Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, January 1, 1916, Page 8

3 i RETAIL BUSINESS SHOWS INCREASE Gain of Tweny Per Cent is Noted by the Association of Retail- ers of Omaha. MANY NEW FAMILIES ARRIVE Omaha's retail business, taken as a whole, was perhaps 20 per cent greater in volume In 1915 that it ever was in any previous year in the history of the city. Figures are not available on the retafl business of the city, as they are on the wholesale and manufacturing business, but those closest in touch with the retall activities of ‘the city make close esti- mates, The estimate of a 20 per cent increase 1s made by J. W. Metcalfe, secretary of the Associated Retallers of Omaha. Mr. Metcalfe says “I think it is safe to say that the retall business has in- creased 2) per cent above that of any year in the past. Prosperity is in the air out here in Nebraska and in Omaha. Omaha is growing. People are coming inte the city all the time and making their homes here." Slow at First. The first half of the year was slow. It began to pick up in some of the retall lines about May. The rest of the lines began to pick up about September, From that time on business in practically every retall line began to swell, and big sales were shown on the books at the close of each succeeding month. The jewelry line particularly showed & big business this year, This too, was slow during the first half of the year. Jewelry business began to pick up about July and from then on gained rapidly. The first Christmas buying in the jewelry line began early and kept up steadily. ‘The volume of buying in the jewelry line, according to Secretary Metcalfe, wa never 80 large as this year. Population Increases. That Omaha's population was steadily growing during the year by an influx of outsiders is shown in various ways, One of the best places to mote this is in the office of the Assoclated Retallers, where all new accounts are reported when new- comers open accounts with any of the retall stores members of the association. During all the fall this has averaged over thirty new accounts per month. These are largely mocounts opened by the heads of families and all accounts of persons who have just moved into the clty. Secretary Metealfe make a little calculation in regard to theke. He says that scarcely one-fifth of the heads of families moving into ‘the city open. ac- counts. That would mean that the thirty must be multiplied by five to get the number of familles moving in. This, again, would be multipl'ed by five, as the average family, it is recognized, Is a famtly of five. . "“This would mean a total of some 7,600 or 7800 new people moving into the city in o year" sald Mr. Metcalfe, “and 1 do mot think those flgures are any too Iavaa,t > Co'lections Are Good. Colice Iors, ton, hAve basn better than usual during the fall. When September came and the extent of the wheat crop was known, and, in fact, all the small grain was, harvested—it was then the retall business first showed a spurt. Then & month or two much of the grain marketed and money was beginning be easler. Hence, easier collections. came October and November, with I extent of the corn crop a cer- and this s’ what gave another tus to business. At the same still more to loosen up and make collections easler. Secretary Metcalfe says the Associated Retallers should be credited, however,, with having much to,do with facilitating collections. He points out that the credit bureau has had much to do with edu- to the of a good gggis!; ! business in the city as the assoclation ‘has shown the retailers the value of true co-operation,.not only for their in- @ividual benefit, but for the benefit of tu:m- as a whole. Internal Revenue " Receipts in Excess, - Due to the War Tax An enormous increase in the internal port of the collector, George . Loomis, ‘who was appointed to the position last r, succeeding Ross Hammond. increase of these collections in has been largely due, of the speclal war tax passed by congress to take care of the loss of rev- the tariff on imports, due to BEST YEAR OF ALL FOR POSTOFFICE Tremendous Increases Shown Stamp Sales and Other Receipts at Local Office. INDEX OF OMAHA'S GROWTH | in The best year that the Omaha post- office has ever seen was 1915, as 1s shown by the annual report of Postmaster John C. Wharton. Tremendous increases are #hown in the stamp sales and other pos- tal receipts, in the money orders paid and issued and In every other depa-t- | ment of the work. “It I8 a most gratifying report,” sald Postmaster Wharton. “We have had a #ood year, not only in the money transac- | tions, but in the general good will and co-operation of the employes, It also reflects the great prosperity of the city and community.” A remarkable fact about the report is that while the receipts ot the office in- | creased