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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1903)
The Omaha Sunday Bee. 3 PART II. g PAGES 13 TO 20. ESTABLISHED JUNK 10, 1871. OMAHA, SUNDAY MOHNIXM, MARCH 15, 100.1. SINGLE (OPV FIVE CENTS. WORK OF REALTY EXCHANGE Omaha's Real Estate Outlook Never Better for Investors BRIEF FOR THE BACHELORS Bunch of Lovely Bouquet Thrown at the Lonesome? by a Woman. SINGLE BLESSEDNESS THE IDEAL LIFE j jt j j j All the Live Real Estate Men Size Up the Situation as Pointing to Continued Prosp:rity Read the Interviews f x t HI V I X Begins with Fight ca "Garbitone" Broken and Leada to Tax Eeform. ACTIVITY IN BEHALF OF EXPOSITION flaw the roalrit lor Equality ' Tntatlon of Real ana Prraonal Property Vii Carrie ta Baccea.fnl or. Do you know that the Omaha Real Es tate exchange, which has come so promi nently to the forefront during the last two years, has a history which can be traced back Into the middle '80s? Yet that Is none the less a fact, fer It was organized Sep tember 1, 1886., with the late Alvln Saun ders at lta first president. The principle of tax reform was probably far from the minds of the founders, for the original object was to bring the real estate dealers of the city Into closer and moro harmonious relation and Incidentally to crowd out what, at that time, constituted one of the greatest obstaclea In the path of progress the "curbstone broker." So it was to make war upon the "curbstone broker," who maintained no office and sim ply foraged upon the drippings, taking whatever commission he could pick up, that the men who maintained offices and had recognized standing in the community, got together an association of their own. Al though to keep out the nondescripts the ad mission fee waa fixed at $100, the early growth of the exchange was rapid and the extinction of the "curbstone" spee'es later led the way to a reduction of the entrance fee to the present figure $10. Up to and through the boom days the old exchange was an active factor, but with the collapse of the inflation period. It sank Into quies cence. The Omaha Real Estate exchange in Its present form dates from 1896, when it was reorganized on the eve of Omaha's awaken, tng from a period of depression, when all commercial Interests had resolved to make a strong effort to revive trade and Industry through the Transmlsslsslppl exposition. Called together to take an active part In the preparations, the real estate men made E. A. Benson president of the new ex change and adopted the present constitu tion. The first work was to assist In securing state and national appropriations for the exposition, to promote which a board of alxty-seven persons waa launched on a tour through the southwest, with Texas as the objective point. In the Inter est of the exposition. Upon that trip Ne braska acquired half a mile water front on Galveston harbor, deeded by the citizens of Texaa to Alvln Saunders In trust for the state of Nebraska. Auction Bales Cn.uece.sfol. After the exposition the Real Estate ex change again turned Its attention to mat ters of special Interest to the members, and attempts were again made to establish a system of auction sales, which, however, proved no more successful than the former, only a few lota being sold at' prices ao low as to make the sales farcical. It waa In 1900 that the exchange made a new departure In establishing a reliable aystem of appraisements upon business and residence property. Values of Omaha real eatate at this period were an unknown quantity. Much of the . land had not changed hands since the days of the "boom" and prices then fixed were the nominal value of property during days of depression. W hen inquiries for land picked up after the exposition dealers had no adequate basis of value to depend upon. They could not ask the price paid at the last sale, for 'that would have been absurdly high, and they did not dare to fix a value upon a capitalist' tlon of the net earnings for a given period, as In many cases this would have been a minus quantity. For two years or' more the weekly "appraisement" was a regular feature of the exchange meetings, and to a great extent has fixed the relative values of property upon Its present basis, a basis, by the way, at this time below what would be a capitalisation of the net earnings on th average property of the claas for the last four or five years. Upon the election of W. H. Green to the presidency In 1901 the exchange became more widely advertised. Mr. Green asked the question, "What Is '..be matter with Omaha?" and for a year or more busineas men, professional men and property own era. In response to invitations, endeavored to answer this question. These answers were aa 'diverse as the speakers, but all stimulated Interest In the exchange. For the time the weekly meetings, then held each Wednesday In fe Commercial club rooms, were chiefly occasions for prepared addresses, followed by more or less In formal discussions. Out of these Informal discussions grew what Is regarded as the greatest achieve ment of the organization. In the fall of 1901 one of the speakers called attention to the wide difference between the actual value of certain personal property and the valuation placed upon it by assessors, With some doubt as to the fitness of the action the president appointed a commit tee to Investigate tie matter. Bests la Small Way. This Invetlgtt Ion began In a small way before the county commissioners and was productive of no Immediate results, as the owners of this property, located mainly In