The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-29
THEWORLD
Nations of Europe Compared
With United States.
OUR AGGREGATE THE LARGEST
But England and France Aar In the
Lead Per Capita, According 20
Statistics.
s.. - o;lobe-peme.rat.

distribution. This Is probably tTle II
the NARROW sense that the Aggregate Val
uatfoa % property IN the Inite1 St4%vs
Is larger than 81 any other country. o0t'
II Is not true In the sense IL wnlcl u :
generally understood. That the average
wealth per Individual = greater. = re
the statistics OF European economists e
gardlng their own countries can D &C
cepted as trustworthy. ne asSi -A-e
for the United States is larger than Ior any
/ other country. because the pop1ia tloh =
larger than that Of any other great com
nnerciaI nations bur The proportion o.
wealth 10 the population Is less than IN
Australia Great Britain and France
The figures Of Australia. however. are
not really Indicative Of the wealth heid
in that country. as the property o. the
island is very largely mortgaged &c brit
ish capitalists.
England stands pre-eminent in the &C
tuai holdings OF wealth by her own peo-
pie. The estimate OF the wealth OF Inc
United Kingdom OF Great Britain ana
Ireland made By DR.. Robert CHM IN
lSS5 was fl0.037 co. ,o or about SSs,so,-
90 60 The classification or this Va44a-
ton was about s.. 49,. 90 90 for land. 80
co. 90 for construct tons. s., ca. 60 90
for foreign Industrial and national secur-
tiles and public funds. S5.eoocoJ.so for
English national ana local public FUNDS
and 81 00o 90 90 for rnovables and tools
OF trade. This estimate Is somewhat
higher than that made by Michael u.
Muihall in his Dictionary OF Statistics
for 1ss2. His figures for 1855 are 800
5000. or about 81. 90 Oh. 90. an increase
of 81 409 0c0 90 over lSS2- DR.. Gifiin's es-
Inmates were based primarily on the In
come tax of EnglIshmea as shown by
the income tax returns, which he pro-
ceeded 10 capitalize at various rates OF
interest. DR.. Giffin has given much
.. a-aA oh
many other elements and much dafe- ue-
sides that OF the income tax.
The population OF the United Kingdom
in 1855 was 35.0I3.sS7, which would afford
an average valuation of about $3.50 FER
head. or SS.a6o for a family OF five. The
figures would show n considerable higher
average for England. Scotland and Wales
II Ireland were excluded. The average,
even for the United Kingdom. Is higher
than for any other country except Aus
tralia, where land values are large eie-
ment In the reported wealth. This inclu-
sion of land values IN thiniy settled
countries. where much OF the land is I'M
improved. Is subject 10 more or less criti-
cism in an effort to ascertain the degrees
OF afiiuence Of the people. and adds
greatly TO the apparent per capita valu-
alton OF our own Western states, like
Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona.
The wealth OF France is placed by sew
eral of her leading economists. at 20o.eso.
oa.0s0 francs. or about s400 o01 90 which
affords a valuation OF Si.0Sl per capita. or
s. 40 per family OF five France ranks
second in wealth among the great com
merCial nations and shows much more
even diffusion of wealth among the
masses than Great Britain. There is a
slight difference between the estimates
OF VI. de Foville and those given by Pro
fesSor Charles eide in the last edition Of
4 tEranngqfa &c
70 the classification OF French property.
hat the difference appears 10 be due to
the different manner of setting off aego-
table securities against the property
which they represent. Professor Glide
gives $4,000 0co,coo in lands, $o0oo.ooooo 600
in houses. Sl6.oo0, 900 oo0 IN neguu-
able securities and Aoe0 GO 90 in
movables and money. making a total OF
SIS On 90 90. but he deducts $ GO On 000
forty mIllards of francs) for national Sc
curities and mortgages held in France
against French property IN order 10
avoid the duplication OF figures ". dc
Floyille as quoted ny Professor Claudio
Jannet In lie Capital. Ia Speculation ct
Ia Finance gives the figures AT sl4 CO.,
oso(no for securities. $500 60 90 for
land $S.c0 90 ooo for buildings and g 60
0eo0oo for movahles and tools not repre-
scented by securities.
The increase in the wealth Of the great
European states has been phenomenal
during the last half century Land val
ucs have contributed considerably TO the
increase. hut the erection OF more and
better houses and the creation OF nego-
liable securities. representing railways
and manufacturing industries have been
tremendous factors The estimates for
Great Britain show an inerersa IN the
value - houses from 1855 os0 90 in 1891 10
f2.4-4"no.eoo IN 1SS7. an increase Of about
tsN per cent. within a single HFatffsg.s