The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-30
BANKS OF CITY SHOW RICHES
 AND MONTGOMERY'S PROSPERITY

least quite as good year as we have ever had. Not only have our deposits shown the increase which I have just mentioned, but in the important branch of collection. the business of the bank and of its patrons have been quite as good It has been an excellent year for collections. I hardly suppose that 1t Is doubted that the present year IS the best year that the business men or Montgomery have had"
 At a meeting of the Board of Direc- tors of the First National Bank yes terday afternoon the usual quarteriy dividend of per cent. was dsclared and in addition an extra dividend or 1 per cent was declared.
 Deposits and Prosperity.
 Speaking for the Fourth National Bank" said President Thomas J. Rey- holds of that institution the year has been a fine one. It has been an excel- lent year.
 'I need only to tell you that the to- tai of our deposits at the close of 1895 and the total of the deposits at the close of last year shows difference of S300,000. Our deposits, in other words, have increased $500. .000 in one twelve months. Outside of these convincing figures however. there is every other evidence of the general prosperity in Montgomery and throughout Middle
  season, no less for the banks than for the merchants of Montgomery. Our own books shows this nroof of gen eral prosperity, for in November. 1905, our deposits were upwards of S4S6,OOo. Tn November. 1904. they had increased to upwards of S512.000 and in November, l905 the increase had jumped unti! the total reached s745,000. Now in the closing days of December the total is above s801 .0n0. We have declared a semi-annual dividend of per cent. and added s25.0o0 to the surplus
 There are perhaps many reasons why Montgomerys section is enjoying such good financial health. but the main req son is that cotton is bringing such a good price. Altogether it is the best year our people has ever had.
 People With Money.
 Tt would appear that all our people are flush with money" said Cashier Louis B. Farley of the Merchants and Planters-Farley National Bank. "Not only have our deposits shown large increase, but the collections of all sorts have been very satisfactory. It has, perhaps. been the best year for collections that ouI section ever en- joyed."
 White the increase in deposits has been large, it would be larger still if so many people were not holding cot ton I know that quite large number of our patrons are still holding cotton and know that if there was general sale of cotton there would be a still further increase in the already large amounts of deposits. This Is true so far as our bank is concerned and 1t is no doubt true of other banks in the city.
 Montgomery and its territory. of course. primarily owe their remarkable prosperity to the very satisfactory -;, ho4 hri1tOin0 And from the viewpoint of the banker this prosperity is as substantial and as general as 1t is from the viewpoint of the merchant. The holiday trade of Montgomery was remarkable. One merchant told me his business was two- thirds larger than 1t was last year."
 President M. Cody of the Union Trust and Savings Company added to the general story of financial satisfaction and general good times.
 We owe much of it to 10 and 11-cent cotton." said Mir Cody. But other factors entered into the making of Montgomery's remarkable prosperity at the close of 1905. In the first place Montgomery's territory is naturally vii dening It is widening more than most of us understand or believe. Both the city and the city's business have shown remarkable increases in the past few years. The merchant are constantly extending their field of operation and constantly new trade and new business is coming to the city.
 "Unquestionably 1t has been a most prosperous year for Montgomery. Our business has largely increased. The fnaI statement of our bank will be made to the Board of Directors on Jan uary g and beyond doubt it will show a big increase in the number of de- positors and the amount of money on deposit in the bank.