Mergers

Communications. Mighty are the four chief U. S. communication companies (Radio, I. T. & I., A. T. & T., Western Union). Mightier still would be a combination of any two of them. But under the White Act, U. S. cable and radio companies may not merge. Surprising, piquant, therefore, was the admission of President Newcomb Carlton of Western Union last week, that he had conferred with Chairman of the Board Owen D. Young of Radio Corp., the subject being a possible, desirable merger.

Crackers. Voracious, United Biscuit Co. last year created a $11,500,000 subsidiary, to absorb small middle-western cracker companies, called it United Biscuit Co. of America. Accretions last week: Ontario Biscuit Co. (two plants in Buffalo, one in Pittsburgh); Hekman Biscuit Co. (Grand Rapids); Quality Biscuit Co. (Milwaukee).

Chemicals. E. I. du Pont de Nemours Co. and Grasselli Chemical Co. (see p. 46).

Airways. The Western Air Express, Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America! and Universal Airways, Inc. President, Harris M. Hanshue; chairman of the board, James A. Talbot; designer and technician, Anthony H. G. Fokker. Capital involved: $15,000,000. Plans: 39-hour schedule between New York and Pacific Coast; 25-hour schedule between Pacific Coast and Hawaii.

Aircraft. Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corp. (amphibian planes) and Keystone Aircraft Corp. (military planes, air transports) are merging.

Rubber. Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., of England, founders of the pneumatic tire industry, have bought back their Canadian and Japanese branches. It was an important Dunlop gesture for a $200,000,000 tie-up of rubber companies around the world. Dunlop Tire & Rubber Corp., the U. S. affiliation, is at Buffalo.

Department Stores. At New Orleans, Birmingham, Memphis and Louisville are City Stores Co. department stores; at Newark and Elizabeth, N. J., are stores affiliated with City Stores. That chain last week paid $10,521,000 for control of Lit Bros., Philadelphia department store.

Leather. Many U. S. makers of shoes, purses, gloves, buy their high grade goat and kid skins from Martin Zimmer Lederwerke, A. G., of Frankfort-am-Main, Ger many, and their reptile skins from Alpina Ltd. of Paris and Berne. The two tanning firms are now consolidated.