over $100,000, the salaries paid | to rallway mall clerks and local em. | ployes decreased $43,00, this being due to a shifting of some employes by rea- | son of changes In the division boun- dartes, Postal receipts at this office in 1915 | were §104,368.90 greater than they we in 1914, In 1914 they were $96,00 greater | than they were In 1913 Figures on parcel post, registry ani postal savings bank all show increases. They are given elsewhere in this paper. Thé postal receipts, salary expenditures and money order figures for the Omaha Total increase..... . ssgused Balaries paid railway mail clerks, [ hr‘le. vaid rafl Total decrease Salaries pald lo o Balaries pald local employes, 1915 Total decrease Money Or Orders Issued 168, Orders paid, 1015... B2 4,342,900 ‘mmm-';u.ca , 1916 (rec'd). 42413 :,ufln.ll)‘l Total for 1915, 11,078, rders issued. yl%m e paid, 1914, 4,265,335 mittances, 1914 (rec’ 6,243,456 Total for 1914.... 10,822, ncrease for 1915, l fl.g Three Thousand Suits Are Filed in District Court Clvil and criminal sults which passea through the mill of the distriet court during 1916 numbered 29%, according to tabulation prepared by Fred A. Gordon of the office of the clerk of the district court. The statement follows: » CIVIL, vorces allowed .. 7] vorces dimln-d . !fl taonal Injury suiia fiied ... E) fulu“malnl to $3, 512,747.40, damages All other’ da auits E bt-unuu to $2,024,194.13, damages claimed. r uiet title Bl S 8 ccounting : ’R Sonbtuans®. o ¥ 59 ?zfi from justice court . o from county court . 0 psyrance " 2 4 otes ] 19 12 178 L) Bound 330 %E fr t ll!: m tice court . 1 its of hbuzx:orpu- . 21 Total ....... . Twenty Miles 6f Water Mains Put in Place in 1915 Nearly 1,300 new services and twenty | miles of service mains have been added to the municipal water plant diring the year. Two hundred fire hydhants were installed and a sedimentation basin added to the settling facilities ht Florence, The basin has a capacity of 16,000,000 gallons and cost $100,000, ‘The tendency of the Missouri river above Florence to move to the eastward and possibly make a cut-off, led to the development of extensive plans for river | protection. Late in the year, however, contrary tendencies developed, and prose- cution of the proposed work was aban- doned, awalting further develapments. General Manager Howell is not ready to offer any financial statistics for the year. The treasury, however, shows & fund of nearly $1,000,000 for reserve, de- preciation and for the retirement of water bonds taken up by the water board, MORE CONVICTED OF CRIME THIS YEAR THAN LAST Hecords of criminal business in the office of County Attorney Magney shows 14 convictions and twenty acquittal 1915, a8 compared with 13 convictions and fiftéen acquittals in 1914 Fifty cases were dismissed for want of evidence in | Increased |Ing the coming year the opening of a .| &ram of the commission for the coming = GREAT YEAR FOR AHA ATURDAY JANUARY 1, 1916. New Year’s Greeting from Mayor Dahlman Sounds Note of Civic Pride| As the year just closed been &) red letter year In.the history of Omaha, has 80 the gate of the west welcomes the the beginning epoch of still greater progress and pros- perity. During the past year Omaha has Its population by approxi- mately 40,00 people; her mills and great Industries have worked night and day; she has expended many millions of dol- lars in the erection of new bufldings, among which may be numbered half a | dozen skyscrapers. The new year opens | with contracts let for several more, In- | cluding two bank bulldings and one hotel | bullding. 1n 1916 Omaha’s bank clearings | were the greatest in her history and probably for her population the greatest In the country. Three new banks are | in process of organization and will open thely doors for business within a few days Navigation of the Missour! river has reopened and the commercial interests of Umaha are a unit In the development of this great waterway. With the open- Ing of the year another line of boats will ply the Missour! river with Omaha as the principal port, Omaha, aiready the second largest cat- tle market in the world, will realize dur- new year as of an raflrond line from Yankton, 8. D., which will mean the Increase In the total amount of grain and cattle now handled by the Omaha market, and which, it is confidently believed, will easily place Omaha as the first cattle market of the world. In civic affairs Omaha Is easily the peer of the most progressive city in the coun- try. Under the commission form of gov- ernment, Omaha has steadily progressed, working along the line of the greatest B00d to the greatest number. The pro- year contemplates a further development JAMES CHARLES DAHL) of the policy of dispensing the concrete benefith of municipal government to the great majority of the