 building permits were issued, valued at $3,307,953, against 1,996 last year, valued at $1,354,379. Real estate transfers for the first six months of 1920 were $2,783,913, against $2,204,990 last year.

The opening of the harvest season in Eastern Washington has lessened unemployment the last few weeks.

Many of the lumber mills of the Northwest have been forced to close during the past thirty days because of the extreme car shortage, the most acute in two or three years. With the movement of freight and fruit and a preference order for coal, lumber men say there is no immediate prospect of the situation improving.

Including the $4,000,000 silk cargo brought here in May, the silk which passed through the port of Tacoma for the year 1920 will surpass that of any previous year.

Tampa, Fla., July 20th:

Bank clearings for June, 1920, were $10,834,709, against $7,419,229 last year.

Building permits for June, 1920, were valued at $184,804, against $75,620 last year.

year.

year.

Post office receipts for June, 1920, were $41,156, against $33,226 last

Customs receipts for June, 1920, were $19,711, against $211,265 last

Internal revenue receipts for June, 1920, were $48,599, against $296,889 last year.

Cigar manufactures for June, 1920, were 5,792,000 cigars, against 36,642,000 cigars last year.

Customs receipts were the lowest since 1918 as a result of the almost complete shutdown of the cigar industry on account of the strike which has prevailed since April 15th. Practically no tobacco is being imported by the manufacturers pending the settlement of the strike. The strike may be said to account also for the low internal revenue receipts.

Bank clearings continue to show good gains as a result of building

and shipyard business.

General business conditions continue good in this vicinity.

Woonsocket, R. I., July 13th:

During June, 1920, 63 building permits were issued, valued at $257,397, against 46 last year, valued at $148,628.

General business appears to be declining. Several mills in this district have been operating at three or four days a week. This curtailment is attributed partly to difficulty in securing raw material. Another reason appears to be that some manufacturing concerns are not accepting orders under present conditions, believing that in the not too distant future the cost of labor and raw materials may ease off. In spite of this condition the work on mills under construction is being pushed to completion.

The receipts of our electric department for June, 1920, show a substantial increase over last year; gas receipts also increased satisfactorily.

General Notes

Mr. Edwin S. Webster has returned from Europe.

Mr. Russell Robb has returned from his vacation.
Mr. H. G. Bradlee is now on his vacation.

Mr. Howard L. Rogers is also away on his vacation.

Mr. L. B. Buchanan is on his vacation.

Mr. J. H. Fuller, commercial agent at Tampa, recently spent a day at the Boston office.

Mr. F. D. Gwynn, formerly assistant treasurer at Tampa, has been transferred to the treasurer's office at Boston.

Mr. J. C. Poncelet of the treasurer's office is temporarily at Savannah.

Mr. Walter H. Burke is on his vacation.

Mr. Wadsworth Winslow, auditor of the Chicago, Wilmington & Franklin Coal Company, and David Fitzgerald, traveling auditor of the same company, visited the Boston office recently. Mr. Winslow came from Illinois in his machine.

First Annual Puget Sound Reunion

On Wednesday, August 11th, the following men held a reunion at Nantasket Beach, and dedicated it the "First Annual Reunion of Puget Sound Men Now Located in the Boston Office":

H. T. Edgar
W. E. Herring

F. P. Dexter

J. B. Mahoney

F. D. Gwynn
R. J. Hunter

The party left on the 4.15 boat, and after a dip in the ocean and a dinner at the Palm Garden, the various attractions at Paragon Park were investigated.

The journey back to Boston, late in the evening, was occupied in recalling old happenings and acquaintances made in the Puget Sound district when those present were located in Seattle. While at the Park a message of remembrances and best wishes was sent to Mr. A. W. Leonard, president of the Puget Sound companies, as it was felt that he should be present at the second annual gathering next summer.

Miss M. E. Grady left the treasurer's office on July 24th to undertake secretarial work with the Bailey Rubber Company.

Miss K. D. Thompson, for many years secretary to Mr. J. T. G. Nichols, left on July 24th, and was married to Mr. John T. O'Connell a few days later.

Miss K. C. Conway, formerly of the Chase-Shawmut Company at Newburyport, entered the treasurer's office on August 2nd.

Miss A. B. Clark, formerly in the general stenographic department, has taken Miss Thompson's place as secretary to Mr. J. T. G. Nichols. Mr. F. D. Gwynn, formerly assistant treasurer of the Tampa Electric Company, has been transferred to the treasurer's office, where he will be associated with Mr. P. P. Thomas, who has charge of the Texas properties.

Mr. V. E. Abbot entered the treasurer's office on July 14th, and Mr. J. B. Gamans on July 26th.

Mr. Ralph G. Karger, who has been about a year in the treasurer's office, was recently called home to Milwaukee by the death of his father, and has been obliged to resign his position to attend to family affairs.

Mr. L. S. Cowles, in charge of the appraisal being made for the Virginia Railway & Power Company, has completed his work at Richmond and returned to the Boston office.

