Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-01-01
OMAHA HAS BIG YEAR
Growth Of City in All Lines is
Shown by Figures.
HOME BUILDING MAIN FEATURE
Comfortable Modern Quarters for
Thousand More Families Added.
J0BBERS BUSINESS is IMMENSE
Wholesale Trade of City Grows by
Millions Over 1905.
MANUFACTURES ALSO TAKE JUMP
Bnnk ClenrinRs show n High Mark,
Real Estate transactions Increase
and Every Factor Indicates
Healthy Growth.
oMAHA's GROwTH IN FIGURES.

Omaha had a most prosperous season
Turing 1@7. Even the financial furry that
occasioned general cessation of activity
during the last two months Of the year
was not enough to produce any serious ef-
feet on tho progress of the community. as
shown by statistics. The Bee this morn
ng presents in comprehensive form some
detailed Information regarding the growth
Of the city during the year and its activi-
aes IN financial. commercial and manufac-
turing lines. A healthy increase is shown
IN all the figures. which have been care
-niliy compiled from official sources. The
Increase In clearing house transactions is
practically for ten months of the year; a
decrease has been noted for the last two
months. This is in measure true of the
other factors of the citys growth, and in
ilcates the pace at which Omaha was trav-
cling when the brakes were put on. T'he
most satisfactory feature of the showing
made Is the large increase In the number
~ dwellings or apartments for families
constructed during the year. According
to the report of the. building Inspector
Omaha Is today capable OF housing in
modern and comfortable quarters i,0gi
families more than could have been taken
care of the year before. This increase In
the number OF homes has not fully sun
plied the demand for houses. to meet the
growth OF the city'ss population. II is
specially referred to here as an indication
of the continued expansion Of Omaha and
it's prospects.
Wholesale and JObbinE.
Wholesalng and jobbing business OF the
Omaha houses, selling practically every-
thing which the vast territory could need.
totaled SSs04s.OO0 as compared TO $S3 500, ,OO0
FOR the year of 1906 healthy and steady
increase. made some larger by higher
prices Of many articles.
Among the most important develop
mcnts in the Omaha wholesale center dur
ing the year, was the growth of the agrl-
cultural implement business and the COM
ing TO Omaha of no less than five big
houses, several of which had formerly
been located in Council Bluffs. These
houses. together with the enlarged inter-
ests Of the John Deere Plow company,
Racine -Sattley company. Rock Island
Plow company and the branch OF the In
ternational Harvester company, give
Omaha the supremacy in the inlplement
trade.
The houses which opened in Omaha dur
ing the year are the Sterling Manufac-
turing company. Newton Wagon company
Lawson Gas Engine company, Briggs
Implement and Supply company and p. p
Mast, wagons and trucks.
some Important Deals.
The John Deere company bought the
lots at Ninth and Harvey streets on whicl
the st. Philomena cathedral was located
paying the church 100000 for the corner
Work was started on a warehouse which
win cost s5OO,OOO The Rock Island Plov
company has erected a new building nv,
stories in height at Eighth and Jone
streets while the business of the Racine
Sattley company increased to such eX
tent that three additional stories wer'
built on the hve-story warehouse occupie,
by that company.
As a jobbing center for implement
Omaha occupies a position par excellence
and the volume OF business done in thi
line during 1907 is in keeping with tn
large number of houses located here
Some Of the big firms have moved int
new and larger quarters and have places
more men on the road This has had tn
effect OF drawing business from othe
cities to certain extent and has main
tained the business formerly done out o
Omaha. The total business In implement
done by Omaha houses I'm 1907 was clos
10 Sii, 100000 The business I'm 1905 wa
$4,000 and in 1895 It aggregated ST.
10000
cream separators has been particular
large compared with the year before Tn
number Of buggies sold has been yer
large, the farmers having evidently IN
vested much of their surplus money 1
Iuxurles Of this kind. One firm which be
gan the year in its new building report
an increase during the year of just
per cent compared with the precedin
year.
New Lumber Firm Comes.
The coming OF the Bowman-Kranz Lum
ber company to Omaha was the event {
\ the year in the wholesale lumber trad,
\ This firm had made headquarters in Siou
/ city for a number of years and built up
business in lines of yards in Iowa, NJ
braska and South Dakota When its bu'
mess was brought 10 Omaha the firm al
ranged for a consolidation with the Mi
souri River Lumber company, which ha
a big ward on the belt line.
SO large have the lumber interests {
omaha become that the wholesale and r,
tail dealers will organize an exchange dui
ing the coming year or assist largely
maintaining a bureau OF the Commerci'
club 10 look after traffic affairs whlc
concern the carload shippers. Omaha ma
- fo,tad ttnnn aa one OF the largest luu