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PULSE OF TRADEIN THE METROPOLISBanking Record Ample Testimony to the Mar velious Growth of Western Canada—The Clearings for a Number of Years.Figures Show an increase From Fifty Millionsin 1894 to Nearly Two Hundred andFifty Millions in 1803.Tt ma.v bp said without exaggeration that thp growth and progress of the city of Winnipeg has been .and is to-da.v, the wonder of the North American continent. During the past few years it has grown, and is still growing, at a rate never approached by any city in Canada, if in America. It is not necessary to go far afield to establish the authenticity of these claims. \ glance at its wonderful growth in population during the past few years, as well as in building, commerce, manufacturing and all lines of trade, will settle beyond all question the phenomenal progress that is being nmde by the metropolis of the Canadian Northwest.To fully comprehend the progress Winnipeg ha- made, it is necessary to look back a few years and see what Winnipeg was. lceorporated as a city in 1*71 with a population of less than 2,000 inhabitants and a total assessment something over 82,-Qoo.ooo, it has sprung to-da.v to a great bustling metropolitan city of seventy thousand people, with a total assessment of $4*,211.050. Its growth in population and assessablevalue since the date of incorporation makes an interesting stud\. It is best set forth in detail in tubulated form and presents a marvellously striking record. In |*so,during the excitement of the disastrous land boom the population reached the 20,000 mark, and theassessable \alur was placed al $5»2,-8*3,200. But the reaction came and in 1**4 the population wa only Id. 694, while the assessable \alur*con-tinued to shrink, and In 1*89 was only 81*,60*, 12o, and in 1*90. it was $18,612, 110. From that timeforward there has been progress and remarkable activity in all departments of city life.’ Tn the decade front 1890 to 1900 * tie population increased from 22,000 to pj,.524. and the assessable value from$18,612,110 to §25,077,460. Slncr1900 the record has been nothing short of phenomenal. The yearurea for the different years, which are as follows:1894189518961897 1 *9* 18991.909190119021903•••*•• ••••• ••• *•••••••••••••« •••••• •■•••• ••••••• • • • ••••••• •••••••••ft A — . . ,■ A # ft a Aft ft••a« ft a ft ft ft ft• • • • ftft ft ft ft ft. . . . . .W — — W W ft••(•ft*ft ft ft ft ft ft. . . . . • • ft ft ft . . . .. . . . _ .* ft ft ft • w A A ft . ift ft ft ft • ft■ ft ft ft V ftft ft ft • ft ftft f ft t ft ftft * — • ft ftft ft ft ft ft ftft ft ft — ftft ft ft ft ftft • ft ft ft •. . ” — . . ••••••• • ft ft ft •. — — . — • ft V • ft* • •...8 50,540,64*55,873,620 6 1,1 16,13* 81,435,832 90.671,325107,786,81 110 » 9 .6,1 92 13 1,199,183 188,370 0 13 216,108,0061901 showed a population of 14,. 77*. and an assessment of $26,405,-771» ; 1!' n popula t ion of \ S, I | i.an«l an assessment of $2*,615,810;OKI I, a popula t ion lt;6 56,741, a ndan assessment of §36.273,400, and in 1904. the assessment value has rt m lied the enormous total of $48,. 2i 5.950, and tin* population is conservatively placed at 70,000. Surely this Is a record of substantial progress that establishes t lie claim ofWinnipeg’s prosperity as unapproachable among the cities of Canada, if not of America.BANK CLEARINGS.In tlie matter of bank clearings also, Winnipeg has shpwn progress quite in keeping with its rapidgrowth of imputation and general volume of trade. Some ten yearsago a clearing house was established in Winnipeg and since then thefigures have shown wonderful expansion, and are undoubtedly a fairly accurate index of the extent and growth of the business of western Canada. The first full year, of the records of the clearing house, was 1*91. which showed the totalclearings to lv $50,540,61*. From that amount they have increased from year to year, reaching Inst year, 1503. the magnificent total of $246,.108.000.It will iv remembered that in 15*45, the Ferond year the clearinghouse was established, the crop was a It avy one. W h h the acreage under eultiv ition was small compared } with to-day, the yield was immense 1 The exports foi that year amounted I to 9 000,000 bushels, and the hank clear ngs jump’d up to $55,873 0510 The 1 at year was followed by a lean on * Tip* exports ol 1896 only netted 11,000 0 0 bushels, but re-markiblt a - it may seem, the hank ; clearing?' o