Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, January 1, 1903, Page 5

THE OMAHA YEAR OF PROSPERITY| ret Page.) was the preceding year. for the number of now houses started, but the growth was mainly with the houscs In business at the heginning of the year. The dry goods Douses were somewhat in advance of the other Ilines 2 preparing for the increaso of business, and the beginning of the year found warehouse # manufactories and office rooms enlarged. The grocery lines, on the contrary, found their greatest ex- pansion after the beginning of the present year, and the Increase In the business which has come caused all of them in a greater or less degree to enlarge their | tacilities for handling the trade. One of the new features of the Omaha grocery trade (s the number of branch distributing houses which have been opened Omaha firm during the last twelve months has made arrangements for opening thir- teen new depots, which will be located in A number of towns of the state and ad- joining states west of Omaha. This course has been brought about conditionn, points little, It any, In excess of the Mis- | souri river rates, and the local rate from the depot to the retall dealer in nearby towns s less than the rate from Omaha, 0 goods can be handled at a larger mar- &in of profit and competition can be met on & better basis. The largest individual growth of any ons house during the year has been that of the Bemis Bag company, which has added to fts room a $50,000 building and has taken up the manutacture of horse blankets. This innovation has resulted In more than doubling the annual pavroll, and has sup- plied work to a large pumber of people Probably in no other line has there been | such a relative increase in the business of the eity as in the poultry, butter and egas | trade. This increase is due in no small measure to the action of the large packing houses of the country. Swift and Armour, particularly, have entered the local trade on a large scale. According to the state- ment of local managers of these housos this was done for the reason that, with thelr perfect method of distribution of packing house products, it has been neces- eary to keep salesmen in the larger cities of this and other countries wh> have been able to attend to the business of the pack- ing house in a few hours each day, and as a result their time was not fully occupied, g0 the company managers decided to add poultry, butter and eggs to the business, being lines which required little additional force at the warehouses and which up to that time had not been exploited in a eystematic manner. In every country where the packing houses have representatives an active campaign was begun for the sale of frozen poultry, chilied eggs and refined but- ter. The result is that American products of this variety are to be found in almost every civilized country, and the price paid ! during the year h: been higher, especially for poultry, than has been known In any former year. In a direct way the inde. pendent houses have profited from the gressive acticn of the packing Louses these houses have expanded the market and the Independent Aealers are entering those flelds with the minimum cost of ad- vertising and expense of sale. Last year the estimate of the business, made by versons familiar with the trade, was $1,000,- 000 for Omaba alone. This year the esti- mate is $2,600,000, and $49,000 a year is paid to the workmen engaged In the business. Among lines showing the most apparent cxpansion are: Heavy hardware, in waich one concern has doubled its floor space and added to its line the manufacture of buggy tops. Tanning, In which the Omaha tannery, which was experimental last year at this time, has increased its capital and after adding the manufacture of harness from its product to its tanning business is now preparing the plans for a model ‘actory and tanpery building to be erected at East Omaha at a cost of approximately | $50,000. Brewing, In which a strong company has taken charge of the Willow Springs brew- ery and s pushing its trade into all parts of the west. Distilling, In which the Willow Springs distillery has expended about $70,000 in the construction of a new bonded warchouse, and the sellig agents, Iler & Co., have constructed and occupled a new salesroom at a cost of about $12,000. Stoves, in which one of the housss in th» city in former years has erected a new ‘warehouse and salesroom at a cost of about $20,000. Furniture, in which Beebee & Runyan have added to their capacity a large five- story bullding covering a