Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-09-12
GOLDEN FLOOD OF coon TIMES.
Present Era of Prosperity Never
Before FuuaIled.

before Euuaued.
Unprecedented prosperity is the present
lot OF the United States. A greater pros
perity is the promise OF the immediate
future
Statistics compiled and published by the
Chicago Record Herald warrant the state
ment Of fact and promise Already the
year, with over three months to go on, has
! smashed records right and left. The
figures are stupendous and there Is not
, a cloud on the horizon TO shadow their
size Here are few:
Bank clearings in the United States for
August. although only trife larger than
| those for July, exceeded those for the same
month in any previous year, while for the
first eight months of 1906 the clearings
footed up S92. 29s. 10000. as against $50, 1856
4o9243 for the same period in the proceed
Ing years. This is one instance where
figures are at command to tell the story
The stocks and bonds barometer OF Wall
street makes a showing of 300 more
shares of stocks traded in for the first eight
months Of 1905 than during the correspond
ing months of 19O4-1s,345 700 more than the
total number of sales recorded for the pre-
vious years period-while the sales Of
bonds aggregate S74s, $780, 900, an increase Of
500. $4,000
Increase In building for the first eight
months Of the year has been enormous In
New York City alone operations up to
September l aggregate S109,944 ,225, an in
crease of 42,106,O55 over the corresponding
period in 1904 Chicago-next in rank
presents an outlay for building during the
eight months of $4O3S7, s65, an increase Of
! sl3, 2s3, 4s5 over the 1904 period.
Could the totals of billions pertaining 20
specific branches of industry be brought
within grasp and held in the imagination
they would give to the reader a more vivid
conception of contemporaneous conditions.
In the iron and steel industry, for exam
ple-the greatest in all its branches Of any
of the country's interests-the figures are
so stupendous that 1t would require the
work of a national census to present them
even approximately. But there is the tan
gible fact that the demand on the iron and
steel mills is beyond their capacity, and
the further fact that preparations are being
made for the greatest year in their history
lying Just ahead.
Business has been forging ahead by such
leaps and bounds that the carriers have
been caught short of equipment with which
TO move products. Railroads. striving to do
the best within their power, have bewild-
cred the manufacturers with their orders
for more rolling stock. The Pennsylvania
road alone within a week has ordered 10, 900
steel cars, and that is only sample of the
demand generally, especially as to western
roads.
The steel rail output OF many large mills
for next year practically has been sold in
advance. In the last ten days $50 900 tons
Of rails have been ordered and the orders
break records.
It is the same story in other lines Of in
dustry-in hides and leather, dry goods,
furniture, clothing, and I'm fact everything
that pertains 70 the needs and Injuries of
man. Experts say the consuming millions
never had so much money to spend, and
they are spending II freely. The leather
trade, which is one Of the greatest next to
iron and steel will have the biggest year
with the close of 1905 that it ever has
known.
Leather goods. like hardwarefi are stples
TO a large extent, but automobiles cannot
as yet be classed as such. As a side light
on prosperity, therefore-something show
ing the ability of the American people TO
purchase things that are not necessities in
this era of bounty-it may be stated that
$50, 600 900 is an estimate of the money that
will pour into the Golfers OF the automobile
manufacturers OF lne country lot tHe year
1905.
Real estate and building affords another
opportunity to gauge prosperity with
figures and statistics, and the activity in
the building trades forms the complement
OF the demands of the railroads for the
great boom in iron and steel
All over the country the building records
reflect the prosperous conditions The ex-
traordinary fact to be noted is that every
month OF the present year has shown an
increase over the corresponding period one
year ago.
Building experts who have watched con-
ditions closely say they believe the present
activity will continue for a long time.
Twenty-seven cities show an increase in
building for August Of 2,62s buildings and
| Sl71OO, 9sS in cost, or 4s per cent over the
same month a yea: ago. During the month
| permits were taken out, according to off,
cial reports to Construction News, for the
construction OF 1880 buildings. aggregat-
| ing $52S2OSlI. against S,9l2 buildings, in
volving $35210.S23 for the corresponding
month a year ago Every month OF the
! year has shown an increase over the cor
responding period a year ago. The record
is, therefore, unusual. The figures In de-
| tail are a q follows.