South Omaha, made a allowing accepted by the officials. A short time after thla the city tax commissioner, addressing the exchange, called attention to th ) great discrepancy between the value of the per sonal property of the city and that of the real estate. Another Investigation com mittee waa appointed, of which P. D. Wead was chairman and W. G. Schrlver secretary. The committee flrat ascertained that the public service corporations were being taxed In an amount greatly out of proportion to the real estate of the city, and sought ta have the corporate aaaeas ments raited to a point equal to the as sessment upoa real estate at that time 40 per cent of the actual value. The tax commissioner eo-opecaie4 ta a certain ex tent with the committee and presented fo the Board of Review assessments upon the property of these corporations greatly In excesa of any previously made. Tb board, however, reduced the assessment to prac tically the former figures, whereupon W. G. Shrlver and George T. Morton, on be half of the Real Eatate exchange and In their personal capacity, filed complaints befora the city council as a board oi equal isation. The council refused to give tho relief demanded and recourse was had to the courta. Before Judge Dickinson the case waa tried and resulted in a victory for the exchange. Then came a teat of the earnest ness of the members of the exchange. Officers of the corporations proposed com promises upoa different bates, and for two weeks or more the tax committee waa In consultation with the representatives of these corporations. On appeal to the su preme court evidence wss taken before a referee, whose report upon the statement C. F. Harrison I htve scant patience with those persons who condemn Omaha because of high taxes and bad government who would not so much as lift a finger to get tbe taxee reduced or make the cit7 government better. Omaha Is not higher taxd, nor worse governed, than other cltiea of Its size snd class. Our taxes are no higher tban tbe average of other cities of our class In fact, are not ao high. Our real estate organization has not objected so much to high taxes aa to the unequal dintributlon of taxes. If properly dis tributed, the tsx burden on sll property In Omaha would be light. Omaha 13 at the turning of the ways. The water has been squeezed out of Its values, a new basis adopted and the city Is now ripe for an ad vance such as has not occurred for fifteen years. In this forward movement the Real Eatate exchange stands for two things. First, a fair distribution of the burdens of taxation In accordance with the constitu tion; second, the building up of a greater Omaba under a good city government. George P. Bemls I was one of the first member of the Real Estate exchange when It was Incorporated. The exchange is and has been doing splendid work since it com menced on the tax business. Tbe organiza tion has made a most wonderful record and the young blood of the exchange, the mem bers of tbe tax committee and Attorney J. H. Mcintosh should be given tbe highest praise. Taking all tnlngs Into considera tion, I believe the future for real estate in Omaha la on the upward slant no boom, but a steady rehabilitation of values. Sharp land speculation outside tbe cities always foreshadows brisker markets within the corporate limits. I am confident that the real estate and general prosperity ' of the city are assured. O. 8. Benawa Omaha property Is a good Investment now for the reason that th rate of Interest on farm land Is not as high as that which can be derived from city property at present prices. Rentals are better from Omaha real eatate than they have been for some years previously and this will Increase building, which will fur ther add to the value of city property. John N. Frenzer Since the boom of 1887 there have been many improvements In the city in the way of additional railroads. large wholesale houses and manufacturing plants. Large warehouses have been built by Omaha wholesalers for their own use; the schools and colleges have been much Improved; tbe parka and boulevards have been Improved; the new public library building opened. Thomas Brennan Reduction In taxes Is having a good effect upon sales of Omaha real estate. I have sold considerable prop erty, much of which waa taken by eastern mortgagees after the boom. From now on Omaha real estate promises to be a profit able investment at present prices. F. D. Wead Rents have Increased con siderably on Omaha property recently and people are Inquiring for property. Many of these are people who have removed to the city recently. The fact that there haa not been a very large amount of building of rental property not only Increases the value of the lots' now Improved, but it gives promise of increased value to land when such buildings are erected, aa they . must be ,ln time. The Interest rate on Omaha property has also decreased re cently, showing that in the minds of lend ers of money the risk la considered better. W. H. -1110018 There are many oppor tunities for profitable Investment In Omaha real estate. , While Improvement Is noted In the vajue of trackage property for whole sale purposes, centrally located property In the retail district and In the West Far nam residence district, city real estate as a whole is low and entirely out of line with the high prlcei paid for farm lands. Condl- of facts and the conclusion of law found against every verbal contention of the Real Estate exchange. The real struggle, thererore, rame upon the exceptions to the referee's report filed by the