The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-12

| JOHANNESBURG. July I1.-Johannes-
| burg is in the throes of n "boom. A
Johannesburg boom is remarkable
manifestation of the concentration OF the
mind OF an entire community upon one
subject. TO the exclusion OF all others;
There is nothing else In the wide world
quite like 1t. The interest India takes
| in the monsoon reports from Colombo
during the first week In June, the single
mindedncss OF Melbourne on Cup day, the
state Of mind OF Chicago during the prog
rcss of n record breaking wheat corner"
these are but feeble limitations OF the
concentration OF Johannesburg upon the
share market price lists during boom =
IL YOU walked the whole length OF
Commissioner street today and asked eN-
ery d,cently dressed man YOU met 10
tell you the present position OF the closer
union movement in South Africa. or the
name OF the prime minister OF England.
or whether the Sultan was still upon the
throne OF Constantinople. not half Il doz~
en- could give you the slightest jntorma-
tlou, If you told them the English MIN
iStry had been defeated, none would cx-
press sorrow, or delight, or even indif-
ference-unless IT struck them that the
news might affect the share market. But
II you told them that Fordsburg Consoi-
datedS were being bought heavily by the
stable, or that Vrededorp Deeps would
probably strike the reef at 5000 feet In
few days, one and all would welcome
you as n lifelong friend and n bcnefactor
OF the human race.
For In "boom" times only one subject
on earth has the falntest interest for
johannesburg. and that Is the share mar
ket Other topics may gain slight re-
nected glory Of being in some remote way
associated with the share market, but
that Is all. We look forth upon the world
through the windows OF stocRbroker's
office. With eyes glued on a price list,
men forget whether they are employed
or out of work. rich or poor, married or
single, They cannot remember yestcr-
days weather, or where they slept last
night, or whether they lunched at home
or at the club The only thing they are
capable of realizing is that Tuppcnny
Tins which they bought at $3.l2 are now
$500 and still rising.
l do not say that so far the boom
can be compared 10 that OF 1895, which
according 10 the stories current today,
beat everything seen since the days OF
the South Sea bubble Perhaps 1t may
not be even equal to that of 1902. But
the conditions must be considered. After
seven long and weary years OF waiting
there has set in an upward tendency,
Scrip which was hardly valuable enough
to use as wallpaper is suddenly in de
mand at decent prices. shares scared
skyward with no sign of check.
No wonder Johannesburg is excited. No
wonder men start the day at a. IN. by
reading the share market reports in the
morning papers, and end il al midnight
stock exchange prospects In Il
club or telephoning orders TO their bro
kcrss How II began nobody remembers.
But one day II came in silently and an
Mvsteriously the news went
round that some one was buying. And
he-or they-bought In thousands Day
after day the buying went on until stock
began 10 rise and the public began to
come In. And now we are all buying
buying everything and anything Even II
we sell TO realize profits, we cannot keep
out of the market We are impellcd to