town block and added the manufacture of couches and par- lor suites on a large scale. Jewelry, In which a local wholesale house has comstructed a three-story building, modern and model for the line and entered upon the manufacture of jewelry. Caps, in which a wholesale hat and csp house has entered upon the manufacture of caps with a factory having a capacity of about 500 dozen a week. Onme of the reasons assigned for growth of the trade of the city is the | opening of the nmew line from this elty into South Dakota by the way of Boyd | county, Nebrask: This country has had easier communication with Chi St. Paul than with Omaha, and what trade | j.qq did not go to those points was captured by Sioux Oity. With the new road Omaha and Sioux City were placed upon a plane of equality, while because of longer dls-| tances St. Paul and Chicago were put out ‘ot competition. The grovth of the trade of the city, on the whole, is mot so much assigned to any elopment of new territory as It is to the more energetic working of the old terri- tory, with the development of country and increase in population. The evidence of the generally lmproved condition wi .seen & year ago in the high prices offsred for Nebraska farming land. During the last four years a large number of peaple, farm- ers of the better sort, have come into the jotate, and those wio held their land have ‘derived large returns from their invest iment. The result has been increased de- imand for goods, and according to all re- ports this demand has been mure in the way of better quality than in the way of | larger quantity. ‘fhis tendency was ob- served & year ago, and the jobbers pur- chased with that end in view, so that While there has been shortage of goods in other | -M‘lll.l. Omaha has been fairly well sup- fed fu all lines during the year, and this resulted In bringing business to thl city which under ordinary conditions would | bhave remalned at other centers. Inquiry among the jobbers and manufa turers in the various lines represented ln | ths city makes the following showing: Agrigultural Implements—Th: force of traveling men has not been materially in- creased, but ported by these men has caused an addi- tional force of office and warehouse men to be engaged. The total volume of busi- | ness is estimated at $5.300.000, and total wages paid to all employes $205, One | by transportation | a number of the larger towns | taking a rate from Chicago and eastern | i the | the increased busivess re- | of wages pald has increased from to $70,000, due to the addition of cture of horse blankets to tho line. The volume of business is d at $1,100,000 | Boots, Shoos and Rubbers—The consol- fdation of two of the leading houses of the | ity with the United States Rubber com- pany has had the effect of making prices more stable, and, while it has not increased amount 35,000 the man | bagging | estima wales, it has materially reduced the danger experienced by retafl dealers of having chenges in ,rices made when they had large stocks on tand. The number of trav- ¢ling salesmen, office employes and ware- house mer has been Increased, and with a volume of business of $4.810,000, the wages | paid employes s $3208000. Manufacturing confectioners report an in- crease in businces of 33 1-3 per cent over last yoar, with a large increase in all lines of employes. Dry goods lines show an increase of 15 per cent over last year, the business being estimated at $ tho annual wages pald $453,000. The increase in the volume of furniture busincss bas been smething more than 25 per cent Drugs show a slight decrease in the vol- ume of business, but an Increase in the number of persons emrloyed. The decrease is due to the fact that a number of manu- | facturers of chemicals, which are sold in | large quantities, now sell direct to the | consumer, while last year they sold through {the wholesale houses. The decrease from | this source 1s made up, with the exccption | of about $50,000, by the increase in other { lines of goods, | About 20 per cent increase is reported In the volume of business of the grocery | houses, but this increase has made a large | increase in the number of ofice employes | and warehouse men, as last year the work was done with a short force. | Heavy hardware this year shows a gain {of about 10 per cent over last year, which Lowever, showed a decrease on account of inabllity to secure goods. The number of employes is about the same as formerly. The condition of the light hardware and stove market was something unsatlsfactory late In the season on account of