relators, and after extended argument the court re jected the referee's findings and affirmed practically all the exchange had demanded. Coancllmen Pay Cost. The Board ot Equalization was required to reassemble and hear the complaints ot Shrlver and Morton, the costs uf the liti gation being assessed against the members of the city council who had refused pre viously to grant the hearing. Then waa seen the effect of the extra legal action ot tbe real parties to the suit. Before the council had reached tts decision the Real Estate exchange and the interested cor porations had in nearly every case reached a conclusion at to what would be a' satis factory assessment for the year and these assessments were accepted by the Board of Equalization. During this contest It became apparent that the city tax commissioner, since the office had been created, had utterly disre garded tbe plain letter of the statute gov erning the assessment of property In re turning it at 40 per cent of its value In stead ot its full cash value. Representa tions made to Tax Commissioner Fleming resulted In a decision by him to adopt the 100 per cent basis of assessment for city tsxation, and the tax committee closed Its first year'a work, having completed lta original program. The change of the basis of city assess ments from 3 per cent to full valuation ac centuated forcibly the practical exemption from taxation enjoyed by the railroads on their Immensely valuable facilities In Omsha by reason of its assessment by the State Board of Equalization and distribu tion on a mileage ratio. This monstrous case of taxation Inequality naturally de manded the attention of the exchange, whose committees, reconstructed for 1904, after tbe election of President C. P. Har rison, made "The equal taxation ot rail roads" their watchword. F. D. Wead was again chatrmun of the tax committee, with W. O. Ure as secretary. Eirktttt Finds Co-Operatlea. This time tbe city authorities, Including the tax commissioner, Board of Review, mayor and council, were all ready to co operate, with the result that the railroad property waa assessed locally at figures computed from estimates furnished by the railroad experta themselves, and the rail roads today are resorting to an appeal 'o the federal courts to perpetuate their tax evasion on the representation that the local assessment is invalid. In the meanwhile the tax committee it pursuing Its campaien alao before the legislature with a view to securing the repeal of the laws behind which the railroad tax-shirking has found cover, and undaunted by the obstacles set la tlons are favorable for a gradual advance In values. When city real estate is re lieved of that part of the burden of taxa tion that ether Interests should pay. It will be in a more healthy condition to advance. I. N. Hammond The Real Estste ex change has worked a great reform In the matter of taxation. The outlook for real estate business in Omaha la the best in ten years. More inquiries are being re ceived from persons who want to build and buy homes than during any corresponding seascn In that length of time. It looks to me that real estate Is as low as it ever Will be In Omaba and that there Is a gen eral tendency to believe that prices are going to go up from new on. A L. Reed of the Byron Reed Company Farm lands and city properties are Im proving in value. Farm properties that were selling at $30 to $43 per acre In Doug las county fcur or five years ago are now bringing $50 to $80, an increase of from 20 to J0 per cent. The speculation in Omaha property is not wild, but conaerva the. Omaha property Is about as much too low now as It was too high in 1857. E. Sweet I am optimistic on Omaha real estate prospects. It It unnecessary to make any comment on the results achieved by the Real Estate exchange on tax litiga tion last year relative to municipal cor porations. Wo had a hard fight and won. The result shows in the 1903 levy and as sessment. Everybody la pleased with the outlook and that in itself Is record enough. Shlraer & Chase The Real Estate ex change Is doing good work and if it is kept up good results will ensue. The outlook for the future Is for an improvement In Omaha realty conditions. There can bo no better Investment than In Omaha real es tate. It Is safe and sure. W. L. Selby The low price of rents and of property in Omaha, as compared with small Nebraska and Iowa towns. Is bound to bring good results. Omaha property now has a stability of value that it has not had for several years. Investors are now dis posed to put money in Omaha property as the best kind of an Investment. This has not been the case heretofore because of there being no stability In property values. J. H. Sherwood The real estate condi tions In .Omaha look better this spring than for tbe last eight or nine years that I have been in the Omaha real estate business. Prospective Investors are looking around. Taxes are lower and this has a tendency to Increase prices. Money will seek Invest ment where expenses are lower. Christ Boyer The reduction of taxes will certainly have a marked Influence on real estate. I expect an Increased activity thia year. Omaha real estate Is as low now as It will ever be, and the tendency Is to ad vance in price. Tbe rental properties are paying a fair Interest on investments and money Invested in Omaha real .estate la in my opinion safe and profitable. W, R. Miman Real estate matters have been very good since the first of the year. Houses are well rented and there is little or nothing vacant. Store buildings are renting