Per capita consumption reached an alltime record high of 16.9 pounds in 1940 compared with 15.7 pounds in 1939, an increase of 7 percent against an advance in national income of a little more than 7 percent.

The 14th annual survey of confectionery distribution prepared by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce in cooperation with the National Confectioners' Association shows that the value of the year's business exceeded that for 1939 by 9 percent and was the highest valuation recorded for any year since 1930.

The survey is based upon voluntary reports from 273 identical manufacturers of confectionery and competitive chocolate products whose combined sales account for approximately 70 percent of total sales for the industry.

Sales Increase in 1940 Over 1939

All types of distributors increased sales in 1940 compared with 1939 with chain stores gaining a proportionately larger share of manufacturer-wholesaler sales for the products of bar-goods houses and bulk-goods houses.

The percentage of total confectionery and competitive chocolate product sales which were distributed through chain stores in 1940 amounted to 23 percent, considerably lower than the 35 to 40 percent of total food sales estimated to be effected through chain stores.

The survey shows that while sales increases were substantial compared with last year, manufacturers' average sales value of all types of confectionery changed very little. Net changes in the cost of principal raw materials used in candy manufacture were small during the two years covered by the survey.

Returned goods were less of a problem to the industry during 1940, amounting to a little Lore than eight-tenths of one percent compared with one percent for 1939. This is the second Successive year that returned goods, expressed as a percentage of total sales, have declined whereas during 1938 when total sales were less than in 1937 the value of returned goods increased.

The new contributions to this annual survey are a supply and price analysis on cocoa bean consumption and the development of indices of confectionery sales. Cocoa beans were selected rather than some other raw material because of the wide variation in price of beans and the pronounced effect on average value and consumption of candy.

Cork

National Defense control of the cork industry is announced in a Federal Government order of June 2: "...putting cork under industry-wide control as of June 12; thereafter each supplier is required to set aside his entire stock of cork in all forms, as a reserve out of which the Director of Priorities will make allocations to defense orders."

The leading association in this field is the Cork Institute of America. Formed in 1932, it claims that the products of its 20 members represent over 90 percent of the Nation's annual production. The industry's principal products are indicated in the names of its five divisional associations: the Cork Marine Goods Manufacturers Assn., Cork Insulation Manufacturers Assn., and similar ones for cork tile, cork stoppers, and cork composition.

The Institute's board of managers is composed of the chairmen of these five product groups.

Principal activities of the association include technical research, foreign trade studies, government relations, statistics, and public relations.

During the National Recovery Administration, the Institute was the chief sponsor of the "Cork Industry" Code (No. 199), which stated: "A Code Authority is hereby established to cooperate with the Administrator in the administration of this Code, and shall consist of the membership of the board of directors of the Cork Institute of America".

In 1939, this industry produced products valued at $18,000,000 and employed over 3,000 workers. Some of the special problems of the Institute pertain to the fact that its raw material is largely imported.

One of the objectives given in its Constitution is "To cooperate in the adoption and maintenance of uniform high standards and specifications in the manufacture and uses of the industry's products so that customers may be guaranteed the character, quality, and service of the same."

The Institute's secretary was for many years the chief executive of the American Tariff League. (25 W. 43rd St., New York, N. Y.; Arthur L. Faubel, Secretary.)

Copper

A similar order was issued by the OPM the previous week on the copper industry. Such "General Preference Orders" are issued by the OPM (Office of Production Management) and the OPACS (Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply).

The Copper Institute is the leading association of primary producers in this industry; some of the larger firms in the field of copper mining, smelting, and refining are also producers of industrial and consumer copper products.

The Institute shares offices with the U. S. Copper Association and Copper Exporters, Inc. (a Webb Act export association); Mr. Eckert is secretary of the three groups.

The Copper Institute was formed in 1927, and the U. S. Copper Association, which has a smaller membership, in 1934.

For many years the Institute has had a representative in Europe to gather pertinent information on the production and use of copper in the European market. Among its objectives is "to provide an agency for the collection and publication of accurate information concerning copper and copper products, as well as the industrial and commercial conditions bearing upon the production and distribution, marketing, uses, and consumption thereof.... The books and records of the Copper Institute shall be open at all times to the inspection of the departments and bureaus of government interested, and all reports distributed to members shall be furnished to any official or public body or institution desiring to receive them."

The members of the Institute are said to represent over 90 percent of the national production of copper.

Among other national associations in this industry are the Copper and Brass Research

Association, the Copper Export Association, and the Copper Wire Engineering Association. (50 Broadway, New York, N. Y.; R. R. Eckert, Secretary.)

Confectioners

A feature of the 58th annual convention of the National Confectioners Association in early June was an exhibition of materials and equipment used by the industry.

According to a recent survey by the Association, the confectionery industry consumes almost $140,000,000 a year in such agricultural products as sugar, eggs, milk, and other dairy products.

A check was made before the convention to ascertain the subjects in which association members were most interested, with the result that the convention program included addresses and round table discussions on such matters as the "Effect of the Defense Program on Raw Materials", "Candy's Place in New Army Ration", "Food Store Marketing and How to Develop it", "Candy Industry Policies in the Defense Era"; also special discussions on taxation, financial practices, and labor requirements, including an address by a woman employee on "The Employee Looks at Her Job".

