Omaha daily bee., 1893-12-31
YEAR WITH OMAHA JOBBERS
Volume Of business Transacted During tbs
Year Of Financial Depression.
FIGURES THkT SHOW The YEARS RECORD
Strong Institutions that He'd Their Own
and Ended the Tear with = Record
10 Be Proud Of-Ths Az
rreEAte sales.

Board Of Trade men are very FOND 81 de
plotting the markets 10y means Of q zigzhg
line drawn across o plain, turning sharply
up here, dipping down there, according as
the market advanced or receded. such q
representation gives a more comprehensive
ioea Of the course Of the market at a glance
than 1t is possible TO convey with columns Of
figures.
II the history Of OmHhR's Jobbing trade
were 10 be thus condensed q single line
tending Upward at, perhaps, an angle Of
fortv-fve degrees would tell the story. Two
slight joys downward might bs added, the
first representing the r~etrogrHde movement
consequent upon the loss Of crops in Ne
brRska in 1890, and the other due TO the
money panic Of 1893. Thus rapid has been
the growth Of Omaha's joDbinE business.
Other cities have had their ups and downs
their 1OCms aud collapses, bat the OmahH
iobbers have gone STEADILY on. strengthening
their position, increasing their territory. en-
larEing their stocks, and swelling the VOL
ume Of trade at q rate that has made this
city conspicuous as one OF the most prosper
pus communities IN the west.
The slight downward movement following
the crop failure Of 1890 was Of d purely local
character and the recovery was ra pid.
During the past six months business IL
Omaha has suffered in consequence Of Il
widespread depression emHUHtInE from the
financial enters OF the east. During the
first six months Of the yeHr business showed
D heavy increase, as compared with the pre-
vious year in other words the line tended
steadily upward. In July the wave Of tinan-
cial disurust. which had already pHralyzsd
business il the east, crossed the Missouri
river. The mining interests west were
crushed and the pressure became so strong
that some OF the most prosperous cities were
almost completely wrecked. In others bust
ness suffered u decrease Of 80 per cent or
more. as shown by the bank ClearinEs. BuS
hebraska, with her corn and Live stock, re
fused TO succumb ut once or admit that
there was any real cause for Il pane. Busi-
ness held up here long after il was stagnant
ut other points, but the long
continuance Of the depression over The
whole country, and The constant
pressure from the outside, caused u
gradual shrinkage in business. There was
no crash, but every one all at once became
convinced Of the necessity Of following d
conservative course. No one was willing TO
create new obligations. except under com
pulsion. W will sell the goods that Wa
now have on hand before buying more, - said
the retail merchants, and the jobbing trade
Of Omaha fell of rapidly, During the past
fall there was n revival Of business in some
lines and certain houses show as large Z
business for the past month as for December
u year ago.
While the decrease in the volume Of bust
ness was large curing Inc last nan OF the
year there was u heavy gain during The first
Blk months, so that the loss for the whole
year is not us large rs would otherwise have
been the case, The fact is The volume of
trade for 1893 compares very favorably with
any other year except 1892.
The following tlble containing the num-
Der of jobbIng houses, the different Lines
represented and the capital employed was
compiled by Bradstreet's and Will be OF gen.
eral interest as showing the extent Of the
iobbing business Of this city.
JobbinE Houses.