Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-01

~ WcStCTl IlCHiloplViS-th
Iof8N Nebraska auto dealer. He
can afford independence.
There are more than 100000 autos
now in use throughout the country,
and Nebraska, mecca for cash, has
done more than its part to help swell
that total. This state had one auto
to every twenty-one persons on jan
uary /, 1916. By June 50 of the cur
rent year the per capita auto wealth
was is to |. Even this famous ratio
has been reduced, auto dealers say, by
the tremendous volume of business
done in July, August and September.
Henry Ford, the man who made
walking famous according to AL Jol-
SOM is in grave danger of making
more money in 1916 than he banked
in 1915, when his pecunious earnings
were only about s60,0OO,000. Now.
thanks to his new Omaha Offices at
Sixteenth and Cunning, his profits are
going to swell like poisoned pup,
or a whole kennel of 'en. The Ford
men here have charge Of this state
and ten Iowa counties, and are al
ready talking in superlatives.
Dealers in high-priced cars, in low
priced cars, in middle-priced cars, all
affirm thata Nsbraskan is rolling in
wealth and doesn't hide the fact from
lis neighbor or the auto agent, And
this plutocracy centers in Omaha, the
thirty-third city in population, the six
teenth in bank clearings and the big
gest city OF its size in the nation"
The state at large may have 10 to ]
per capita auto wealth, but Omaha
has a IA to average, and bids fair to
lower even this enviable record.
Nature Good to Nebraska.
The reason is not far to seek. Ma
lure has been good to Nebraska this
wear, and all its goodness just radiates
into Omaha, natural jobbing center
by reason of geography and the bust
ness pep" Of its citizens. The wheat
crop of the state was never better.
On top Of this pleasant fact is that
the demand for wheat has been un-
usually brisk, thanks to the needs Of
the warning nations, the needs of the
American housewife and London's
lowering of shipping rates on that
commodity. The cattle market has
been steadily high for the same
reasons. The corn crop Of the state
was matured before frost got wal
lop at it. In short, the world wanted
something to eat, the Nebraskan
heard it bowling, satisfied it and
pocketed the proceeds. That's why
the unwary pedestrian is more liable
to get hit by an auto in this state than
in forty-six other states. Iowa and
California are the only two states in
the United States which have more
autos per capita than this corn-husk-
ing home OF prosperity. The Hawk
eye state, which buys many of its ma
chimes here, leads the nation, with
thirteen persons for each motor We
hicle. California has one car for every
fifteen OF its population.
Nebraska Holds Own.
Including both passenger cars and
trucks, there were 508,667 more autos
in use July ! than there were January
4. These figures are for the entire
country Nebraska shows for the
same period an increase OF 2l,819 mo-
tor vehicles, or 81 per cent. OF the
six states which show increases, not
one equals this states percentage of
increase. New York, which leads in
numbers, shows growth of % per
cent. Pennsylvania, second, shows
Is; Minnesota, third, shows 80; Iowa,
fourth, has a gain OF q per cent;
Ohio, fifth, shows Is per cent, and
California, sixth, gained ID per cent.
Even when compared with the En-
pire state Nebraska has better rec
ord for general prosperity. New
York has as many as thirty-nine in
habitants to every car and takes the
twenty-eighth place in that respect.
New York has 259,l05 cars and Ne
braska has 10000, duplicate registra-
tions not included. While New York
is first in the number of registrations,
Nebraska is thirteenth. These fig
ures are for autos registered up to
June 80 and auto men in Omaha be-
heve that they are way behind the