the price of hard coal, which left dealers with large stock of base burners on hand, but could the stock have been secured the sale of soft coal | stoves and furnaces would have more than made up the deficiency. Other lines com- ing to the reliet of trade, the busiaess shows an Increase of about 12 per cent. Lumber in a wholesale way increased | about 10 per cent over last year | With one new house in business during the year the sale of paints, oil and glass | increased about 10 per cent over last year. The activity of the Typographical union and allied trades during the yeat has had | a good effect upon the printing trade, as a | much larger proportion of the total busi- | ness of the city is being done by local bouees than formerly, and this line is suming a position of leading importance in the manufacturing and wholesale trade of the city. The number of expert employes Is now about 650, with wages ranging higher than any similar number of em- ployes engaged in any other manufac- turing line. Summing the matter up the total number of salesmen traveling for Omaha houses can conservatively be placed at approxi- mately 1,000, with about 1500 persons employed in the offices of the factories and jobbing houses and not less than 16,000 persons engaged in the factories and warehouses, whose total wages for .the year will be at least $3,600,000, exclusive of the wages pald at the Union Paeific shops, the rallroad offices and the South Omaha industries, a large cumber of whose employes are engcged in the city of Omaha at the local sulesrooms and warehouses. RECORD OF BANK CLEARINGS e of More Than Thirty- fons of Dollars Over the Total of 1901. Omaha bank clearings for 1902 show the heavy Increase of $38,563,974.57 over those ot 1801, which is nearly $20,000,000 more | than the excess of the clearings of 1901 over those of 1900. A comparison of the clear- ings for 1902 and 1901 follows: Totals ........ $329,043,688 91 | With the totals for the last sixteen years at hand it will be seen that not since 1896 | have the clearings reached as high a figure | as this year. A tabulation ls appended, but {In the years from 1887 to 1893 the clearing season extended from October 1 to Septem- ber 30. In 1893 the schedule was arranged to run with the calendar year, so the two quotations for that year are, first, up to October 1, and, second, the months of Octo- ber, November and December. From 1894 on the calendar year is included in each total: 187 . 4,441,068 10 | 10 014,006 54 402,500,552 00 1890 490124913 34 f1s1 | 442,267,790 70 45579, 384 02 682,833746 88 126,204,072 06 | 1894 RT16 06 1885 381,286,477 T4 420.282.688 56 1897 245,388,798 57 | 1808 19.581,528 61 |18 297,453.370 38 © 315136.196 06 o1 329,043 688 91 1902 - 362,007,088 REAL ESTATE BU: BUSINESS GOOD | Last Year One of ¢ Extensive 1 | t Full of Satistac- tory Deals. | It is the opinion of real estate men that 1902 s entitled to be recorded as a year of unusually extensive improvement, and as | though in substantiation of this claim, the | county register of deeds reports that the | mortgages filed by owners of property in the growing ‘city additions and elsewhere during the year numbered 2075 d showing of 1,881 filed, amounting to §2,418,- 303. The 1900 record was 1821 flled, amounting to $2,750,953 | Mortgage releases run about Hcr the last year as for 1901. Durng the ter the number of releases recorded was 78 and their total $3,592,757, and ln 1902 the number was 2,009 and their total $3,- | 189,910, The total of the deeds would exceed, for thé same | 1902, their total for 1901, evem without those incidental to the street railway | mery but with the latter the total is pushed up to nearly three times normal. | During the year the price of farm land ihas cootinued (ts upward tendemcy of the last few years to the extent that present prices are at least 15 per cent higher than the selling price 1901, { January . 3 $ 21,601,968 27 ! February . N 23,622,277 7L March . 26,047,043 86 April 24979722 72 May . 30,828,921 23 June .. 25.996,682 09 July 25,808,800 84 | | August 25,290,092 14 September 24,744,925 %0 October . 