The Detroit times., 1912-10-04
Past Year One of Expansion in
Population and CONNER
cial Activities
THRIFT INDICATED IN
SAVINGS DEPOSITS
These Have Increased by Many
Millions-Not a One-In-
dustry City

OF Tho Detroit Times, and the figures
which indicate the progress OF the
city during the twentieth century
show that there Is no let-up in the In
crease In business and prosperity In
all lines. The phenomenal rate or
growth Indicated In the census report
OF 1910 shows no diminution.
In population the increase for the
according to reliable figures complied
rear ended Aug. /, 1912. Is 3S,392,
by r. l.. Polk & Co., publishers OF
|. the city directory, and the total pop
ulation of greater Detroit including
the suburbs, which are put into the
directory tabulation. is 567,994,
against 4s2,695 in 1910, an increase
: OF over 15 per cent. II this rate IL
maintained for the remaining eight
years Of the decade Detroit will show
q population of nearly 100000, in 1920,
and II would not take much more to
make Detroit and the directly con-
tiguous suburbs city of million.
: But the progress of Detroit Is not
indicated by population figures mere
ly. In every line OF industry there
has been wonderful growth, in some
instances far outstripping the popula-
tion increase. The bank clearings for
Detroit for the first six months OF
1912 amounted to $531, ,6S1 900, at the
rate Of nearly $1,100,000 for the year.
'ehis Is an increase Of IL per cent
over the clearings for the same period
In 1911, which added to the 80 per
cent increase In clearings for the IL
years preceding, shows that bank
elearings have doubled since 1900.
Savings Bank Deposits Grow.
a Another indication OF prosperity,
particularly OF the distribution of
prosperity among the workers of De-
troit. ls the growth In savings bank
deposits. On Oct. 1. 1912. Detroit
workers had S74,121 900 in the savings
banks. while on Nov. 10. 1910, the
savings deposits amounted to only
62,747.000. Thrifty Detroiters have
been able to put by nearly $12.000,000
In two years. In 1900 savings depos-
Its amounted to s32.430,000, and the
increase since that time has been
S42,000,000, figure which indicates
better than any other, the prosperity
OF Detroit. The capital employed In
banking has increased since 1900
from $12,000,000 to $22,000,000.
An indication OF the rapid increase
In workers In Detroit is shown by
comparison OF the reports of the Uni
ted States census in 1909, with the
report OF the state labor commission
er for 1911. The census found 95,941
salaried workers in Detroit in 2,036
factories. The state labor commits
sioner found 143,005 salaried work
ers In 2.2S5 industrial establishments,
a gain OF nearly go per cent In two
years.
The larger part OF this growth, OF
course, Is attributable TO the auto
mobile industry, which was In its
early stages in 1900, but Is now one
OF the great industries of the coun-
try, with Detroit standing pre-emi-
nent as the center of the business.
The value OF the automobiles pro-
duced in Detroit in 1912 will reach
5000, 100000. II Is estimated that 1t
will take 100000 freight cars to ship
the 1913 product, which Is In the pro-
cess of manufacture.
But Detroit Is not a one-industry
city The output Of adding machines
Is the largest in the world; as a paint
. and varnish center II ranks second
only TO Philadelphia in the United
States, and II Is among the leaders
In the cigar and tobacco industry.
Stoves and brass goods have long
contributed greatly to the prosperity
Of Detroit, and II still stands as the
largest stove manufacturing center in
, the world, the product being 100000
stoves annually. In many other lines
Detroit Is leader and diversified
manufactures make a sound founda-
tion for the present prosperity.
In building Detroit surpasses many
OF the cities which are much larger,
the total value of the buildings au-
thorized for the first half OF 1912
being $13.612,810, exceeded only by
New York and Chicago. This is an
increase of SO per cent over 1911, and
an increase of 200 per cent over the
figures for 1900. The skyline OF De-
troit Is being constantly changed by
towering new structures, the notable
buildings at present under construc-
tion being the Dime bank building
and the Michigan Central station
each cost several millions OF dollars.
Postoffice receipts tell the same
tale Of growth, the first six months OF
1912 showing receipts OF s1,307, ,059,
indicating a total of $2,70O. 900 for the
year. This Is an increase OF 13 per
cent Tor the year which must be add
cd to an increase of 1877 per cent for
tho eleven years preceding. Exports
for 1912 will come close to S65, ,000,-
600, an compared with $4,000, 900 in
1911 which showed a gain OF 1877 per
cent over the figures for 1900.
These figures are simply indexes
telling OF the growth In specific
lines, and In every line which has not
been included in the figures. a similar
rate Of growth may be seen. Schools,
churches, public Improvements
everything that pertains to a city
nsct the remarkable strides In prog
ress that Detroit has made since
1900. when The Detroit Times first
appeared on the streets.
The following table shows some
features of the city's growth since the
present century opened:
Detroit 1900 1917
Area square
mile9 ~ AlA4
Popslation 80, 2S5.T04 6s7. 1914
Assessed prop
srty valua-