The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-10
As a Commercial and Financial
Center the Texas City Is a
Leader, and Its Trade and Pop
ulation Are Expanding Amaz-
ingly.
DOUBLES ITS. INHABITANTS i
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Tremendous Aggregate Of It's Job
bing Trade and the Vast Pro-
portions to Which It's Manufac-
turing Industries Have At
tanned. ~ ~
BY HERBERT vANDERHooF.

: A1iPASSSNSAA -
derived from many sources-for one, the
architectural beauty and durability OF Its
buildings, both public and in the business
/ and residence sections Of the city. In this
respect the Texas city can vie with any
city Of the north. Again, the visitor notes
the broad and well paved streets, the air
of animation that Rpervades the throngs
! upon them, and the streams of trucks that
are carrying their heavy loads OF mer-,
chandise to their various destinations.
s'There must be money here IS the VS.
! itor's thought, and the visitor is right.
; Dallas Is one Of the most important clt1es'
from a commercial and financial stand
point, not only in the state OF Texas out
in the whole southwest.
Commerce and manufactures form the
basis for the prosperity Of Dallas, and in
are the factors that have caused the clty. Tvs
remarkable growth. It has practically
doubled its population. since the census
of 1900, when, according to the s.o federal era
figures its population was 42,63S; To-
day, five years later, it has over SO,OoO:
1t is chiefly because of the great eX-
mansion Of it's wholesale and jobb1ng trade
and the vast increase Of its manufacture
ing industries that Dallas has been en-
Sabled to forge to the front among Texas
cities in this astounding manner. Ger
tainly there Is no other city in the suoth,
eea S s shw to znsR rate at te Of
growth.
Growth of Postal Receipts.
A good index to the growth and pros
perity Of a city is always afforded by it's
postal receipts, Here are some hgures
that tell the story Of Dallas, and as they
are official they cannot be gainsaid: -,
) In 1892 the report of the auditor of the
postoffice department at Washington gave
the receipts at Dallas for the fiscal year
g gaaas la tgne for ths sca Year ending
june 3d. 1905 the same official gave the
receipts g as sss14ai34 gain gain Of tri 1t
In excess Of 100000 in 1905: It has
larger. postal receipts than any city in the
they are larger than many cities Of 100,-
900 or more inhabitants The postal re-
ceipts Of Dallas equal those Of the next
south which surpass it in this respect, -
AS a. financial center Dallas claims to
in the state, leading in surplus, de-
ddTeds Of thousands Of dollars, its nearest
is the iarest in the State e and one n Of
the largest In the solth, its capital and
surplus aggregating 81, $50, 900. But be-
sides it's national banks, Dallas has a
number Of state banks, and also a number
Of savings and loan companies. The ag-
gregate deposits Of these varied institu-
tons are about $16,00OoOO, and they have
been managed with a conservatism and
city that has redounded to their own ad-
ma vam me of ha Of dbb the
done by the city of Dallas is of amazing
proportions compared to the city's popu-
lation:;, 1t may be said in this connection
that there is not a line Of trade that is
not represented in the city, and that the
volume of its trade shows a steady in
crease every year over that Of the year
year for which could obtain statistics,
the jobbing trade amounted to S73, 734, 900,
out of which total farm implements, ma
Of $17, 800; 0O0. In this particular line of
trade Dallas is the second city in the
country, Kansas City alone leading it;
cluded under this head, as T think it
should be, Dallas leads off cities in the
United States tes 1T Its grocery trade amount
parel. dry goods, o clothing, etc.. it's sales
Export Trade Of Dallas.
One would never think of Dallas as de-
ing an export trade, but it does quite an
cotton gins, Dallas not only leads in Their
manufacture, but in the sale of such ma
chinery it ranks first, its trade absorbing
Gated in the city, and calling for much of
the ginning machinery built elsewhere.
This machinery Is sold extensively in
Mexico Egypt India, South America and
It Is to manufactures, however, that
every city must look for its greatest meas
city more inhabitants, a constant inflow
OF money from other centers for the
goods that are sold, and the more men
there are employed in manufactures the
greater Is the sum that Is disbursed in
weekly or monthly. payrolls and that en-
tiers into local circulation.
In this respect Dallas again claims to
lead ali Texas cities; to be the Abou Ben
Adhem Of the state. It has about 300
manufacturing establishments of various
kinds, which represent investment Of
5000 hands,
AS 2 rule the industries Of Dallas are of
the kind that demands high degree Of in
the artisan, and this has brought to the
city not only an exceptionally high grade
OF men, but 1t also results in the disburse-
proportion to the numbers employed than
that Of many other manufacturing cen
tiers where an equal number of men are
machinery already referred to, sD allas
leads the country in the manufacture of
saddery n and harness. and one Of the
largest in the world.
A Few Dallas *'Pointers.''
Here are a few little items" which
Dallas citizens have told me are true of
the city and which they go a long Wav
toward proving: 1t has more firms en-
gagged In strictly mercantile pursuits than
any other city in Texas. 1t gives the tele-
graph companies more business than any
other city in the state. It has more tele-
than any other city Of it's size in the
world. It's express business is larger than
that OF any three cities in Texas com
bined, and heavier than that of any other
city or It's size in the United States % If
is the publishing center of the southwest
issuing slxty-tWo newspapers and period
1cals. It Is the railroad center of the
STATE, elght roads entering the city, with
elghty -hVe passenger trains daily Its
receipts Of freight for one year-19O4E
We're 834,479 tons, and the charges on the
same were $4,S75, 629. H.. :, - p : va -A'
me business ~ Il prosperity Of Dallas is re-
debtedness and rate Of taxation for the
city and county are smaller, the interest
rate which they pay lower, and the az
gregate OF property assessments greater
than those OF most other Of the CHER
cities and counties in the southwest. The
assessment of city property in 1905 indi-z
Gates a total valuation of over $50, 900. 900 i
The gross bonded debt of the city is So
477,500, Of which s154,00O Is held bys The
city in the sinking funds. The city owns
the sewerage and waterworks systems
the latter returning a net income an
nuallys sufficient to take care of its bonds
and leaving a, surplus sufficient for en-
tensions. This is being done under
comprehensive plan that will provide for
the needs Of 100000 people. Dallas is
pudding, with an eye ahead for the near