33.343,658 49 November 27,015,088 3% | Dec:mber 29,770,172 86 amounted to 33,038,275 as agalnst the 1901 | by Iaboring men with thé funds they have ved out of their wages. Three-fourths them, it Is reported by the dealers, pay doash, and of the others not a few take up thelr notes before due As between clty and county the ap- portienment of mortgages filed and released is shown In the following tables: City Mort X Flled— —-Released. POSTOFFICE SHOWS GROWTH Business of 1902 the Biggest Ever Transacted by the Omaha Postmaster. The year of 1902 in the Omaha postofice shows a good Increase in business over 1001 in every départment. The ratio of in- crease is each year growing greater and the business of this year over last shows an increase much larger than the increase of 1901 over 1900. The postmaster's report shows the following business for the years | 1901 and 1902 EFEPTERH si"gés“ gi SRBERRE na:g:gifi Z S E g i B g a = EN . & i~ & ) T & e o5 = ‘—.O §~ (85T i3 d i o d ki 1 FEie RS rpfee ity 5=s§§§§§ EaEEzipii 5§§§§5§§ ;s:szis;s. ppeEsess FEFEESENE SERSE222 gEedf 202 Wik There are in the postoffice proper seventy- elght employes, elghty-seven letter carriers and seven substitute carriers. One hundred office and at the present time 368 rural car- | rlers for the whole state of Nebraska are paild by this office. Therg are four regular_stations, A, B, C and D. There were also Sstablished July 1, 1902, Aifteen numbered stations. PORT OF OMAHA A BUSY ONE Collector of Customs Says H ness Has Increased During the Year. Busi- Figui for the business done at the United States custom house at Omaha are not obtaivable, as the year closes June 30. The collector of customs reports that the volume of business not only shows a de- cided increase, but also compares very fa- vorably with other inland cities. The col- lector accounts for the increase by th~ fact that the people have come to & gres | appreciation of a bondad warehouse be | iu this eity through which a merchant. may recelve his goods from any part of the world direct. The collector also polnts out that in patronizing the local custom house the people are helping to swell the govern- ment’s reports of the business done ju this eity, and for that reason it is the part of patriotism for the merchant to receive his goods direct instead of throu ports, BUILDING RECORD LOOKS GOOD Dollars Expended During the While the bullding operations of 1902 did not quite equal those of the previous the discrep- ancy is but slight and by comparison of the detalled record the year just closed makes a highly creditable showing. The total figures for 1901 were $1,230,200 and those of 1902 §1,097,836. Among the building operations of the year thote of the Union Pacific Railway stand out most prominently for their mag property improvements aggregating $134,- 000, which include shops and storehouses. costing $50,000; .a machine shop, costing $59,000; an ofl house, $12,000, and pattern shop, $13,000. The largest single permit of the year was toat issued to George A Joselyn for Lis two-story, stone dwelling at Thirty- Binth and Davenport streets, the estimated cost of which was $60,000. As representative of religious advance- ment and educational growth on the part of the city may be mentioned the erection of the new St. Mary Magdalene church and parish bouse at Nineteenth and Dodge streets at & cost of $30,000 and the Presby- terian Theological seminary at Twentieth Bags and Horse Blankets—By reason of |of last year, with the demand still strong. | and Emmet streets at a cort of $33,000. changed conditions the numbet of traveling | men has been reduced slightly, but ofice ‘orce bas been lncreased and th The city's showing Is particularly pleas- mber of small homes that . ve beew bought and are belng lmproved Facilities for secular entertaloment have been provided for in the new Krug opefa bhouse at the cormer of Fourteenth and Months. No Amount No, Ameuty January 858 79,60 February 18 1040 March . 163 287,760 184 785615 19 206,345 Jure 127 143,285 July ¥ 134 170,000 | August ... 218 890,080 Beptember . 62 105,240 October ... 106 219,80 Novembar 138 540 December . ni 25 Totals 1,886 2,061,335 1,601 $2,821,57 Farm Mortgages. ~—-Flled—— —Released—- Months. No. Amount. No. Amount. January 21 S0 B . 750 February - 28,070 March % BAEG 2% 8L 3 R0 ¥ BN 0 Za 10 12,460 | 1 2810 12 M 12 20 18 40 . 1 4B 10 220 Boptember | B 310 18 AT October .. 9 1340 16 26,560 Ncvember 1 %80 10 1330 December . 9 4% 10 11020 Totals 189 $376940 208 S8, M0 | Months. 1801 . 1902 January . s 00& $ 34,387 § 406,280 Febraary 380340 510,762 March . 688,710 April . 558,681 May . 499,662 June 386,705 July 626,267 August 435,448 September 640,628 October 16,71 | Novembor 28,7 December 10,308,841 Totals .. 