belter than for ten years. The low tax- levy this year haa been a benefit to city real estate. N. P. Dodge, Jr. There Is a great deal doing In houses. This is caused by the In crease In the wages of carpenters and build ers, which is leading many to buy and build Instead of renting. Houses are also being built for Investment, and the number of home owners Is rapidly Increasing. John W. Robblns I have had more in quiries for property and have sold more property than I have at this season for ears and I Judge the outlook to be much better than for a long time past. I find that perhaps one-half the Inquiries are from their way by powerful paid railroad lob bies declare their intention to fight it out to a successful Issue, no matter how Ions it takes. In the more specialized work of the or ganization the exchange has been very suc cessful. It baa adopted rules to govern the renting of houses designed to reduce to a great extent the loss to property owners through the failure of tenanta to pay rent; a schedule ot chargea to be made for the sale ot real estate and a rate for making loans and fee acting as managers of prop erty. There ara new about sixty-five active members on the rolls of tbe exchange. Al though at present without a regular meet ing place, plans 'are under consideration for the construction oi a building which shall be a permanent home for the associa tion. The present officers are C. F. Harrison, president; A. C. Charlton, secretary; S. P. Bostwlck, treasurer, with an executive committee of three, which at this time haa been increased to seven for the purpose of making arrangements for a permanent meet ing place. Since the contest over taxation began, the exchange has . collected from members and citizens generally about $3, 000, in addition to regular duea, which has been expended for legal advice and court costs. Talks of lltlmata Object. Speaking of the ultimate object of the Real Estate exchange, one of the oldest members says: , "Our principal object Is to advance the Interests of the real estate dealers, and, Incidentally, that of the real eatate owners. At the present time we are engaged in a tax fight Into which we were drawn because we saw our business injured by the un equal assessment of real and personal prop erty and realized that people would not invest in real estate freely as long at the real eatate owner was expected to bear more than bla share of tbe expenses ot government. We have Improved those con ditions materially, but in our investigations we found that both tbe real ez'ate owner and the owner of pertonal property were still the victims ot railroad tax exemp tion. We invited the Commercial club to join ua in the fight for justice in this mat ter, aa all butlnets men were equal suf ferers with ourselves. For reasons best known to Its members, the Commercial club declined, and we found ourselves fight ing the battle alone. Wa ara still fighting and will continue to fight until Justice is secured." A Mere Mytk. "Welcome," cried the voice, as Charon's boat grounded on the tranettygian beach. "Who are you?" inquired the nearly ar rived Shade "I can't see you at all." "No wonder." replied the voice. "I never had even a ghoat of a chance to exist. I'm the man under the bed that the old maids ara atill looUnf lor." New York Press. people coming to Omaha from the interior of this state or Iowa or elsewhere. Never before has this been so noticeable. The re duction we have experienced In municipal and county taxes has been due very largely to the efforts of ti;e Real Estate exchange in behalf ot tax reform. George A Co. The real estate market Is In a good, healthy condition; prices are low and we don't expect to see any very great change In values th's year. Garvin Bros. An encouraging feature of the local real estate market is the In creased Inquiry from nonresidents wanting to buy Omaha property for purpose of In vestment. The conditions simply show that real estate Is returning to the normal, al though prices continue low. T. J. Fitzgerald of R. C. Peters Co. Real estate prospects are good. Wo have very few vacant houses, which is a good sign, ana we are having more calla now than we have had for sonic time. Desirable inside property has ad vanced considerably. Parties Investing in Omaha property uow will reap the benefit of good advances. Those properties for merly offered at sacrifice prices hsve all been taken up; purchases now are at much better figures. Potter, Forgan & HaBkell In our opinion farm lands will find a ready sale this year, with a probable advancement of $5 to $10 per acre. We find farmers all have money and that money derived from farm loans Is being used to buy mere farm land, prac tically no loans being made for any other purpose. The exchange Is of great benefit to both buyers and sellers. D. V. Sholes Co. The Real Estate ex-' change Is doing good work and should have the support of every taxpayer. The outlook Is very, very good for a fine business this year. Our opinion is based upon the num ber of Inquiries we are having in answer to our advertisements. Never before has there been such a flood of answers to ad vertisements. Payne, Bostwtck A Co. The outlook for real estate business for the coming year is very encoursging. This is especially true of city and town property. Farm lands have always been a good investment In Ne braska, but the prices for this sort of land are now well up to the top notch, and the city lots offer a much more tempting propo sition to buyers. Improved property will also receive much attention from