that year increased to | $61.1 16,438The iollowing year they took np-other leg jump, reaching $84,435,-s 2; in 189* they went down to *90,07 1,325 and 1*99 saw them turn | the -1000)0,009 mark Although the following year brought n partial failure of crop, and although the exports ol wh at only amounted toj a little nv« r 1 7 090 0 Ml bushrls, yet the cl irings showed only a trlOlng tailing oif; they were 8106956792in 1900, as compared with $107,-7*1,814 in 1899. But the complete j story is best told in the official ftg-Wiimipeg by this showing is the third cay ol the Dominion in hank clearings, its totals lor the weeks and months often exceeding I hose of the three next highest c.tles in Canada combined. In percentage increase Winnipeg takes first place among the cities o! Canada.Nearly all the leading charter, d banks ot Canada have branches in Winnipeg and some of these several branch offices In different parts ol the city. They represent a paid upcapital of nearly $30,000,000.BANK BITLD1 N(J8*.Some ol the finest bank buildings in the Dominion may be found m Winn peg. Prominent among theseare the main branches of the B uik of Commerce, Dominion Bmk and Bank of British North Aniericn. These three are practically self-io.i-lained bail lings, that is, all parts of the buildings are used for banking purposes or for the accommodation ol the members of their st.nf-.The Merchants Batik have a magnificent office building of w*vru stories, and the Bank of Hamilton, Molsons Bank, which recently ac-quired new quarters on Main street., Bank of Montreal, Imperial Bank, Ottawa Bank, and others have fine buildings, part of which are used for general office purposes.The two latest hank buildings to be erected are the Bank of British North \ inerica and the Union Bank building. The former lias Just lwen completed, while the latter is st.ll in the contractors hands, and will probably not be finished until the first of the yfiar.B. N. A. BANKLike the Dominion Bank and the Bank of Commerce buildings, the new Bunk of Bntieh North America is n self-con tn inod building, and practically every part of H will tic used either to conduct its banking business or to accommodate the members of the staffIts outward appearance recalls the time when the arts flourished in Home, and Its Internal arrangement is complete indeed.The building is 50x75 feet and has three stories and a basement. The ground floor will lie used as a banking room, and is being magnificently furnished in mahogany and marble with tile flooring.On the smith side of this room Is a Mazzine floor, which make* provision for a lunch room for the clerks, and ladles’ toilet rnonrs.The first floor will tie used cv-r'uslvply as offices for the officials and the smund will be divided withliving apartments for the staff. These will he as handsome as any in all Winnipeg. Besides the ordinary living rooms there will lie n fine c'uh room for the exclusive use of t h** clerksThe huil/Png throughout Is fireproof, and In const ruction is the most substantial in tIv? city. Partsof thee front wall, for Instance, am 0 vp and a half fret of solid masonry.rdio vaults, too, arc also remarkable for the rare exercised in their const rurtlrm. In addition to beingof unusual thickness heavy steel hands are embedded in the brickworkThe hiii*ld«ncr was designed by OJ Taylor, of Montreal and Will's m uraoe «tr Ho. of Montreal and Chicago, are the builders.NEW UNION BANK.Fvery poflfibl# precaution will ha taken In the erection of the UnionIi*Bank building at the corner of William avenue and Main street, to make it |erfectiy fireproof, and when complet'd the only inflammable maior-ial in the whole construct ion will le the wooden doors and window f mines.The architects, Darling, Pearson Over, were instructed to prepare plans for a building that would he proof against destruction by flames, and they have done so a.s lar as human skill can.Instead of wood posts and joists a steel frame will carry the floors and ceilings, and the floors themselves will be of terra cmm, as will alsote the partition walls.The building, in height and construction will l)o the first genuine skyscraper. It will rise 15 (Meetabove its foundation, and as has already been mentioned, will be a steel frame structure.Its dimensions will lie 60 by 114.Tin* ground floor will Ik* used entirely as a banking- room, and all the rest will be divided into suites of offices, each provided