Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-27
OMAHAIS WALKING
IN HER SLEEP NOW
Opinion of Martin Kollman, Business
Expert on Present Condition of
Affairs Here.
CITIZENS NEED GOOD SHAKING UP
Not Acquainted with What They
Have Nor with Wonderful Pes
sibilIties that Lie Just
Before Them.

Omaha has advantages which are pos
sessed py scarcely any other city in the
west" says Martin Kalman, business
scientist of New York, who is studying the
city and its territory. The city lies upon
the edge of a great frontier territory,
where thousands of possibilities are ready
to burst into fruition, and yet only a very
few know anything about it. Even the men
right here in Omaha, who have their busi-
ness here and their money invested here,
don't know the commercial surroundings
in which they are working.
I'm my business it Is necessary TO have
at my fingers end exact information con-
corning every important city in the United
States. Omaha surely is an important
city, and yet l have never had that in
formation concerning it. Why? Because
Omaha is not advertised Tnst is why
am writing an, article for which Omaha is
furnishing the text, to be called The Hid
den City. Here is a great city, q Won
derful CITY, and nobody knows how wonder
full it is"
why He Knows.
MIR. Kallman is specialist, who has
reached the point of having scientific busi-
ness knowledge in all lines so valuable
that he is consulted by directors and man
ayers of many of the largest corporations
in the country, is making a tour of investl-
cation all over the country, and he Is so
impressed with the strategic value of
Omaha's commercial position that he is
going to establish a branch Of his business
counsel organization when it is launched.
when l saw the progress that was being
made in St. Paul and Minneapolis" he said,
Il expected to see nothing more of that
sort until / reached San Francisco. Yet
all these buildings were going up in Omaha.
Here you had this wholesale district one
of the finest in the country. Who knows
about these advantages? Why scarcely the
men who use them are aware how unusual
they are.
There is a certain sort of o-called con-
servatism' that it really nothing more than
commercial sleep walking. There must be
somewhere in Omaha some men of that
sort They say when We criticise them for
such things, Well, We have the Ak-Sar-
Ben and the Ad club and the Commercial
club and we support them what more is
needed?
Only a Beginning.
"I would answer that these things are
only the merest trifling beginning. Ak
Sar- Ben for instance is a wonderful organi-
zation for enthusiasm, but 1t does not do
the one thing that IL might do best, it
does not acquaint Omaha people better with
the business greatness OF their own city.
Why shouldn't a few minutes OF stereop-
ti-con pictures be given changing each time
and showing Omaha people what Omaha is
doing in manufacturing and jobbing lines?
IF had a chance at publicity in this
city and the money could be raised for
It, / would want a special train with lee
turers and pictures to tour the country
and tell the middle east something about
the chances there are out here for the in
vestor Of capital. What you have done in
publicity has not been in vain, you may
be sure of that, and 1t has been done right
as far as It has gone, but there is so much
left undone that would help.
Manufactures In Prospect.
1T must not be forgotten that Omaha,
like all other cities. will change before
long from a jobbing to a manufacturing
city 1 remember when st, Louis was a
jobbing city only and was considered to be
way out west Before It got to it's present
greatness II had to begin manufacturing.
AS a matter OF fact, nearly all Of your
large jobbers here are really manufactur-
ers to some extent and they win become
more So
Here you are I'm the center OF terri
tory that raised enormous quantities OF
wheat and yet you send most of 1t to
Minneapolis for grinding and have it sent
back in flour. There is not necessity for
that You kill more sheep than any other
packing center in the world and the hides
60 to New York TO be made iDto gloves
Your Dossfbilities are practicable unlimited
commercially. Advertise Omaha is a city
that has the goods; let the world know
about it,"