citizens, having in mind the welfare of the small home owner and the protection of the daily wage earner. To encourage the sturdy business interests of our city, and at the same time to give the widest opportuntty and the most assured protection to the individual worker is the promise which democracy holds out in Omaha for next year, STREET RAILWAY Fifty-Five Million Passengers Car- ried During Last Twelve Months, Being Close to High Mark, MANY IMPROVEMENTS MADE With one exception 1915 was the best year in the history of the Omaha Street Rallway company, so far as gross earn- Ings were concerned. That exception was the year of the ‘Transmississippl expo- sition. If it had not been for the Jitneys that went onto the streets early last year, 195 would have been a record breaker in the matter of taking in nick- els. However, the street rallway com- pany had a good year and the officers are not complaining. In round numbers, during the year just closed the Omaha Street Rallway com- pany carried 54,900,000 pay passengers and 100,000 free, The free transportation was furnished employes, city policemen and city firemen. During exposition year the pay passengers were something in ex- cess of 55,000,000, - day Meetings Help Out, Up to September 1, with the stret rail- Wway company it did not look like a very #ood year. Indications were that the gross earnings were golng to fall below several of the former years. Then the “Bllly" Sunday meetings came on and the business boomed, with the result that during the perlod when “Billy" Sunday was here, business was the best since the exposition, While -the stret rallway company took in a vast sum of money during the year, It was not all profit by any means. There was the pay roll to meet, other current expenses, maintenance, better- ments and new work. In reconstruction and new work about $100,000 was ex- pended. During the year the only extension was to the Speedway in Bast Omaha, a dis- tance of one-fourth mile. A short stretch of new double track was lald on the west slde of the Omaha postoffice to facilitate the handling of the mall car service. Heavier Steel Lald veral miles of track was taken up and relaid, or replaced with heavier steel. ‘This consisted of the Thirtieth street car line, from Fort street to the city limits on the north; Military avenue, from Forty-third street to Hamilton and on Forty-elghth street and Military avenue: Farnam street, from Twentleth to Twenty-fourth, and 1, street, from Boule- vard to Thirty-third street. Hundreds of cars were overhauled, re- paired and put through the local shops. 8ix electrically operated switching devices wer Installed and about 200 wooden poles were replaced with those of firon, All over the system tracks were lev- eled up and at the joints of the rails the latest in the way of electrical connections were put in. At the Twenty-fourth street and Ames | avenue barns considerable improvement | was made, one of the features being the more complete equipment of the rest room for the men. Fewer Licenses to | Marry Are Issued Twenty-four hundred and two marriage licenses were lssued in 1915, as compared with 2,46 In 1814, according to records of the county court. County Judge Crawford performed 153 ceremonies last year and 176 ceremonies the previous year. Fol- lowing are the licenses issued by months during the two ye§rs: 1915; in 1914 there were forty-eight. Fol- . RUTHEEE TN lowing are the records for the two years: | J: Buary . ;g CONVICTIONS, e b ey s - h i ! Murder, first degree. 3 3| ';“ m ughter ... 5 ° b | June 210 and entering . . 55 & | July 1w . | August . 208 2 10| September 204 (R o g n B ¥ | November B N - 31| December i = 12 ' FIRE WARDEN MAKES Total convictions T HIS REPORT FOR THE YEAR i ACQUITTALE, M5, W4 | Fire Warden Morris reports he in- """ 3 3| epected 54 buildings during the year, He o 1|investigated elghty-one fires of uncer- -1 $/tain causes and traced causes of thirty- 1 2ltwo. Me served 20 notices on owners to 2 15|abate hasardous conditions. Seven . e 1 . complaints were filed in police court, v A . T OMAHA FIRE LOSS SLIGHT FOR YEAR No Heavy Conflagrations and but One Reaches Large Figures for Loss, MORE MONEY FOR DEPARTMENT Two hundred and elghty-five men, sev- enty-three horses and forty-five pleces of apparatus represents the strength of Omaha's fire fighting machinery. This equipment is housed at twenty-one places. It is the most expensive or the city de- partments and is generally conceded to be the most important. For 1016 Commissioner Withnell wants $376,000 for maintenance, in addition to the special levy of $66,500 for fire alarm system and motor apparatus. Although the matter has not been decided yet, it is belleved that of the speclal levy $25,000 will be spent as a starter for & new fire alarm system and $0,00 for motor