BUSINESS LIFE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15349, 9 July 1913, Page 12

BUSINESS LIFE.

"I know lots of men, business, men, who can borrow any amount, whoso credit is unquestioned, not because it is believed they have money back of them, but because people believe in the men." That was the way Mr. Morgan put himself on record before the Pujo Investigating Committee as a believer in character as the foundation of credit, not long before his death. "Commercial credit," he said, "is not based primarily upon money or property the first thing is character."

The exports of automobiles from the United States last February reached highwater mark. The cars which were sent out of the country that month were valued at 2.839,000 dollars. The parts, exclusive of motors and tyres, were valued at 463,500 dollars. The value of the motors sent out was placed at -253.999 dollars; the value of the tyres at 276,253 dollars, and the automobile leather, 9922 dollars. With these items included, the grand total of parts, tyres, leather, etc., was 3,837,246 dollars. ' And February, it is to be remembered, was a short month, having only 28 days.

The Imperial Trade Correspondent at Brishane (-Mr. M. Finucan) reports that a company is being formed in Queensland, with a capital of £<550,000, for the purpose of manufacturing high-class Portland cement. Estimates have been obtained from eminent cement engineering firms in Europe and America for a plant of' the most modern type, capable of producing 20.000 tons of cement per annum. A wellknown Queensland engineer has certified, after careful investigations, that an abundance of raw material is conveniently available, and that Portland cement of as good a quality as that imnortcd can be produced locally at a moderate cost.

Gypsum figures prominently among the mineral products of Nova Scotia. This substance abounds in Hants, Colchester, and Cumberland Counties, and also in the islands of Cape Breton. About 300,000 tons are shipped annually to the United States, manufactured there, and large quantities of the finished product shipped back to Canada for builders' use. There is no good reason why this raw material should not be manufactured on the ground. The present output of gypsum from the province yields a return of about £50,000. If the gypsum were manufactured in Nova Scotia the annual return would amount to £360,000.

Once every spring the city of Leipzig, Germany, breaks forth into an " advertising carnival" which has developed into one of the most picturesque commercial festivals in Europe. Local business firms as well as large manufacturers who conduct general publicity campaigns vie with each other in the preparation of unique exhibits, "floats" and advertising devices which are features of the street parades during the period of the carnival, 'these exhibits range from single banners t«. elaborate groupings of manikins and mechanical devices shown on "floats" drawn by hand. The greatest ingenuity is displayed in the design of these floats; frequently they are of striking beauty, though the general effect of the parades is comic or grotesque.