with its own vault, its own telephone box and its own lavatory. The sub-dividing will not Ik* done, however, until the building is completed and the tenants consulted.The plans provide for threo elevators.The first story will be of terra cotta, and all the others will be of pressed bricks, made at tho Lac du Bonnet works, in color it will be buffBANK OF HAMILTON.The Bank n. Hamilton occupies a prominent place among the unsocial hous- 8 Ot Western Cana *a and is pushing its way thiough 111 * oun-try in every direction In Winnipeg the branch occupies handsome qu titers in the bank b ill *ing, corner o. Main street and M D *rmot avenue. Tli * entire building was overhauled and rimodelled two years ago and the b wik offices on the ground fl^or are fitted up in the most modern fashion, with handsome and costlyfurnishings. The building is one ofthe naisi strik ng ol the handsome structures on MUn street and untillast year *ras one o’ the highest buildings in the city. O flees in the Bank or Hamilton chambers are tn every way complete and are oceu-p ed by Nome o. tin* most prominent lininelal, law- and rtai estate linns in Winnipeg.IMPERIAL BANK.Tho Imperial Bank wax one of the first financial institutions to fix uion Winnipeg as its western headquarters, and has built up one of tho best banking business in Western Canada. With an authorized capital of $4,000,000 and branches in all the most important towns throughout Manitoba a nd the Northwest Territories, the bank is regarded a.s one of the strongest and best doing business. In Winnipeg the bank occupies handsome olfic.es at the corner of Main street and Banna tym* avenue, and has opened a branch office on Main street north. The present quarters arc both realm 1 and commodious, but the Imperial Bank will no doubt, in the near future, erect a block In Winnipeg that will eclipse any of the handsome structures erected by other hanks in recent years. N. Cl. Leslie is manager of the Winnipeg branch.eastern townships.The Eastern Townships Bank Is the latest addition to the long list of banks in Western Canada. O fires were opened in Winnipeg last year and already the business *!nne has given such assurance o a su o **-r, that thp bank haw acquired sufficient property adjoining and Including the mi ling now o?mpKd on Main street, to baild .n large and handsome budding. which w |i in ill probability b* proceeded with next year Alreadythe new bank has made many friends while easterners who m ikeWinn prg and the west their homearc glad to find that tho bank of their childhood is here in tlieii* new home.THE BUILDING RECORD,Previous to the year 1900 there w is no official record of the amount of building dope in Winnipeg* ami no way ol approximating the money invested in each season's bull ing operations. Fyin iroo a system ot is suing permits was inaugurated by the city and the matter placed under the supervision of a building in-: spector. A reference to these re-1 cords shows that the building operations snce that period have beenon a par with the ph°nomennl progress of the city in other directions.In ICO!), the number of permits issued was 6517 and th* estimated cost of the builiings was $1,357,173.In 190.1, the number o: perm isissued was 796 and the estimated cost ol the buildings was $1,718,057.In 1902, the number ol permits issued was 822, and the estimatedcost ri the build ngs was $2,865,325.in 1903 the number ol permitsissued was 1,232 and the ost mated cost of the buildings w is 85,089,*100.In 1904, for the first six months of the year, or up to June 20, the 'number ol permits issued was 901,! and the estimated cost of the building* 85,563,00(1, or 10 009 less than for the entire year 1903, which was the hign water mark up to this season. Up to the present time the number of permits is considerably over 1,000 and the value over $6»-100,000.In this great building record It, i may be* said that no particular class nl buildings have had a monopoly. The contracts embrace structures ol •ill kinds, including dwelling houses in* great number, business blocks, apartment flats, warehouses, factories, banks, publishing hous s, etc.THE NEW UNION BANK BUILDING, WINNIPEG.
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Tribune
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Wed, Jul 27, 1904
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Jay F.
CA 25 Jul 2020
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