Mr. L. H. Foley, who for several months has been located in Pittsburgh, Pa., in charge of the engineering work in connection with construction for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, has returned to the Boston office.

The Ford Motor Company recently authorized Stone & Webster, Inc., to construct at Green Island, N. Y., a hydroelectric plant of about 5,000 Kw. capacity. This power is to be used in connection with a tractor plant which the Ford Motor Company contemplates constructing in the near future.

Contract has recently been signed with the Mutual Potteries Company, Trenton, N. J., for the design and construction by Stone & Webster, Inc., of a building for the manufacture of pottery. Messrs. Hunter, Dodge and Rockwood, together with several draftsmen, have been in Trenton making preliminary layouts for this work.

Mr. T. Dransfield, member of the Structural Division of the engineering department, will be away from the office for several weeks on account of an operation for appendicitis.

Mr. C. A. Hahn, of the engineering department, who has been away from the Boston office for several months in connection with appraisal work for The Columbus Power Company, Jacksonville Traction Company and the Pensacola Electric Company, has returned.

Mr. L. N. Reeve, a member of the Hydraulic Division, has been away from the office several weeks on account of an operation on his throat.

Mr. J. T. Bogrette, who has been secretary of the Electrical Division for some time, has left our organization to accept a position with the United Drug Company. Miss F. A. Benson has succeeded Mr. Bogrette.

Mr. W. H. Balcke has recently returned from Crystal City, Missouri, where he has been obtaining power station data.

The work of constructing the two additional floors of 147 Milk Street is progressing rapidly. It is hoped that they will be ready for occupancy by September 1st.

Baton Rouge, La.

Messrs. R. C. Owers and Charles Fair, of the auditing department, made an audit of this company during July.

Mr. V. K. Fitch, gas plant superintendent, announces the birth of a son on July 24th.

Manager T. L. Small has returned from a trip to Savannah and Birmingham in connection with the coal situation.

Mr. E. P. Williams, for the past few years assistant treasurer, has resigned to accept the position of assistant comptroller of the Godchaux

Sugars, Inc., of New Orleans. Prior to his departure the office employes entertained Mr. and Mrs. Williams with a surprise party at the Williams' residence and presented them with a handsome electric coffee urn as a parting gift.

Mr. Williams will be succeeded by Mr. Chalmers, chief clerk of the Columbus (Ga.) Electric Company.

Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas

Messrs. P. L. Whitaker, Thomas Smith and W. J. Francis, auditors from the Boston office, have been auditing the books of the company recently.

Mr. A. F. Townsend, manager, accompanied Mrs. Townsend and their daughter, Pauline, as far as New Orleans on their trip to Auburn, Maine, where Mrs. Townsend will spend the balance of the summer.

Mr. Townsend organized a fishing party consisting of Messrs. Joseph Bowes, G. W. Swift, Frank Gardner and G. A. Migurski, of Port Arthur; A. F. Townsend, P. R. Fleming, P. E. McChesney, J. H. Russell and S. P. MacFadden, of Beaumont; and the following visitors, Mr. W. E. Wood, manager Houston Electric Company; Mr. J. F. McLaughlin, Stone & Webster, Houston; and Mr. W. E. Brown, secretary to Mr. G. H. Clifford, manager of the Northern Texas Traction Company. The party left Beaumont for Port Arthur on the interurban at 7 A.M. The Texas Company loaned them their tug, The Juliette, and on it the party left Port Arthur at 10 A.M. and arrived at the Jetties about noon. After lunch every one tried his luck fishing. Mr. W. E. Brown proved to be champion fisherman. About 6 P.M. the party returned to Port Arthur, where the fishermen were entertained at supper by Mr. Wood.

Mr. A. F. Townsend, manager, spent Saturday, July 31st, with Mr. Clifford in Houston.

Mr. P. R. Fleming, assistant treasurer, accompanied his wife and child, who were on their way to Massachusetts, as far as Washington.

Mr. P. E. McChesney, commercial agent, returned from his vacation during the early part of July. He reported that he had had a very pleasant vacation and had a number of unusual "fish stories" to tell.

Mr. W. E. Seaholm, a 1920 E. E. graduate from the University of Texas, entered our service as student on July 15th. Mr. Seaholm was appointed assistant to Mr. Braunig, superintendent of distribution, Beaumont.

Mrs. H. E. Braunig returned from Navasota, where she had been spending about a month with her mother.

Mrs. G. W. Swift returned to Port Arthur after a month's visit with relatives in northern Texas.

Miss Marie Philipson, head of the stenographic department, spent her two weeks' vacation in Galveston.

Miss Agnes McCorkle, of the stenographic department, has been on her vacation. She spent the first few days at High Island.

Bellingham, Wash.

A. W. Leonard, president of the Puget Sound Power and Light Company; E. A. Batwell, editor of the "Journal”, and Ed. Thomas, publicity man, all of Seattle, were visitors during the month.