Omaha daily bee., 1918-01-01
YEARS BUSINESS OF OMAHA
TOLD IN BIG FIGURES

Inc succession OF years IN winch
Omaha has repeatedly outdone itself
in the volume Of business, has been
crowned by the greatest year of all,
and the greatest volume of general
business the Nebraska metropolis has
ever enjoyed.
Last year the bank elearings for
the first time reached 81, ,000, ,000, 900.
This year might be said to have al
most double those figures. They
have reached the enormous total of
$l,873,s81,133
The manufacturing business Of the
city Increased by more than $s7, ,o0o,-
900. The wholesaling increased by
more than $s2,ooO,0OO.
INCREASE IN GRAIN RECEIPTS
Grain receipts showed an Increase
OF about 5,5o0,u00 fSshels. Grain
shipments, however, showed de-
crease of something over 100000
bushels. This means, OF course, that
Omaha is equipping herself with
more milling and other facilities for
consuming the grain received at this
great primary grain market.
The output of the packing houses
for heyear was greater by $4,000
600 than in 1916. This is partly due
to increased cost of meats and other
products of these plants, though
much of it is due to the increase in
the number of animals slaughtered.
Hogs and Sheep Fall Of.
Receipts of cattle at the stock
yards ran ahead of last year by 30O,-
600, while receipts Of hogs ran be-
hind 100000. Sheep receipts fell off
by $4,000, and the receipts of horses
and mules increased by 1854.
The enormous gain in ~manuiactur-
ing output appeared in spite Of the
fact that two of the big manufactur-
ing industries of Omaha was cut off
May 1--breweries and distilleries. The
total liquors manufactured in Omaha
in 1916 amounted to $4,S00,000, while
in 1917, the first four months OF the
year, before the prohibition law went
into effect, only $l,000,000 worth of
liquor was produced. Thus the fig
ures in this line of manufacture stand
at $1,000000 for the year as against
$4800,000 for 1916.
In the jobbing of liquors the same
condition occurred. Only $7S0000
worth of liquor was jobbed out Of
Omaha during the year, while in 1910
the total liquor jobbing ran to ST.
.73676S.
Smelter Output Enormous.
A notable increase is shown in the
smelter output of Omaha. The in
crease is more than $l3,000,000. This
is due partly to an increase in the
volume of ore reduced here, and part
ly to the increase in the value OF sill
yer bullion. A year ago silver was
scarcely worth 60 cents an ounce. 1t
has increased in value steadily since
that time, until for a short period dur
ing 1917 it hung around the 81 mark,
GNGn ICdIllCu lL9 dPSh at P''NC'
The manufacture of structural steel
and iron increased $80000O, or from
81 100000 to 100000. This is an
increase of more than A per cent,
which is due partly to the increased
cost of iron and steel products, and
partly to war and other orders incl
dental to the general activity result
ing from the war.
Big Gain for Jobbers. g.
The greatest gain in the jobbing
trade in Omaha was shown by the
dealers in automobile accessories and
supplies. The total volume showed
the staggering increase of nearly 30
per cent. The jobbing of automobiles
and trucks increased by So per, cent.
Another wholesale item which
showed a big increase was that of
coal. The increase is 50 per cent in
round numbers. This is largely at
tributed to the increased cost, as
many kinds of coal have appreciated
in cost by fully that percentage over
the price OF last year.
The jobbing of dry goods and no.
tions increased by fully 20 per cent.
The cost Of these goods, OF course, is
greater than it was last year, but
while this accounts for some increase
in the figures, it does not. mean that
the cost of the goods went - that
much. On the other hand, the VOL
ume of goods turned over by the
wholesale concerns in this line in
Omaha has been greater thaa ever
before.