ap- paratus for some of the outlying fire houses. Few Big Fires. Under the leadership of Chief Charles A. Balter, Omaha's fire department has fned an enviable reputation. The city was fortunate during 1915 in that no se- rlous fires occurred. There were only six fires whose losses were more than $5,000. The only fire of considerable loss was the old Board af Trade building at Sixteenth and Farnam streets, where a new bullding is being erected. That loss was placed at $108,299. The other five fires of more than $5,000 each were: Mar- golin Bros.' barn, 1718-20 North Twenty- fourth street, $6,100; water pumping sta- tion at Walnut Hill, $9,306; Davis Bros.' commission house, 501-3-5-7-9 and 11, South Eleventh street, $11,95; Sullivan bros.’ frame barn at Twenty-first and Hickory streets, $5,802; National Fur and Tanning company, 1823-5-7 South Thirteenth street, $14,688. The total value of property and con- tents endangered by fires during the year to December 1 was $17,422,041, and of this there was a total loss of $317,37, with in- surance of $301,659, To December 1 there were 997 alarms, of which 718 were sent in by telephones and twenty-seven over the alarm boxes. ‘There were only eight second alarms and only one third alarm. The alarms by months were as follows: Janvary, 13; | February, 73; March, 103; April, 120; May, | 90; "June, July, 7; August, 71; Sep- tember, October, 124; November, 114, Between 9 and 10 a. m. and 2 and 3 p. m. ylelded the most alarms of the hours of the day. The least fires by hours were between 3 and 4 a. m. and 10 and 11 p. m. Ten Fatally Burned, Of the bullding fires there were 297 dwellings, 41 flats, 32 barns, 31 rooming houses, 18 groceries and 14 garages. The casualty report shows ten citizens fatally burned and fourteen severely burned; one fatally injured and elght slightly injured at fires, Causes of fires for the eleven months are given follows: Unknown, 18; chimney sparks, 76, weeds, grass and rubblish, 71; chimneys burning out, §7; children and | matches, 39; cigars and cigarettes, 2; sparks from locomotives, 19; spontaneous combustion, 13; hot stoves and furnaces, 17; sparks from matches, 16; supposed in- cendlary, 15; defective flues, 14; electric wires, 14; gasoline, 10; gasoline stoves, 12, Forty-two horses were burned to death in fires during the first eleven montha of the year. Ten fires were extingulshed outside of the city limits. POLICE COURT RECEIPTS SAME THIS YEAR AS LAST Police Court Clerk Marcell reports but & slight deviation of the to%al cash re- celpts by his department in 1915 from the amount taken care of in 1914, But the big stride made in the matter of boundover prisoners and a marked de- crease in appeal cases is something to ‘which police attaches and the department 43 well point with pride. Very near two- thirds leas cases were appealed to the district court than in 1914, and 13 more were bound over. Following are the figures: 'SCHOOLS OF OMAHA FORGING 70 FRONT ‘Nurly Twenty-Eight Thousand Pu- pils in Attendance and Close to One Thousand Teachers, |NEW BUILDINGS ARE ADDED The Greater Omaha merger presented many problems for the Board of Edu- cation In its work of unifying the schools of Omaha proper and those of South Omaha. With the first half of the school year toward a close, the school system of the merged areas may be sald to be fairly brought together. | There are now fifty-two schools in Greater Omaha, with an attendance of 27,68, which includes 1,683 members of | | | |the two evening grade schools. En- | rollments of the three high schools are: :'(‘rntrnl High, 1,824; High School of Com- merce, 703; South High, 304. There are 950 teachers on the payroll, sixty serv- ing in the evening schools. The valuation of school sites and build- ings approximates $4,500,000. The bonded debt is $2,205,000, including $500,000 bonds sold a few months ago. There are also ‘x'm.om bonds authorized, but not sold. Durlng the year annexes have been added to Lothrop, Central Park, Farnam, Lincoln, Park and Saunders schools. Last summer the schools of South Omaha were given a general overhauling. J. G. Masters and Karl F. Adams were engaged as principals of Central High and High School of Commerce, respec- tively; and former Superintendent Gra- ham of South Omaha was brought into the Greater Omaha systems as assist- ant superintendent. The evening high school was a new feature of the year, the attendance and Interest exceeding all expectations. Sites ‘were purchased for new schools at Thir- ty-third and Davenport streets and in Minne Lusa addition, The new Dundee school was brought into the greater system as a model, the only grade school of the system having domestic sclence. Two nurses were en- gaged for regular medical inspection at schools. A supervisor of social exten- slon work was another Innovation. The