The Omaha morning bee., 1925-04-05
Slow, Steady Cain
in Business Here.
Leaders Report
Stockmen, Bankers, Railroad
Officials Well Pleased With
First Quarter of
1925.

SLOW but steady improvement In
general business conditions for the
first quarter of 1925 is the concensus
of opinion of Omaha business leaders
Things are moving along in a safe
forward manner and Improvement is
steady Put into a sentence this is
the reply given to The Omaha Bee in
response to all inquiries. The in
creased price of agricultural products
furnishes a good foundation for the
business structure.
Ford Hovey president of the
Stockyards National bank, says, 1.-THE
high prices received for grain during
the latter part of 1924 and the early
months Of this year, together with the
good prices received for hogs and
sheep, has helped the farmers and
livestock men to recover from losses
of the past. They are paying current
expenses, keeping up interest and in
many instances liquidating the re-
remainder of old obligations"
Cattle have been only fair during
the first quarter of the year and
1Iovey believes they have only begun
to come back. He believes cattle are
due for a sharp advance in the near
future. Money is comparatively easy
and there is no difficulty In financing
Normal operations.
Better Than Expected.
Bruce McColloch, editor of the
Stockman-Journal, says business has
been better with the commission men
than anticipated at the beginning of
the year. Everyone looked for de-
creased receipts and we have had
them, but not nearly so much as we
expected. Hog prices have been good
for the quarter, supplies have held up
and sheep. while going off in price,
have maintained a gain in numbers.
Cattle nave not decreased in receipts
so much as was expected. Taken all
along the line. we have had good busi-
ness for the first quarter"
Frank Stryker, secretary of the
Livestock exchange, says: Business
has been as good as could be expected
with short runs and we have little to
worry about except the coming crop
conditions. The livestock men are all
praying for bumper corn crop.
Everything from the standpoint of
pends on this years corn CROP
+. J. harrington, manager of the
John Drere Plow company for the
Omaha territory declared the farm
machinery of the country, generally
speaking, is badly worn. Farmers
have bought secondhand machinery,
traded and borrowed until they have
worn out the most Of the machinery
in the country" he said. They are
beginning to replace the wornout ma
chimes with new ones. The machinery
business is beginning to get better,
due largely to this fact"
Farm Loans Paid or.
p. d. Hogan of the Federal Land
bank declares the general disposition
- liquidate is manifested in their
business.
I'VE have closed loans during the
first three months of the present
year, amounting to about $4,000 900,
as compared with about s11 .000, 900
during the same period last year. he
said
This, we think to be a very credi-
table showing as a large number of
loans were rewritten last year and
the year before in order to borrow
money 10 pay banks and second mort
gagees.
THE pressure of bankers and sec
ond mortgages was so great last
Year that 1t accounts for the large
number of loans closed.
Our collections are very good and
The amount of our past due amortiza-
fa.F "
with the same period one year ago.
Savings deposits have increased
markedly. The report of the Federal
Reserve bank for this district shows
these increases as follows: Deposits
in 56 savings banks and in savings
departments of commercial banks
amounted to $107 1892, 500 on March l.
an increase of $1,013.947. or 90 per
cent over the total on February l and
an increase of s5.s72.213. or 5.S per
cent, over March ! 1924. In the num-
Der of savings accounts so institu-
tions reported an increase of OF per
cent for the month and an increase
OF 26 per cent for the year.
Rail Business Improves.
An interesting sidelight on business
'bilutitli@ III Tic Ciitiid lciiiNViS -
contained in the following statement
by T.. Flynn, general manager of
~Ullington lines west
The general trend OF business Is
slowly upward. The best example /
can give of this Is the l.. G. l.. tonnage
handled by the Burlington at its
Omaha freight terminal. which shows
that during January the Burlington
handled per cent more business than
in January last year, and an increase
Of per cent over the business han.
died in December.
In February, while we handled, 5
per cent less l.. c. l.. business than
In February last year, we handled an
increase of per cent over January.
I'm March, records show there was
handled an increase Of 3 per cent over
March OF last year, and In addition an
increase of IS per cent over February.
In March there is naturally some In.
crease in traffic over the previous
months because OF the shipment of
spring stocks. 1t H. however, dis
carnibie that there has been slow
steady increase in business handled.
business men are feeling their way.
moving cautiously and with precision
TINT cannot help but lay firm foun-
dafion for strong business activity