Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-03-22
Closes Week with Best Record Of
Business in United States.
ATTRACTS ATTENTION OF OTHERS
Not Surpassed or Equalled by Any
Place of Same Population.
CONFRONTED BY BRIGHTER VIEW
business Men Assert the stolid Indif-
ference showP TO so-CsTed Panic
Has Given Omaha an Inesti-
mabIe Advantage.


Three large cities in the United States
showed increase in their banking busl-
ness last week and omaha was one Of
them and showed the largest per cent Of
increase.
In point of bank clearings Omaha ranks
as thirteenth city OF the United States.
In point OF population. according to 1900
census, it ranks thirtg-fifth. In all proba-
billty its rank in population at present Is
much higher, for since the former census
It has gone TO the 10000 class
Omaha during the last week climbed
from seventeenth to thirteenth among the
cities OF the United States In amount of
bank cearings, closing the week with a
total OF Sl2,725O0O. These figures are not
as large as Of that record-breaking week
OF March, 1907. but they are nearly so, and
they bear even a more important relation
to general business and to the figures OF
other cities at this time than did the ban
ner amount of last year bear at that time.
They stand out In bold relief and dis
tinguish Omaha as one of the few cities
that have stemmed the tide Of the mac
tive period without the least practical in
jury.
Omaha Gains Most.
| Beside Omaha, only Kansas City and
Minneapolis of the larger cities made gains
in their bank clearings last week, and
Omaha surpassed the gains in per cent
of these two cities. Omaha made q gain
of SO per cent: Kansas City, a.. and
Minneapolis, IL
Omaha stands higher in actual amount
of bank clearings than any city in the
union OF its own size, and outranlxs many
cities overwhelmingly larger than itself.
The only cities that outrank Omaha are
|
delphia st. Louis. Pittsburg. San Fran
CISCO Kansas City, Baltimore, Cincinnati,
Minneapolis New Orleans Cleveland, the
| largest city in Ohio Detroit metropolis
of Michigan; Louisville of Kentucky, Buff
falo, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, all cities
much larger than Omaha, are outranked
by Omaha. Seattle, the north Pacific port
OF entry, rival of San Francisco for the
gateway to the orient Los Angeles, with
its vaunted claim of 100000 population and
hts rivalry Of San rranciscoi st. Paul,
Denver. Portland, ore.,--all these cities
are way below Omaha in amount Of bank
clearlngs, and yet they are great cities
and great centers of business activity.
Business on Firm Footing.
at shows one thing palmer than all else
said a bank president, "and that is that
Omaha's business is steady and constant
and too stable to be affected by such cross
lines on the map Of tho country as these
| little currents of adversely which have so
completely upset some of our sister citle1
The fact is Omaha is the supply depot Cor
the greatest maiden country In the world
a country that is only in the bloom Of its
childhood, but is growing rapidly that
Il needs to make constant demands on the
center Of supplies to feed its ravenous ap-
| netite Omaha has established a Wholesale
trade in the northwest that Is going along
hand in hand with the vast retail trade for
which is noted. Its manufactures are
increasing and the sum total of II ali is re-
Elected in the business transacted by the
banks"
Many persons have IN idea that the
clearing house receipts are showing the
decided gain they are because the South
Omaha banks are now members OF the
Omaha Clearing House association, but
this is erroneous. There may be a slight
increase on this account. but 1t is inconse-
ouential. The South Omaha business al
WAYS did show in the Omaha clearings.
because the South Omaha banks have al
ways carried accounts with the Omaha
banks. through which the totals were run.
owing to a detail OF the former plan =
small per cent failed TO get into the clear
ings figures, but under the present plan
the entire total goes through, but the in
crease on this point makes but little diff
ference IN the grand total.
Succession I'm Increases
Throughout the period Of depression,
sometimes referred to as the panic OF
1901 Omaha went along in Its usual way
Of doing a bigger volume of business each
succeeding day and showed the least per-
ceptible effect from the stringency, per-
haps, of any sister city. The records show
that in the Missouri and Mississippi val
leys II led ali cities in the standard Of
it's bank cearings, that IT made gains al
most every week OF this entire period and
that these gains we're larger on a percent
sge basis than mAde by any other city
within thls zone.
Omaha therefore, TOOK ? permanent place
in the eyes OF the eaE1 and the west
& stable business center and Was generally
/, pointed TO cy the big FINANCIAL men who
were watching Win scrupulqas fidelity the
daily developments All over the land.
Having weathered the storm with such
good steel Cniahs business men assert they
are now entering upon the spring revival
which Is an annual affair in business. with
, an advantage that can scarcely be esti-