board engaged a consulting engineer to Increa the efficlency of the heating plants and improve the ventilation and lighting of al] buildings. The School Ce . The board granted the use of certain achools for social center, activities under direction of the Recreation boarl. A dean of girls was appolnted for Central High school. According to the last school census, there are 37,700 persons of school age in Greater Omaha. The school budget for the next fiscal year amounts to $1,478,90, based on a levy of 25 mills. The Board of Education is entering upon an extensive bullding and site pro- gram, which will require the expenditure of $1,000,000 authorized by the voters last spring. It ls proposed to transfer the High School of Commerce to the Cen- tral school on Dodge street, enlarging and improving the latter school to meet the needs of a commercial institution. A new bchool will be erected on the Henry W. Yates property, recently ac- quired. The Clifton Hill d'strict will have A new gchool. The Park school will be replaced with a new structure and the ¥ield club district will have a school. The Bancroft school will be enlarged t» sixteen rooms and other improvements are in prospect. Customs Receipts Lower on Account of War in Europe Decreases have been the order of the day and of the year in the office of, the United States collector of customs at the inland port of Omaha, as they have at all other ports since the blg European war started and cut off the bulk of im- portations to this country. The annual figures given out by Col- lector of Customs C. W. McCune for the year just closed have some blg decreases on them. Total dutles collected in 1914 amounted 1o $59,167, and In 1915 to 366,046, this being @ decrease of $23,131. The war extended over only the last five months of 1914, while it extended over the entire twelve months in 1915, thus explaining the big decrease In duties collected. Total imports through this port were $501,159 1n 1914 and 615,342 in 1915, being a decrease of $185,817, Of these amounts $460,044 worth of goods was dutiable in 1914 and $430,069 in 1915, a decrease of $19,985, Goods that came In free of duty in 1914 were worth $361,115, and in 1915 they were worth $185,253, a decrease of $165,832, Germany and Austria-Hungary have been entirely cut off from importing | 800ds to this country by reason of the war, and very little has come from Italy. Turkey and Bulgaria are also cut off now, although they never did figure very heavily in imports. The customs district of Omaha comprises the states of Ne- braska and Wyoming and a small area of Towa. The ratio of free to dutiable merchan- dise according to these figures is about | to 2%. Under the old republican tariff the ratio was about 1 to 7. The office saw a change in its chief during the year when C. W, McCune was appoluted to succeed Cadet Taylor. The rest of the force In the headquarters port of Omaha is: James Burness, chief dep- uty; J. C. Thomas, deputy.and Inspector; George R. Porter, deputy and clerk. At the Lincoln office are: E. R. Birge, dep- uty in charg:, and Mrs. Mary A. Clark, deputy and clerk. Cost of Gas Lights for Year Just Past A. C. Taylor and J. P. Butler, superin- tendent of gas street ligthing and gas commissioner, have submitted the fol- lowing report for the year: Pay roll Stationery {lobes, ‘manties. chimne RIS 1915, $ 44050 § 711770 1,141.00 2.139.50 13,635 86 the Omaha evening high school and 582 of | CITY PARK SYSTEM Large Amount of Construction | Work Done in Seventeen Parks Belonging to Omaha. MUCH WORK ON BOULEVARDS Greater Omaha's park system now en- braces seventeen parks of total area of 985 acres. There are thirty-five miles of boulevards. Commissioner Hummel's de- partment was allowed $45,000 for the park fund during the year. An expenditure of $20,000 was made out of thé road fund | for maintaining and improving boule- vards and about half of $0,00 park bond fund was used for paving and curbing streets adjacent to park property. A summary of the important improve- ments during the year is given as fol- lows: 12,606 surface feet of cement walks in Bemis park; additional bath house | éiving tower and pontoon at Carter lake bathing beach; construction of 800 feet of dike and wall along west shore of Carter lake: rip-rapping and grading of the Lake Shore drive on east side of Carter lake, which work has not been completed; reconstruction and cindering drives in Spring Lake park and remodel- ing swimming pool in that park: eon- struction of swimming pool, laying out tennis courts, building base ball stand and improving the zoo in Riverview park; addition of thousands of bulbs, plants and flowers and laying new dancing floor in pavilion at Hanscom park; con- struction of eighteen-hole golf course and transforming cement tank for use as swimming