A report was made on a survey of sales of candy to Army Post exchanges. (224 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill.; Philip P. Gott, President.)

tary until recently (a considerable number of the Nation's over 6,000 state and local trade associations do not have a regular full-time staff).

The ACMA states: "We have just put on a state-wide radio program giving briefly the scope and value of the cotton textile mills of Alabama and their productive part in the National Defense Program. ...Although our Association was established in 1906, it has been only in the last three years that a permanent staff and offices have been set up. Within that time we have studied the needs of the industry within the state and we now have an organization to cope with any of the problems that arise.

At the same time we have taken care not to become top-heavy with over-organization. To handle raw cotton problems, we have a Cotton Buyers Division. To handle purely production questions, we have the Alabama Textile Operating Executives Division. To handle problems of office administration, we have the Office Executives Division of the Association. The Association itself consists of the chief policy-making executives of the cotton textile mills of Alabama. In that way we can handle practically anything affecting the industry." (Montgomery, Ala.; Dwight M. Wilhelm, Secretary.)

Cotton

The Alabama Cotton Manufacturers Association has announced an annual Textile Safety Contest open to every textile mill company in Alabama. It is stated that the first contest will begin July 1, 1941, that separate awards will be made to spinning mills and weaving mills, and that "the ultimate objective is to reward management effort to curb and reduce the number of industrial accidents, with the additional reward of lowered hazard, greater efficiency and safety, and happier productive employees."

This association was organized 25 years ago, but did not have a full-time paid secre

Lithographers

The Lithographers National Association reports that lithographers from all over the country were in attendance in unusual numbers at its 36th annual convention, and that the members' annual dinner and golf tournament were, as usual, high spots of the meeting.

However, in line with the seriousness of the times, the opening session immediately got down to business with an authoritative presentation of priorities in the present emergency by a representative of the Priorities Division of OPM, who helped clear away some of the mystery and outlined the now familiar preference rating certificate plan for the critical materials of defense building.

This industry covers establishments using lithographic, planographic, or photo-litho

graphic printing processes in their manufacturing operations. The association claims that its almost 200 members represent over twothirds of the national volume in this field.

As is true of all associations, it is faced with the problem of how to deal best with the question of services to nonmembers.

Concerning this problem, the association states: "Casual inquiries from nonmembers asking for miscellaneous information and not requiring a considerable amount of time and research are customarily taken care of. However, since we have no restrictions on eligibility for membership, we we feel under no absolute obligation to do more than this.

"Our dues are based upon the size of the establishment, and many of our firms are very small units. For example, one pays less than 90 cents a month in dues, and yet the fact that this firm is a member gives it the full services of the association."

The LNA has a staff of over 15 persons. (292 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y.; W. F. Maxwell, Secretary.)

Doctors

Unusual success in returns from a nationwide questionnaire survey is reported by the American Medical Association: a 77 percent

reply from a schedule sent to 185,000 physicians. Data were secured on National Defense problems which will be coordinated and then furnished to the Army and Navy Departments and the U. S. Public Health Service.

Large expenditures for industrial and scientific goods are made by the 118,000 members of this professional association (one estimate is a $2,000 average investment per physician for office and other equipment); feature of the early June annual meeting of the AMA in Cleveland was an exhibition called "The Medical World's Fair."

Formed in 1847, the AMA is one of the largest of trade or professional associations in this country. It has a staff of more than 600 persons, a large number of which are engaged in work pertaining to the publication of a number of journals published by the Association two of which have a circulation

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of over 100,000.

A gross income of $970,000 from advertising space was reported for the past year. Attendance at the convention was over 7,000 (it was necessary to hire a Lake Erie steamer to provide housing for 1,000 unexpected delegates). Over 250 scientific papers were presented. (535 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill.; Olin West, General Manager.)

There were 1,471 industrial distributors (as described below) in the United States in 1939 with sales for the year amounting to almost three-quarters of a billion dollars--$729,650,000. These industrial distributors employed 40,489 persons to whom they paid $71,011,000 in salaries and wages during the year, or an average of $1,754 per person.

Stocks on hand for sale at the end of the year were valued (at cost) at $155,163,000, approximately equivalent to 13 weeks' sales. These facts were announced by the Director of the Census.

Operating expenses of the 1,471 establishments amounted to $121,687,000 during the year, or 16.7 percent of net sales. Operating expenses, as defined for census purposes, include pay roll but not cost of goods sold.

Pay roll amounted to 9.7 percent of sales, or $9.70 per each $100 of sales.

In addition to the 40,489 employees on a salary or wage basis, 183 proprietor-owners of unincorporated establishments were actively engaged in the business, or a total personnel of 40,672--one person for each $17,940 sales. Industrial distributors are described, for census purposes, as establishments handling a general line of industrial goods and who sell primarily to industrial users rather than to retailers. The term as used here is limited to establishments, more or less independent in ownership, dealing in a rather complete line of materials, equipment, and/or supplies for mills, mines, factories, oil wells, public utilities, and similar businesses that buy for use.