Monday, Aug. 27, 1945
Facts & Figures
Service Resumed. The first passenger vessel from the U.S. since early 1942 nosed its way between the coral reefs that line the channel into Hamilton, Bermuda. She was the Furness, Withy & Cox, Ltd.'s trim, flag-bedecked, 3,500-ton Fort Townsend, carrying 31 passengers and 830 tons of cargo.
Hotel Housekeeping. At least $100 million worth of guest-room and housekeeping supplies will be purchased by 5,500 U.S. hotels. Principal items needed: carpets ($31.6 million), furniture ($24.6 million), kitchen repairs and supplies ($23 million), sheets ($8 million), towels ($3.8 million), pillowcases ($2.4 million).
Railroad Stocks. When investors heard that all carloads of westbound war freight stopped dead in their tracks, many unloaded their railroad stocks. On the New York Stock Exchange, values of railroad stocks were down one to five points. The Dow-Jones rail averages ended the week at 53.05, down 3.19 from the week before.
Telegraphic Ornaments. The Board of War Communications resurrected a pre-war U.S. institution, the singing telegram, and hastened to add that this amenity would not be allowed to confuse the nation's serious business. Also back: congratulatory telegrams. Still missing: such Western Union innovations as shopping and messenger service, sale of traveler's checks, and acceptance of express packages.
Atomic Silver. The Treasury announced with some pride that 14,000 tons of its silver had been used in the manufacture of the atomic bomb. Its function: to replace critically short copper in the electrical connections of the manufacturing apparatus. WPB, acting for the War Department, was the borrower. WPB will have at least six months after the war is officially ended to get all the silver back.
Bright Future. War-fattened Republic Aviation Corp. announced that it would retain between 4,000 and 5,000 workers fulltime, many of them to turn out its new commercial transport. All experimental contracts for war craft have been retained, and certain new military models will continue in production. The Glenn L. Martin Co. announced $180 million worth of peacetime contracts for military and commercial aircraft--enough to keep their Baltimore factory busy on a 40-hour work week until September 1947.
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