Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-09
1905, THE BANNER YEAR.

1905, THE BANNER YEAR.
! AS reported by Duns commercial
failures in the United States during
| the year 1905 We're 11,520 in number
| with assets OF $57,S26,O90 and liabilities
| of $102,676,172, a most striking i'm
provement compared with the 12.199
failures in 1904, when assets were $S4,-
| 43S,O76 and liabilities $144,202.311. In
every comparison the figures for 1905
are more satisfactory than those of the
previous year. Thus, in manufacturing
against 2,S4S, while liabilities were
| $44,252,629 against S52,950,47S; trading
| failures numbered S.475 against $685.
and liabilities were $51. 754, 500 compar-
| ed with $64,429,644 Other commercial
| failures, such as brokerage, real es-
| tate, insurance, ETC., not properly In
| Guided in the two principal divisions
were 319 in number and s6,669,040 in
amount, against 453 failures in 1904
when the liabilities We're $26S22, 1874
This is the most striking decrease in
amount of liabilities. and is partly due
to the Baltimore fire in the previous
year, although the decreases We're also
large in other sections of the country,
notably New York, Massachusetts and
Illinois. In addition to the commercial
foil Nor Of
failures there were seventy eight sus-
pensions of banks and other fiduciary
institutions, with an aggregate default
ed Indebtedness of SOCIETIES, against
ninety-nine in the previous year for
s2S, 1851.
Failures were fewer by about 300 in
the five central states and liabilities
almost s100OO,0O0 less. The only I'M
satisfactory state in this section was
Wisconsin, where losses increased
about 100000, while decrease of
S3,0O0,0O0 was reported by Ohio and
over S5.000,0O0 by Illinois. AS to bank
ing failures in this section Ohio made
the least encouraging exhibit, thirteen
failures for almost $3.0000O0 being re-
ported. At the west there was a de-
in amount of liabilities, practically all
the alteration in amount of loss being
provided by Iowa. Although Nebraska
reported thirty-six fewer failures than
in the previous year, there was an in
crease of more than 100000 in liabil-
tiles. Changes were small and unim-
portant OH the Pacific slope, California
reporting the heaviest losses. as usual,
which were almost identical with the
previous years returns. Washington
came next with about s1,O00.O00 small
er liabilities, but little change from the
figures Of 1904
The striking decrease in both number
and liabilities of insovencies in the
year 905 as compared with the previous
year is a most encouraging evidence of
the stronger position of the business
community, and the comparison with
1903 is still more satisfactory. During
the past twenty years the amount of
capital invested in the various gainful |
occupations has increased almost
steadily and the volume of trade ex-
panded so remarkably that it would be
logical to expect the amount of default
ed Indebtedness to rise in a similar ra-
ito. That it has not done so is conclu-
sive evidence of progress in the right
direction, of the more conservative
methods prevailing and the generally |
healthier situation In the two decades
just ended there have been many years
of prosperity. yet 1899 is the only year
that recorded smaller liabilities than
1905.