200 $15,626,320 and thirty postal clerks are pald from this | the easteru | nitude, that company having added to fts | "Hnm-y #treets, the present work on which Is estimated to cost $15,000, but which will before it Is completed greatly exceed that amount. The largest flat building erected during the year {s the two-story structure at Twenty-fifth and Farnam streets put up by L. Christian. In the line of warehouses, factories and other places of business there has been considerable bullding in the course of the year, including the Great Western Stove | company’s warehouse at Ninth and Harney streets, $30,000; Fitzgerald & Peters’ brick warehouse, $09-11 South Sixteenth street, $10,000; Bemis Omaha Bag company’s six- story brick factory, Eleventh and Jones treets, $36,000; George Weinhagen's three- story brick_paper box factory at Fifteenth and Leavenworth streets, $30,500; Omaha Coal, Coke and Lime company's sereening | $10,000. Included In the work of the year also are the alterations and repairs upon the gen- eral office building of the B. & M. Railroad | company, amounting to $18,500. Following is & summary of the bullding | permits of the year 1902 by months: Permits. | January | February March April ny June July August Beptember | October November . December Totals o $1,007,536 COUNTY TAX COLLECTIONS Increased Valuation and Lower Levy Brings in Payments Better Than Ever, 8| suss2ussasy A perusal of the following report of County Treasurer Elsasser will disclose how richly the tax agitation of the last two years hi borne fruit. Taking the figures of 1901 the basis of comparison, It resulted this year in increasing the assessment nearly $3,000,000; in lowering the county levy 2.2 mills and the state levy 3.125 mills; with a decrease of only about $65,000 in the amount raised; and it has brought about such a campaign for the collection of back taxes that the 1902 total is $147,276.74 greater than the total of 1901. Collections and disbursements of 1901 and 1902 compare thus: Tax collections . Miscefllaneous coll Totals Pald state Bezsag a2 h O Pald school districts Totals Statements showing valuation, tax are as follows: $733,167.35 levy and DAILY BEE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 1 plant at Twentieth and Hickory streets,| | Banks.| Total | Total | Total Year, [_and Per- | Real | Asses- |Rallr'ds.| sonal. | Estate. | ment. $ 1,474,413 5,750,012/$18. ua m 425,368,181 Laasl” eI a4 28T 1,298,025 4,453.243 2.746,973 1,235,311| 4,382,608 17,243.611| 21,626.214 1,250, 946,485 067, 21,003,552 1,224, 906,470/ 508| 21,070,973 1239, 976,504 111 21,659,705 1,340, 061,131 499 22,502,630 1434, 417,901 1239, 24,701,140 1471 587,797, 20,887,536/ 25,476,382 1,732,038| 4,781,487 ,834| 26,787,091 LEVIES Ml ——— Consoli- State. | County. | dated. 413 15 1 13 (38 17210 | A4B-0 713 17 2-10 828 16910 | 25 15-100 768 167-10 | 24 45-100 758 2 68 728 167-10 | 23 95-100 678 2 78 6 3-8 21 38 6§28 16710 | 2295100 TAX. »qucel-.omna- ST . | Tex. |laneou ota sl Ml \0m-n- | Tax. n.mmlumuwmp 54359/ 64,067.28| 626,243 10,546.33) 57,628.24| 609, 0,072.20, 69,096.87| 613, 9.685.41) 59.842.50 555, Sn e .80 s 5.06) 60,435.53 538, 60,396.39/ 611, | 43,732.08 594 44.006.19| 599, 48.695.24| 650, by Months. Rwullr Miscl. December (1901) 3 47.393.81 | January (1902). 8259745 13,882 February 2816 5 L March 50604 1623, April .92 7,469 un, 514 }ul; 590.23 6,021 August . o 6,426, September . ,957.20 4,074, October .. 542.79 5,804, November .. 33,673.83 24.823. Totals $662,905.70 $15,569.53 DL sements by Months. ;‘II!FE:RR\E a5 '! ¥ sRzzee i o geaas : é. s { | @ d |2 H g |& 8 |2 | February . December ... January ‘INCREASE IN ASSESSMENT ROLL Boests to New Policy of Tax nrn-n-- the City's Total Valu, High Figure, Intelligent comparison of the current as- cessment with those of past years is ex- tremely difficult from the fact that an en- tirely new policy has been adopted in ep- praising property for taxation. Heretofore it has been the custom to assess property upen an agréed and uniform percentage, usually less than half of its true value, whereas for the tax levy of 1903 it has been the alm of the assessor and the Board of | Review to arrive at the falr cash value of | vftective July 1, 1502, mccounts for the de- | but 1§ cent per pound, 38,500 tares would | | CRIME SHOWS SOME INCREASE | Proprietary st resdllBhi Bhen & TICIpates 858 (56 Gopart- [BITED DY W00 Cinisvus Vi mscveves SwmpLT _m._._mw*, - 1908 the property. Then, too, the Board of Re- few has Included in its return to the city council assessments aggregating $26,007,- 283.60 on the personal property of raflroad companies which had heretofore been as- sested by the State Board of Equalization at $220.116.40. Thus the total personal property a sment of the present year Is $52,717.620, which after deducting the