Investors. Payne Investment Company While we have attended all of the meetings of the Real Estate exebango we are not thor oughly conversant with all of the details. We are heartily pleased with what It has done. The outlook for the real estate busi ness it good. It has looked so years gone by and has fallen down, but we Just feel that It will not do si this year. , i) j . . . Seymour M. Sadler The outlook for the sale of real estate is not very encouraging. There are not many buyers and they are looking for snaps. When money is in vested nowadays it goes Into other things than real estate. The Real Estate ex change haa done admirable work In Its efforts to make taxation equable. Tbe fight that It has put up has hurt our business, but will result In much good eventually. A. P. Tukey & Son A marked feature of the real estate business is coming to be the demand for small tracts along the routes of the projected suburbsn street car ltnes and this Is going to figure largely in our future business. W. Farnam Smith There is an active In quiry for city home properties of from $2,000 to $6,000 in value, and It is not in frequent that aome are disposed to Invest from $10,000 to $20,000 In such properties. Personally, I have not been a receat at WORKSHOPS AROUND NIAGARA Striking Result? from Cheap Power Hitched to E eotrical Generators. INDUSTRIES SPRINGING UP NEAR BUFFALO Significant Industrial Facte Bearing I lion the Dog-ln-t he-Manger roller ranted In Omaha. One of the moet wonderful workshops of the world is now under way around Niagara falls, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal. The most beautiful and romantic cas cade ever known Is proving to have an utilitarian value that in time may eclipse Its fame for the picturesque. Science hat seized upon this wonderful prodigy of na ture, drawing upon its enormous stock of ready-made power for use in all sorts of manufacturing industries. The work so far has been done without detriment to the beauty of the cataract. It is to be hoped thla magnificent spectacle will never be spoiled, but capital and science have Belied upon Its marvelous riches, and the question has not been considered as to bow far they will go. Tbe same motive has prevailed that converted the falls of the Mississippi at Minneapolis into a hand maid of tbe milling industry. Such may ultimately be tbe fate ot Niagara. When Lord Kelvin, th; eminent British electrical authority, was in the United States last year he paid a visit to tbe power works of Niagara, for which be was one of the consulting engineers. He was much plessed with what he saw apd made the prediction that the ultimate exhaustion of the coal and oil auppliea would result In taking the power of tbe future from lakes and streams. The beginning was made with Niagara, another great plant has been built, or is being built, ou tbe St. Lawrence and a third has been successfully established In California, while in the Mysore gold fields of India and elsewhere other vast enterprises are under way. He.alts of Cheap Power. The cheapening ot power that haa already been accomplished gives the best economic reasons for the work. Attention has been called to It by tbe starting up of the pig Iron furnaeea ot the Lackawanna Steel and Iron company at Buffalo. . This plant la to be i'ully provided with electrical power fur nished by the fills, it being the one con cern of the kind in the world for the present that will have the advantage of the new force. It Is asserted that this power Is valued at $15 tc $20 per horse power per year; cheaper than it could be made with coal, cvea U the coal could be obtained tendant at the Omaha Real Estate ex change, but know ot the good work It has accomplished. The lowering of the city taxes will have the effect of causing more extensive real estate Investments. C. R. Clover, President Douglas County Realty Company I have been a member of the Real Estate exchange four years. In my opinion It hss done excellent work to ward the prosperity of the city. The spirit of the leaders it unflagging and worthy ot entire commendation. As to the outlook for real estate in Omaha, I consider it bright. There Is a great demand for new homes. Wright & Leshury Omaha reel estate Is now at the bottom and is bound to go up. The agitation by the Real Estate exchange on the tax-lowering question has bsd a very good effect. The outlook for Omaba Is very good, and though we are not doing much in real estate Just now, because of other Interests engaging our attention, we predict a very prosperous year for Omaha along all lines. M. G. Montgomery I have now a num btr of sales to bring through. The pros pects are very fine for a good real estate business In Omaha Just uow, and these prospects are growing. There is a con stant demand for nice homes. There Is also a strong inquiry for Douglas county farm properties, near Omaha. The lower ing of the city taxes hae the tendency to induce people to buy city property for Investment. There Is also a persistent inquiry fcr business investments. Hastings & Heyden From the standpoint of a purty just starting in business we are extremely hopeful for the Omaha realty outlook. The Real Estate exchange has done an infinite amount of good, better, in fact, than any organization we have in the city. There la a very active and con stant call for acre suburban properties. J. Fletcher I am chiefly engaged in emi gration work toward the western part of the state, andi have just established head quarters hers In Omaha. My observattou here is that the outlook for Omaha realty matters