Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-27
STATE DEVELOpafEyT

Nearly every active progressive COM
munity in the state is represented in
the development convention now in scs-
sion in this city. 1t is n gathering of
men who have helped place Nebraska
in proud position among the states of
the union. The objects and aims Of the
convention are to devise ways and
means to protect and improve the COM
mercial interests of tho state and en-
courage the settlement OF 6o country.
The progress OF the state during the
past ten years has been marvellous.
From a population OF four hundred ana
ffty.two thousand in 1880 it swell led
to seven hundred and forty thou
sand in 1885, and to-day contains
not less than one million and
quarter people. The desert" has dis
appeared, il it ever existed outside OF
the maps, and in its stead are thousands
OF thrifty settlers, comfortable homes
and scores Of enterprising towns. Five
thousand miles OF railroads traverse
nearly every county, against eighteen
hundred miles ten years ago. Factories
have multiplied and every branch of
business shows q marked increase.
Agriculturally the development of Me-
braska has been equally rapid, rising
step by step until she now ranks
| fifth among the corn producing
states OF the union. Last year
| the improved acreage aggregated
| nine and a half million acres. OF which
| four and a quarter million acres were
l,l, NJ 80
million acres yet remain unimproved,
an area larger than Connecticut, Massa
chusetts and Delaware combined or
| Vermont, New Jersey and Rhode
Island, and capable of supporting from
two to three million people.
| There's no better evidence of the
progress OF Nebraska than the record
of Omaha's advance in decade. With
a scant thirty thousand population
in 1879, it has grown to an
active, enterprising city of one hun
dred and twenty-five thousand people.
Its manufacturing and commercial
| strength was then a mere fragment of
what it is to-day. Stock yards and
packing houses were not thought Of,
| pavements and sewers and waterworlls
were still q dream, and the town drifted
rudderless with the current. To-day
forty miles of paved streets penetrate
every section of the city. Hills have
been levelled and hollows filed, and
sixty miles of sanitary and surface
water sewers laid. A magnificent sys-
TEN OF waterworks supplies every want
in that line. SlXty-four miles of cleo
trio motor, horse and cable
street railways connect the SUI
burbs with the business center.
Omaha has sprung in five years to third
rank as stock market and packing
center, having four of the largest pack
ing houses in the country, giving en-
ployment to live thousand men, and re-
curing an average of eighteen million
dollars month in 1883 to handle the
business. Twelve banks, with over five
millions OF capital, attend to the tinan-
cial wants of the metropolis, and the
wealth of the people is shown in
national bank deposits, aggregating
| eight and a half million dollars.
Ninety factories, with six million
dollars capital, employ six Thousand
| five hundred hands, requiring four
hundred thousand dollars month to
pay them. Twenty million dollars were
invested in buildings during the last
four years. Eighteen million dollars
were paid to farmers for stock last year
and three and half million bushels of
grain handled. The jobbing interest of
the city amounts to over sixty millions
a year, divided between Two hundred
and seventy-seven firms, and twenty
eight hundred business firms represent
the retail trade of the city. Fifty pub
lie schools employing two hundred and
sixty teachers, besides a score of private
and denominational schools, look after
the intellectual interests of the rising
generation, and eightysix churches at
tend to the spiritual needs of all.
This is a composite picture of the
metropolis which bids welcome to the
representatives of the business interests
of the state. 1t is compact counter
part of the growth and development of
Nebraska. To protect ana increase the
interests OF both is worthy of the best
efforts of the convention.
|