as- sessment on rallroad property leaves $26, 620,336.40. The total personal property as- seesment of last year was $8,726,814.80, but as that was fixed upon a bisis of 40 per cent of the actual value, it represents a tr property valuation of $21,817,037, which ehows an increase for this year in the city generally of $4,808,290.40 over last year The real estate assessment for 1903 aggre. gates §72,206,465. ‘The aggregate real estate assessment of 1902 a8 returned by the board of review to | the eity counell last year at this time was | | 828,889,260, and a that was based upon a 40 per cent valuation it really represented property to the amount of $72,223,125. BIRTH AND DEATH RECORD Natural Increase of the City's Popul m Continues at a Satisfac- tory Rate. A glance backward over the records oll the Board of Health shows a slightly larger number of deaths, and not quite so large a number of births for 1902 as for 1901; but neither the Increase In the death rate or | the falling off in the number of births h: been so great as to cause any apprehension of a decline in the population of the eity. In 1902 there were recorded 1,627 births, the division as to sex being 864 boys and 763 girls; and in 1901 the total number wi 1709, there being 885 boys and 824 girl The deaths of 1902 numbered 1,079, of which 577 were males and (03 females, and in 1901 there were in all 991 deaths, of which 536 were males and 455 females. Fol- lowing {s the record of births and deaths for 1902 by months: BIRTHS. Males. Females. Total. o 8 ) 14 January . . Females. Total. o 5 4 7 o 8 54 * & 62 51 4“ 0 M 64 7 © “ “ 42 E 42 81 4 £ 9 e 54 108 7 0 1,019 The following table shows the death record for the ten years preceding 1902, and by comparison with those figures the number of deaths in the last year will not appear discouraging: Year. 1902, Mue Female. Total. 502 1.0% 465 901 “5 1,008 3 1187 427 bt 5 900 “7 29 545 1122 614 L1490 151 1,184 45 1199 Following are the statistics of births for the same years: Year, Males. Females. Total. 1902, 864 68 g255203a30 824 816 780 949 955 929 910 954 905 Throughout the early part of the year 1902 smallpox was prevalent, owing to the epidemic which began in the preceding year, but from 188 cases in January the number steadlly decreased from month to month until there were but three cases re- ported in September and only one in Oc- tober. Since this winter began there have been some few cases, but the number has Dot at any time exceeded a dozen, and g | twelve years | John Williams, rested in Kans April 15 pawnshop watches. sentenced servitude. in the state penitentia alias Harry Willlams, ar- City for Chief Donahue He was wanted for robbing the of H. Goldsteln, securing forty He pleaded guilty and April 24 to two years penal James Campbell, arrested by Detective Drummy, charged with eight burglaries, was held to the distriet court December 20 for trial The report for 1902, { 1901, is as follows: compared with | Arrests Accidents Buildings secured 1801 L1409 Burglaries frustrated ... Bodles taken to morgue Destitutes cared for . | Fires attended | Insane cared for | Lodgers accommodated 1 Loxt children taken to parents, ' 80 73 Meals furnished 434 Record of the Marshal's Ofice Shows the Amount of Business The following financial report for m- United States marshal's office for th's year shows the earnings of the offies stand well above the expenses. The fee for jurors has made a considerable increase over 1901, which fs due to the fact that there has | been more work done, and also to the fact that on the 1st of last July the fee for jurors was increased from $2 to $3. In the | class designated pay for baliffs are included | all the expenses of outside judges called here to assist Judge W. H. Munger, and the bills for the subsistence of jurors en- aged in the trial of federal case: the judge’s messenger, the cost of transporting arles of the judge's stenographer, the records to and from Lincoln, for blanks and books for the clerk’'s offices, and other such incidentals as are specific- ally authorized by the attorney general. Comparative showing fnr 1902: Fees Bt Rixtaraen,. Basnines January 1 to March 31....§ 701 25 $1.450.75 ‘Aprl 1 to June 30.. 1077657 16870 July 1 to September 3. 8142 1988 2% *October 1 to December 31 1,30 00 Totals. *Estimated. Excess of earnings over actual expenses, $3,650.44. DISBURSEMENTS FOR 1%02. Salarles, fees and expenses $3.9%0.24 Fees of jurors 1363 50 Fees of witnesses. 1334823 Support of prisoners. 