Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-05-29

against si25 sO8, S25 last year. an Increase Of
500. l9o,J0d The railroads have paid out
E42, 0O6,sl9 as compared with ti25bia.29t In
1903, the increase having been thus ST.
O9t549. In other words, while the railroads
and the industrials each distributed less
than 126.OOO,OOO from January / to the end
Of May last year. the latter have been
able to improve their disbursements by
more than si2,OOO,OOO in excess OF the in
creases made by the railroads.
A careful survey of the dividend out
look, combined with Investigations in the
financial district, brings out the fact that
of 135 representative stocks listed on the
New York Stock exchange at least twenty
seven are expected to raise their dividend
rates during the current year. OF this to-
tai twelve are railroads and fifteen in
dustrial enterprises.
AS to what is limiting railroad develop
ment in the west. an official OF big west
ern system says that it is not a need Of
money, but scarcity OF laborers and ma
terial. 1T is a problem" he continues,
ito find men enough for the ordinary needs
Of an established line, let alone the diff
Guilty OF finding men for construction gangs
on new work.
Labor Shortage.
'In my opinion the trust question fades,
into nsgnificance by comparison with the
shortage In the labor market II the port
of New York were closed to immigrants
the condition would become immedsurably
worse. To get 1000 men to work on rail-
road building It is necessary now practic-
ally to scour the country. On the other
hand. have no doubt that we could pick
up 5000 clerks in this city in two days
time.
The railroads not only have great diff
Guilty in getting help, but in keeping what
they get. We recruit our forces i'm Chicago
st. Louis and other large cities of the mid
die west furnishing free transportation to
the location of the piece of work for which
| they are wanted Where this is a matter
Of a year or more in building we have to
engage from five to ten times the number
actually at work at any one time before
We are through, and where the demand for
help is particularly acute we have fur
nished transportation to as many as twenty
men for every one we needed"
Ridiculous it may seem to most bank
| Ing and bond interests 1t now is figured
seriously that the principal cause for the
apathy in the domestic market for bonds
is due almost entirely to the craze for
automobiles and motor yachts, which is
credited with using up the greater part of
the surplus income of persons who hitherto
haev been large bond investors Estimates
on motor cars to be manufactured this year
place the number at 10000, and their value
at about $2l0,0O0,OOO Estimates on the num-
Der OF automobiles already in use involve
| about 100000, and estimates on the expense
OF the maintenance, operation and Incl
dental expenses average about $500 a year
on each car, or an aggregate of $751;, 900 O0
year for the $4,000 cars. The grand tota
for the purchase of new motor cars thi!
year and for the maintenance of these carr
and those already in use, therefore, is fig
ured at S962O00,Oo0. A large part of thi
amount, it now is thought would go int,
bond investment were it not for the grow
ing desire Of all sorts and conditions of men
to own and operate horseless carriages.
why is It," asked veteran grain trader
in the Produce exchange the other day,
that nobody pays any attention to Penn
| sylvania wheat? That state raises prac.
| ically as much as Missouri and is not far
behind Nebraska, and has identlcally the
same acreage this year as Oklahoma"