it unqualifiedly good. There Is a demand for business properties from out side investors, which is a very favorable Indication. Home Building The demand for homes In Omaha and South Omaha Is accurately measured bythe activity of the Omaha Loan and Building association. Secretary George M. Nattlnger reports that the de mand for loans with which to purchase or build homes Is equal to the supply of money. The association's receipts aver, ages $30,000 a month. All of It haa been engaged In advance throughout the winter and the demand upon the association grows brisker as the building season approaches. . W. H. Green ileal estate cannot be lost unless the owner borrows money on It and cannot pay. It la the only non-perishable .investment; If real estate Is prudently purchased and paid ' for it Is the nearest thing 'to absolute permanency and aafely possible. The only thing that can stop tbe growth of Omaha would be some cataclysm of nature or an awful pestilence, and even then the city would eventually recover. I consider any wise Investment . In Omaha real estate and Nebraska farms ax the se.fest Investment that can possibly be made. J. A. Lovgren There Is no question as to the value of Omaha property aa an Invest ment. Prices are lower than they ever will be again and those who invest are as sured of an Income If the property is im proved. E. A. Benson There has been more in quiry for Omaba real estate lately than for a long time, fhe prospective purchasers for nothing. The amount obtained from tbe falls is now 60,000 horse power, and plans are under way to Increase the output to 350,000 as soon as possible, while a conservative estimate is that 1,000,000 will be obtained within tbe next ten years. The advantage it will give this great corpora tion In the production ot steel products. It Is said, will amount to $2 or $3 a ton over Pittsburg production. The plant ' It claimed to be as complete as that of the United States Steel company, it having a vast amount of ore lands and every other provision for tbe raw material which Is to be worked up Into steel products. The plant will employ many thousand men. and among its directors and owners are many of the beat known manufacturers and cap italists in the United States. Industrie. Multiply. The abundance and cheapness of the Ni agara power does not stop with the new steel plsnt. Most of the power Is turned to profitable use In electro-chemical pro cesses. For Instance, there la one company there which is now producing daily thirty six tons , of caustic soda and. ninety tons of bleaching powder. Another has an out put of twelve tons of soda and twenty-three tons of bleaching powcYr. A third turns out ten tons of spongy lead, a fourth 19.000 tons of metallic aluminum; and still others manufacture artificial graphite, emery and pbcephorus. Science acd capital are learning more and more to control the energies of nature that formerly found expression solely In the beautiful and the picturesque. An early American poet who wrote "The Song of Steam," predicted much of what men would do with thla then newly discovered power, but what is sleam to electricity when Dame Nature herself attends to the manufacture? SCENT FROM LOVELY FLOWERS Ingenious Electrical Contrivance for Extracting Essences' front Blooms. Prof. Elmer Gatet, founder of the Elmer Gatet laooratory at Washington, D. C, has just completed a wonderful Invention, by meant of which sweet scented blooms are made to yield their perfume. Delicious es sences, In whi.cn milady revels, are now se cured straight from the blooming plant without Injuring the lovely flowers from which the perfume is extracted. With a remarkably ingenious electrical apparatus Prof. Gates secures the little particles as they are breathed upon the air by the flowers, and, drawing tbem down several charged wires to glass Jars, bottles the various scents which distinguish the rose, the lily and tbe violet. This electrical method of extracting per fume from blooming plants, besides utiliz- with us being people who want homes rang ing in value from $1,200 to $1,000. One reason for this is that rent is so much higher than It was a few years ago that people begin to see where they can save money by letting their monthly payments apply on purchases. Anyone who is able to pay $12 to $15 per month for rent, and who has a small amount of cash on hand. Is per fectly able to own his home. A. C. Kennedy I look for some move ment In real estate this spring. With a few deals In good real estate now under way people are Inclined to advance their rrlces, showing a firmer feeling. Inquiries to tie come from people wanting high-class homes and while not much has changed hands the prospects are good for some ex tensive sales during the year. Charles E. Williamson I have had occa sion to do considerable traveling during the last yrar, east, southeast, south and south west, and have visited all of the large cities of the country. I believe I can nay that In none of them as In Omaha are property-selling prices as low In proportion to the rental Income. This Is one of the res eons, and a good one. why I would advise Investment in Omaha real estate. It as sures a good speculative profit In the near future and a handsome Income while wait ing. David C. Patterson I feel that the best speculation and Investment to be found In all the country Is In Omaba real estate. Think of It how absurdly low are the prices! Acreage close In to the city limits as cheap aa Iowa farm land. Rerldenco property for the cost of the buildings. 