3,433 Pay of balliffs.... ¥32.35 Miscellaneous expens 1,883.12 I Total... $31,146.64 The dockets of both the eircuit ana dls- cases this year than in 1901. In the cfr- | cult court the number of cases docketed was 104 in 1902 against 150 in 1901 In the district court there were seventy-seven cases docketed, against seventy-eight the year before and 113 petitions in bank- ruptey against 159 in 1901. OUT AT THE COUNTY HOSPITAL Greater ber of P e Than Ever Cared for at This Pu Institation. During each of the first eleven months of 1902, except March, the Douglas county hos- pital had a greater number of inmates than during the corresponding month of the year 1501, according to the reports of Superin- tendent J. Henry Oest and Dr. Lee. The totals for 1901 have been recorded thus: January, 192; February, 192: March, 192 April, 162; May, 156; June, 155; July, 147; November, 181; December, 198. In 1902 the there is now Lo reason to anticipate any serious trouble from this disease. In May last measles had quite a run and in Oc- tober and since that time scarlet fever bas been quite troublesome, but there have been but few deaths from any of these contaglous diseases. WAR TAX MAKES A DIFFERENCE Shown in the Loeal Col lections. The annual figures of the internal rev- enue office for the district of Nebraska show a decrease over the year previous. Compared with 1901, there was a decre: of ahout §700,000. More specifically, the d crease is $38,772 on lists, §120,154 on beer tax, $284,264 on spirits tax paid, $17,734 on clgar tax, §1,103 on tobacco tax, $29,895 on special taxes, $197712 on documentary stamps and $4,055 on proprietary stamps. Ihe great reduction In United States taxes, crease. The tax on renovated butter went into effect July 1, and of course the item of $8,816 represents collections for six months only. The rate of tax on such butter belng mean 1,760 tons of butter. s for two years are as follot The fig: Totals ... 32401043 3,167,500 (December _coiiections are eatimated the basis of first half of the month.) Police Were Busier Du 1902 Than They Were the Year Before. Crime in Omahi ccording to the report of Chief of Police Donahue, during the last year, shows somewhat of an increase over the preceding year in the matter ol‘ arrests, amount of property stolen, sulcides and accidents. When compared with the year 1901 the last year has been a comparatively quiet one for the depart- ment, local offenders being Inactive and very few criminals having arrived in the eity without their presence ,becoming quickly known and their arrest following. Included in the more important arrests of the year are: Chbarles Willlams, allas Edward Burkes, arrested by Oficer Bloom on April 3. Williams was wanted in Lin- coln, Neb., on the charge of horse stealiag, baving also been guilty of highway rob- figures read thus a3 o iE MONTH. |-3e4 (s0z.) 14 204 b 202 Marei 188 April ay June Anl)’ X ugus Beptember T October November . 7| 181 Admitted 391 orn . 8| 396 Discharged . 323 Died medical treatment.58.5 OEST, Superintendent. Of the 396 ldmnled this year, five . births, and of the 396 discharged seventy- three were deaths. The daily average num- ber of those under medical treatment was ffty-nine. In 1901 there were nine births and fifty-one deaths, and In 1900 but seven births and nineteen deaths. CUPID WAS BUSY LAST YEAR Dally lv!w undcr e Licenses Insued Than Any Year Since 1808, Marrl Du Let no one be alarmed by the fact that there were 314 divorée suits flled in the district court of Douglas county between January 1, 1902, and last Saturday, for during the same time there were issued 1319 marriage licenses, or nearly four times as many as of divorcs wuits. It must be conceded that 1902 was a great year for marriages—the greatest in the county's history, except 1898, when Transmississippi exposition drew stran thousands bere to do unusual and, to them, memorable things. Following is the 1902 record by months | | January 118/ July g e b .- . $8 August #rre g 75 Beptember 110 April ..118, October 188 May 104 November 134 | June 16| December ... .....108 " SMELTERY | Nearly $3,000,000 A te the World Meta The world's stock of metals was increased by nearly $3,000,000 each month during the year 1902 by the Omaha piant of the Amer- The bery in Council Bluffs. He was convicted 4nd sentenced st Lincols. December 4, to biiin suib total output of this plani for (he year is PRSP SO, the | V! | Visitors to Byron was the bills | nm for the year just closed has far ex ’1..,’“ public works the records show a grati 482 | ing proportion of progression. In 115 | and brick sewers of the year before. 