pool In Elmwood park; base 11 reviewing stand in Fontenelle park; sprinkling system for golf course, con- struction of twelve-foot brick sewer and paving and curbing of Kansas avenue, enchanced the value of Miller park; curb- ing and guttering Florcnce boulevard, ‘Grand avenue to morth city limits, haif of which expense was borne by the park fund, Much Work on Boulevards. During the year 165 cars of cinders and 68,000 gallons of oll were distributed over the boulevard system and thirty-five band concerts were held during the summer. Grading the approach to the Carter Park boulevard, at Grand avenue and Flor- ence boulevard, is now being done. Commissioner Hummel wishes to make the following announcenfent regarding boulevard work started during the year and which he hopes to have completed during 1916: “Survey has been completed of the new Fontenelle park to Miller park boulevard beginning at Thirtieth street and Kan- Sas avenue, thence northwesterly about 1,800 feet to a point south of Curtis avenue and approaching Thirty-third street, thence south to Kansas avenue and along Kansas avenue to Thirty- fourth street, thence north on Thirty- fourth street to Curtis avenue and along Curtls avenue to a point that is about 350 feet west of Thirty-sixth street, thence southwesterly to the inter- section of Redman avenue and Thirty- ninth street, crossing the old F. E. & M. V. right-of-way under their viaduct and continuing westerly to Forty-third street and along the east line of Forty- third street to Fowler avenue, thence southwesterly to Ames avenue, approach- ing the entrance to Fontenelle park be- tween Forty-third and Forty-fifth streets. Total length 2.3 miles. Survey of New Connection. “Survey has also been completed of the Happy Hollow boulevard connection with the Fontenelle boulevard, beginning at Fontenelle boulevard just north of Mili- tary and Forty-seventh street, thence along the west line of Forty-seventh street to Himebaugh park, thence south- westerly to a point on Forty-eighth street between Franklin and Seward streets, thence west just morth of Elk street to & point 300 feet east of Fifty-second street, thence southwesterly to connection with the Happy Hollaw boulevard at Fifty-second and Western avenue. Total length 1.3 miles. ’ “‘Survey has also been about completed of the new Southwest boulevard from Thirty-sixth and Woolworth avenue to Elmwood park, beginning at Thirty-sixth and Woolworth avenue, thence west through the county poor farm to Forty- | second street, thence southwesterly to | Lincoln avenue just east of Forty-fifth | Btreet, thence south to Marinda street, thence southeasterly to Spring street at | Forty-fourth street, thence along Forty- fourth street to Grover street and south- west to the southeast corner of T, L. 18, section 32-15-13, thence west to Fiftleth | street and northwest to about Fifty- | fourth street and Grover street, and north to Lincoln avenue and Sixtieth street, and along Sixtieth street north to Elm- wood park. Total length about five miles. | machinery, IMPROVEMENTS IN |MUCH MONEY SPENT BY THE RAILROADS Little Done During the Year in the Way of Construction, but Improvements Made. HIGH STANDARD MAINTAINED In Omaha trade territory it was nof & year of railroad bullding. Owing ta the peculiar condition of the money market, brought about by the war in Burope and the uncertainty of the oube come of many suits in court, affecting both freight and passenger rates, the rallroads pursued a waliting policy and officlals contented themselves with goe ing on with the usual betterments ime stead of constructing new lines and opems ing new territory to the west and nortiw west of Omaha. However, with the rate situation cleared and the assertion that money during the next twelve months is likely to be easy considerable rallroad building hereaways is anticipated during the next year. During the year just closed the Bum lington spent close to $2,000,00 in this territory. Of this sum $800,000 was exe pended In constructing the cut-off fromf Gurnsey to Wendover, Wyo. There is something like eight miles of this stretch and with its construction it opens a shorg line Into the northwest. Much Raill Replacement. For rall replacement, where heavier steel was lald on the main line west of Omaha, $4#0,000 was spent. In improwe ing the Wyoming line and in constructs ing additional facilitles for handling business, $240,000 was spent. New induse trial and team tracks were constructed at a cost of $240,000 and $5,000 was spent in the construction of a new depot at David City. Repairing and redecorating the Omaha passenger depot cost $8,000, while water stations, tanks and pumps, pipe lines, efc., out along the lines cos§ $4,000. The renewal and replacement of bridges meant an expenditure of $140,000 During the year the Unlon