1ots at prices prevailing in Iowa and Nebraska towns of 10,000, and that, too. In face of the fact that In all the west no city has had nueh a commercial growth aa Omaha dur ing the last three years. George N. Hicks I consider Omaha never to have been In better shape for Invest aients than It is today. Conditions of rents .-re such that no farm land Investment can b'.'gln to, offer such remunerative returns i.s those to be cbtalned by building houses to rent In this city. The Real Estate ex change has It within Its rower to do more good for Omaha than any other organiza tion, as its efforts are directed to upbuilding the real property of the city. George M. Nattlnger The real estate outlook Is good. We have closed more deals the past month than for the three months previous. There is a brisk demand for all tho money we can get hold of. Encumbran ces are being rapidly lifted from proper ties. Most of the Inquiries for loans are from persons who wish to buy property and build homes. R. H. Landeryou There are a number of Inquiries for homes of moderate values. These come from people of moderate means. There Is a scarcity of five and six-room lioifses. - I find but little Inquiry for large properties. Capitalists could find no better investment for their Idle money than build ing a numbe of five and six-room cottages that would rent at from $15 to $20 per month.' J. H. Johnson The real estate outlook for Omaba this spring Is eacouraglng. The demand for houses for rentals and homes is far in excess of the supply. The great call Is for five and six-room houses. The conditions are better than at any time In my experience. The Inquiry is not for speculative properties, but for homes. There is also a demand for business Investments from outside parties. Wyman & Shrlver Prospects for a good real eatate Lusiness were never better. There is a demand for good Improved prop erty that Is unflagging. The lowering of city taxes no doubt will have the effect of still further increasing that demand. Ing tbe blooms to better advantage than can possibly be done by the method now in use of crushing the flowers, also assures a much superior quality of perfume. The delicate violet extract, which la so expensive and so difficult to obtain, will be secured by Prof. Gates' apparatus and put ou the market at a nominal cost. Roses, lilies, lilacs, heliotrope, mignonette, carna tions and all the other lovely blooms that exhale sweet odors will be made to grow in Undo Sam's conservatories for the value of their perfume. Prof. Gates explains his Invention and the theory from which be evolved the ap paratus, as follows: "As long as a flower is supplied with sufficient moisture and sunshine to keep it growing. It continues to give off perfume, at least until it begins to die. During this period certain organic substances in the flower are ripened Into a perfume which is exhaled Into the air; but shortly after the flower is cut this ripen ing proctss ceases and tbe odor rapidly be comes less and less agreeable. My Inven tion for capturing the odors directly they are wafted from tbe flowers Is merely an electrical apparatus with positive and negative poles. Tbe extracting machine can be placed at a distance of five feet from tbe blooming plant. As the sweet scents are wafted from the flowers, in the form of little particles, they are drawn toward the positive knob cf the machine. "In order to collect this attracted vapor of perfume, a device Is used for sucking It through a hole In the end of tbe knob which connects with a bottle containing alcohol or other liquid for absorbing or ; dissolving the odor. This device consists of an air pump which exhausts the air from the bottle through a rubber tube, and thus causes the precious vapor to rush Into the vacant space through the bole In the knob. "When the contents of the receiving Jar are sufficiently saturated with the scent, the jar Is withdrawn and replaced by a fresh one. So powerful It the machine that a single rose held In front of tbe receiver will In six seconds convert a pint ot plain water into roae water." The vast extent of our country, with Its varied climates, suited to different plant, might make the raising of flowers for per fumes a great Industry in America, and the Invention jUBt described could help largely in lta development. By the use of Prof. Gates' invention we may export our perfumes In tbe near future, Inatead of im porting them. Helping Hint Along. "Then there is such a thing as heart failure, it there, doctor?" said tbe band some young widow. "Certainly, madam," responded the bash ful young physician. "Tbe records of I be profession are full of " "It's a perfectly unnecresery dlseato, len't It, doctor?" On thia hint be spake. Chicago Tribune. Married Men I turned to Galley Mn ten nml lilldrrn a Source of Trouble Some Hemarkable Statements. A great deal of disillusion has been going on lately relative to the decrease In the number of marriages In this country. A bill to tsx bachelors has even been Intro duced in one state legislature. Women writers for some time have been deploring the fact that the really desirable men remain single, and tho writera make it very evident that Peggotty is "wlllln " if Barkis is not. They can not oee the ralson d'etre for man's exist ence If he is not the financial promoter of woman's happiness. And It Is a deplorablo fact that as soon as a man Is married In many Instances he ceases to be an object of Interest, except to tbo bill collector. "Social requirements aro so much more exacting tban they were fifty years ago. and twentieth