5 | of this department for 1903: Miles traveled by patroi wagon &1 Patrol _calls . Loat childrer taken o station 1§ Nulsances and dead animals re- ported . I %07 Prisoners taken to county 25 384 Packages stolen and recov. o 0 Runaway horses stopped 4 2 ick and injured u “ 8ick and Injured taken to t hospital ... ™ ick and injured stal A 0 1| Stray teams care & Stray horees taken up. 0 Sulcides reported . 1B Buicides attempted 15 | Bhooting affrays 1 | Stabbing afrr LS8 Property reported stolen $20,046 3203 Property recovered 15,625 $14, [UNITED STATES COURT WORK | | trict courts show a smaller number of minus the last week's business, shows a August, 135, September, 156; ctover, 167 | EXPENSES OF THE PARK BOARD | year, not including December, is as follows: | Hanscom park | Riverview park . | Bemiy | Misce | RECAPITU | Emergency hospl al Included | Miscellaneous | in the miscellaneous expenses are the | | horses and increased expense inoldent to | the largest in its history, & $7.000.000 the aggregate for last was the record. In production numbers are Gold Silver ad & fopper . Blue vitriol Total . MILES OF NEW PAVING e Amount of the Year B Was Pat Down in [ 1008, Tn a general way it may be sald that 1| work of the ity engineering departm that of 1901, for In nearly every line work this is perhaps most apparent, rhown by a total of 2247 miles of pa ment lald in 1902 compared with 1. miles in the preceding year. | Just closed the extent of pipe sewer lald just about equal to the total of the Following {s a table showing the wol PAVING. Vitrified paving block Asphalt paving ‘ Total . CURBING. Artificlal combined mrh -nd guttes Natural stone . Total seee A Total cost of paving and curbing..s108,340. SEWERS. Pipe sewers of various !lnI miles 5.1 | Total cost ... 8 7,408.60 SIDI‘.\\ ALl K Artificial stone and brick, mile Total cost GRADING. Various streets, boulevard ex- cluded, cuble yards | Total cost ... Cost of asphalt repair: Emergency hospital laneous LATION OF EXP] Paving and curbing Sewers .. Sidewalks Grading ... Amphalt repa irs’ Total Character and mileage of pavements in Omaha to January 1, 1903: Asphalt Brick Stone biock . Macadam . Wooden block Tots Tn:el cost of paving to January 1, Milea 35, “number 'miles sewers in hi 0 January 1, 1 t of sewers to :-nuny l, ARMY SPENDS LOTS OF MONEY ef Quartermaster at Om urses Nearly a Milllon a Half. The disbursement of the quartermaster's funds by the chief guartermaster of the department of the Missouri at Omaha dur- ing the year endl December 31, 1902, grand total of pearly a million and a half dollars, and a considerable increasc over the figures of last year. The exact figures are, for 1902, $1,413,540.91, and for 1301, $1,017,962.20. This year's amount does not Include the amounts for the construction of new bulldings at Des Moines and Forts Leavenworth and Riley. The increase s due to the payment of higher prices for the Fort Riley maneuvers. The compari- eons for the two years follow: egular supplies lm‘ ental expenses. Purchase of horses. Army transportation. Barracks and quarters Hospltals Hospltal quarters Shooting galleries and ranges Clothing and equipage 6.319 3 1,429 1,18 61 220 33 Totals ... ... $L009 % $140350 91 Detalls of Su Spent and Maintaining Pu! ure Gro The work of the Board of Park Commlis- sloners for 1902 was slightly less in extent than that of the previous year, but included some important improvements, notably In Hanscom park and Central boulevard. The detalled record of the expenditures for the Improving Pleas- llfifl 3m & Es§§! 2 2 BWITAESY un l"bllenlll. nrl . Jefferson squas Central boul lwd lolllh Riverview to Hanscom park Central boulevard west, rk to Burt street. Florence boulevard - mnmm :r - *Total expenditures “This does not Mmeid 535,945 7 the from which tools and susrel fund = } neral suj Ly pplies are rel mcclpll park fund to December 1. Recelpts road fund to December 1. 'l"m n to December 1....596,487 31 WORK OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY Figu Total receipt riefly Tell the Story of the The satistical records of the public If- brary for the year just closed show & grat- ifylog increase in facilities and volume of patronage. Following are statistics which convey an idea of the work of the year: Total number of volumes accessioned v date , Total number voxumn withdrawn to date ... 876 Total olum!l now in 1i- ed in 1608 Number of cards issued in 1008 Number of cards now in use Books issued for home use ed for reference to reference room tors to reading room . eed room =:xi;,;p I ER T H SRS —