The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-03
The anehia uaily Eagle grraay g1orne january

Of figures obtained from the probate
courts in the fourteen counties. Some
| Of the conclusions from the inquiry are
! these:
According to the returns from the
probate courts, the average value of in
! ventoried probate estates rose from
s., 919, the value in the period whose
middle year is 1880, to 1854 in the pc
Rod whose middle year is 1860, an in
crease of 1888 per cent. The increase
in value continued until a value of s12.-
329 is reached in the period whose mid
die year is 1880, an increase Of 1924 per
cent over 1860 and 214.60 per cent over
1880. The value declined to s10,649 in
the period whose middle year is 1890,
decline of 1853 per cent from 1880. but
an increase of 3S.41 per cent over 1860
and of NIB per cent over 1880.
The average value of the real estate
in the property admitted TO probate in
the earliest period was Slips, while
the value of the personal property was
S2051. The average of each class in
creases with the progress of time, but
the proportion is changed so that in
the period Of three years Of which 1890
was the middle year the average of real
estate admitted TO probate was s6,513,
while the average of the personal prop
erty was S7,152.
The figures have been analysed to
show the proportion Of small and large
holdings, the dividing line being put
arbitrarily at $4,000 On this basis
the following interesting conclusions
are brought out:
At the first period Of comparison, 1929
TO 1881, 1862 estates are found below
the $50, 900 limit, representing 1903 per
cent of all the inventoried probafes.t 1.-THE
total holding in this class being $685.
245 and the average per capita holding
being S2604. At the last period of
comparison, 1889 TO 1891, 1909 estates
appear in this class, the percentage of
small holdings of total holdings having
fallen to 1852. the total holding in this
class being $40, 379,372 and the average
per capita holding having risen to 1892
Again at the period 1929 to 1881, only
thirty-six estates appear above the $780,
900 limit, or 097 per cent the ,toal hold
ings of these thirty-six estates being
81 957 1852, or an average per capita
holding of s137, 718; while in 1889 to 1891
there were 500 estates in this class, the
per centage of large estates having ris-
en- 3.4S, the total holding to $S5,179, 4l6,
and the average per capita holding to
sl67,347,
The total amount represented by the
estates above the $50, 900 line in 1929 to
1881 was only slightly in excess of one
half the total amount represented by
the estates below the line. In 1859 TO
1861, however, the total amounts in
each class have become approximately
equal, while in 1889 to 1861 an excess of
9.52 per cent is found in the total value
of the estates above the line as COM
pared with those below. Notwith-
this, the average holding in
the large estates has only moderately
increased during the sixty years, llav-
ing risen from $137, us to s167, 347; while
the average holding in the small estates
has nearly doubled, rising from s2,6G4
to 1892. Very little change appears
in the per capita holding of the small
estates. namely, those below the $50, 900
line, since the period of 1859 to 1861,
while the number of holders has con-
stantly increased. The highest aver
age holding in the large estates is
found at the period 1879 to 1881.
When the limit between small and
large estates was put at $4,000 there
were four times as many persons with
small property who died in 1SS9-91 as
in 1S29-31. but their average property
was about twice as great. There were
fourteen times as many persons who
died worth over $50, 900, but their aver
age was only a little larger. There
were twenty-five times as many who
died in 1889 to 1891 worth over 500 900
as in 1929 to 1881, but their average
holding was a trifle less. The conclu-
SION fnom the probate records is that
the average holdings of great estates
does not increase, though the number
Of persons in the class is much larger,
while in the smaller class, though the
numbers have multiplied, the average
Of property is much larger pro-
portfonately, which is a demonstration
that the poor are gaining in wealth
much faster than the rich, as a matter
Of percentages. But the reader will see
that these figures do not bear clearly
upon those who are very low in the
financial scale, just fighting to keep the
wolf from the door.