The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-05-25
new CONFIDENCE
Business Back Where 1T Was
Before the 1918 DrOuth.
Million Dollar Gain in County's
Wealth Largely in Circulation.

| 4 gain of cash on hand, of invest
ment in mortgages. in corporation
stocks. in taxable bonds and of cred
| its on the books of local merchants,
| indicates the Improvement in business
conditions on March 1, 1915. over the
situation on March 1 of the previous
year, as shown by the records of s
| H. Haynes, county assessor, just COM
piled for this year.
The personal property returns for
the county show an increase of about
| one million dollars for the year. Az
| analysis of this gain indicates that
improved business conditions have
brought return of confidence in the
| minds of the business people of the
| city and county. OF the million dollar
increase of wealth only s65.965 was
| in cash in local banks, indicating no
| tendency to hoard money: while there
| was an increase of S25S,o2o in the
amounts of merchants credits, Or
more than a fourth of the whole in
| crease of values. An increase of $l4S,-
| 600 in manufacturers credits which in
| the spring of 1914 had shrunk to
s130.36o is another indication OF re-
the big crops of last year and the big
prices they brought showed in the ex-
| pansion of trade more markedly than
elsewhere
| IN the way OF investments, the
| returns show s117,520 more laid by
in real estate mortgages, or total for
this year of s2,335,o55. Shawnee
county people have about $4,000
more this year in taxable bonds and
$4,000 more in corporation stock
| These figures are: Corporation stock,
s775,4 05; bonds s3T5,4e5.
| Grain on Hand.
| A year ago there was a minimum
/ of grain on hand in this county, the
year of short crops having exhausted
| the local supply. This has recovered
and is worth more per bushel- On
March l last were found %, 220 BUSH
| els of wheat valued at s:5,4S0. where
q year before there had been but H.
946 bushels worth $3.50. The hold
ings of oats increased from 1883
bushels in 1914 to $3.50 bushels this
year; corn, from 1880 bushels in
1914 to 335,113 this year.
The rise of the automobile, an OBJ
ject of heavy investment throughout
Kansas in recent years, may be traced
in this county. The number of ma
chimes owned here increased SO as TO
show 1855 this year where a year ago
there were 1859. The average value
has dropped slightly. the 1855 ma
chimes being reported at a value or
about $50 less each, indicating the in
crease of popular priced machines AS
a matter of fact there are probably
between 200 and 800 more cars in the
the practice of assessors is to ignore
the very decrepit machines Usually
a number of machines are away from
home at any given time, so some are
always missed by the assessors.
Fewer Other Vehicles.
There are fewer carriages, wagons
and bicycles. Where Shawnee county
folks owned 4o5 bicycles in 1914 and
valued them at S3,435, there are now
337 worth S2,95O at assessors .valu-
atoms Where in 1914 there were
2.S32 buggies worth S7s,s there are
now only 2,7o9 whose value is $61. 975.
Pianos are on the decline, too, for
where a year ago there were to be
found 4.493, worth s557,295, this
years return shows 4.152, ESQ fewer
than before, valued at s514,S10.
Even the gold watch is giving way
to the Ford and the IngersolE Where
people in Topeka and surrounding
country had $50, $50 invested in 5,o12
gold watches a year ago they now
have only 1903 watches and they are
worth s59.340, or considerably less
money There has been cor
responding decline in the number
and investment in silver watches
and a falling off in the invest
ment in jewelry. Where Shawnee
county folks confessed to having
s117,S35 tied up in diamonds and 9TH
er fripperies there was TO be discov-
cred but s116,645 this year.