century notions have run riot through our domestic Ideals" In such a manner that the Intelligent young man stops to think before undertaking a task to which the futile efforts of Sysypbus rolling bis stone would be a pleasant pastime. A man may have a good paying business that wil! allow him to support his family comfortably by strict attention and hard work. Aa years pass on, he may double, treble or quadruple, his Income, Yet if he Is a kind husband and father, which means 'hat he must gratify tho wlnhes of his family as far as he Is able, ho will find that his expenses have Increased at the same ratio us his Income, and when old age conies on, instead of an acquired competence that will allow a well-earned rest, he must struggle and dio In the har ness, and all he has for a lifetime of drudg ery is his board, clothes and tobacco. It is unjust to censure a man of intelli gence becaitBO he does not wish to ex change a life of ease and freedom, ob tained from a salary sufficient for hia in dividual needs, to one of anxiety and bondage, where be will have to live on love and short rations, with the prospect of having only the short rations in time, and where every additional mouth to fill means a division of the food that Is al ready scant enoMgh. Critics Criticised. The newspaper cuts of the prince of Siam and his trail of slna evidently awoke President Eilot to Iho deficiency of the Harvard graduate's output In population, and he suggests that the curriculum ot our colleges be shortened, so that our youug men can finish earlier, marry younger and raise larger families. Public Opinion of February 19 accredits President Roosevelt with saying "that the man who deliberately avoids marriage and has a heart so cold as to know no passion and a brain so shallow and selfish as to dislike having children Is In effect a crim inal agalnU the race, and should be an object of contemptuous abhorrence by all healthy people." Both of these gentlemen seem to think that the old command to increase and multiply he earth that was given to a drowned world Is still in compelling force. It is not the shallow brained and selfish' men who a old matrimony and the drudgery of supporting a family, but thoughtful men, who know what the struggle for existence means, and are too conscientious to launch into the maelstrom of life human beings who would have to conteud with tho pro ducts of Five Points for the means of satis- I tying hunger. Their advent would only j make the struggle for existence all the fiercer, the weakest would go to the wall, ! and In nine cases out of ten It would be the children ot cultured parents, who from their very environment are unanie to cope with r class hounded by savage necessity. Hemstreet, In the February Arena, says: "Although In cities the majority are com fortably employed and enjoy life, yet it is with a strain that la almost a fight, for' there are always more hands than work, more moutha tban food. Only tbe average i city person knows tbe crushed feeling ot being sacked. Then, one Is face to face with eternity, and where one commits sui cide a thousand think It, and thousands each year kill themselves from discourage ment and. want." Why Men Hesitate. In the face of these aoclal conditions Is it any wonder men hesitate to take on responsibilities? For what is sadder tban a man who feels himself a failure in the sharp competition for place and has a family depending upon him for every neces sity of existence, and knows that it Is only a question of time until he and his loved ones will become a part ot the flottam and Jetsam ot society. The chief cause of the struggle for ex istence today is over-population. Nature has no regard whatever for the needs of society, and so long as the natural man la true to the primordial law ot hi being, like the rabbits ot Australia, and Increase and multiply without restraint, so long will the struggle tor existence In time of peace be as sharp and merciless, aa In ttms of war. The world Is already threatened with over-production, for with our improved sanatation and scientific pathology the birth rate exceeds tbe death rate by 3,000. 000 a year. And bachelors who are not sup- j posed to have any ralson d'etre for exjs ence, because they are not swelling the j census returns, deserve to be commended I for not marrying and increasing an already I overstocked human market. . Exercising Intellect. Man must use bis reason and Intellect and the adjustment of the reproduction of his species to existing conditions of so ciety is an excellent way to display bis superiority to the brute creation. And if ! a man remalna single and prefers to be guided by his brains instead of bis passions It does not necessarily Imply that be Is a criminal against the race, President Roose velt to the contrary. Cycles of time may change the face of physical nature, mountain may become tho bed ot the ocean and oceans roll where stately forests stand, hills become valleys and rushing waters flood tbe desert's sand, but human nature never changes. Lore, hope, Joy and sorrow sway the heart today as in the earliest sges. Man's love ot home, and all the tender relation that the name Implies, Is as idealistic as ever, but the risk of Ill-assorted mating, the In creased expenses, the social requirements thst are tbe result of a higher standard of living, f fun places a man with a family in tbe position of a galley slave, with a Ufa sentence, and furnish abundant ressons for thoughtful, intelligent and desirable men remaining bachelors. ELLA DARLING M'KILUP. Seward, Neb.