Pacifiq completed double tracking from Devil's Gate bridge to Riverdale, one of the small gaps of the main line not hereto- fore double tracked. This new stretch of track is fully protected by automatid block signal, the same as is in use onm the remainder of the road. In Colorado the Union Paelfic built g branch line to the Shamrock coal flelds, besides twelve miles of industrial sidings, An interlocking plant is in course of cons struction at Salina, Kan, and many thousands of dollars were spent in ree newing ballast on the main line and fos heavier rails on the branches, At Omaha during the year a modern hospital was constructed for employeq and a ‘similar one at Kansas City, Moy New depots were erected at Kimball, Neb.: Pine Bluffs and Granger, Wyo.{ Armstrong and Salina, Kan., and at Dene ver. A new depot is v course of com« struction at North Platte to take the place of the one recently burned. On the branch north from Kearney 4 300-horse-power gasoline motor car had been added to the service, it being the first car of its type to go onto any raile road. The motor contains baggage, exs press and mail compartments and, in addition, it hauls an all-steel coach, ae fording 30 per cent more seating capace ity than the coach of the steam traig formerly operated was able to accommos date. The Missourl Pacific during the yeas completed the bullding of. its Omahae Kansas City line, reballasting the entire distance. Work on the Nebraska branches was started and was well on the way to completion when winter set In. New equipment was added to the Kansas City and St. Louis trains and the running time between Omaha ang these cities materially reduced. The Omaha road relaid the steel on g large portion of its Nebraska lines and spent large sums in reballasting. Along the Northwestern. In improvement and betterments the Northwestern Railroad company during last year expended $/76,330. Of this sumy none went for extensions, the company not having added any mileage to the Ney braska system during the Year, Itemized, the Northwestern speny money in Nebraska as follows during the year: Industry tracks, $25,000; tracks to pri4 vate industries, $1,660; new and remodele ing depots, $16,400; briage betterments, $3%5,400; track betterments, $280,900; fms provements to station grounds, 35,9408 special assessments, $4,700; equipment anq $32,350; washout damag; 150,000, s The money put into bridge and trac betterments was practically all for new work. A number of old bridges werq taken out and new and all steel ones cony structed in their stead. On track bettere Most of the ground for the right-of-way s boulevard will be donated to the Infant Mortality g Shows a Wonderful | | Reduction for Year| Claude F. Bossle, milk and dalry in-| spector, reports that the mortality of in- fants under one year of age during 1915 was 4.7 per cent of the births, the lowest in the history of the city. During the year there were 2,881 births and 137 deaths of infants, The vital statistics of the health office | show that during the first six months of the year the infant death rate of the south side was fourten to each 100 births, while during the latter half of the year the rate was elght to each 10 births, a reduction of 35 per cent of infant mortal- ity since the South Side milk supply was brought into the Omaha system of in- spection. Mr. Bossie's report for the year fol- lows: The death rate among infants for the last ten years is : Birth: Dthe per 100 dusard BB H¥ e 184 . 131 125 83 83 64 6.7 e deaths under | Year of age that were nonresidents and occurred in hospitals, the rate for the year would be forty-two per thousand. | ments the expenditure was largely fog new and heavier steel ralls. Local Real Estate | Transfers Almost ! Doubks_ Last Year Real estate transters to $15,849,908.79, accordin, pared by Harry Pearce, Owing to the federal w, It was possible this proximately accurate figures on total valuations for the first time in & nume ber of years. The transfers for last yeas were 38,463,619, The report shows a decrease in botl Teceipts and expenses of the office oved 4. It is as follows: for 1915 amounted & to figures pre« ar tax on deeds Year to secure ape Receipts .. ods Expenditures | Net to county. <8 644450 § 728740 Number of instruments recorded, 15,87l &3 agalnst 16,323 in 1914, Farm mortgages filed, 15, amountin to §767.984; released, 151, amounting ty #617,619.27, City mortgages filed, 4242, amounting to $9.476,768.14; released, 3,042, amounting to $8,131,727.81, FEES COLLECTED BY THE ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT The operations of the city electrioal department have been summarised in the followiug manner: Fees collected, 37.00051; expendituresy #1300, wiring permits, 3774; permits tq connect, 2,4M; nn.:r- bermits, 108} register of deeds,