Daily camera., 1897-12-17
A GREAT MASS OF MONEY
The Total Cash Of the Whole
World in a Lump.
Exceeds $4,000, ,OOO, 900, and piled To-
gcther Would Size Up Very
Well with CIeopatra's
Needle.

| recently submitted to the secretary OF
the treasury by the director of mints
| is a not overinteresting document. But,
taken in connection with other reports
on similar lines from other countries
all over the world, it forms the basis
| for a number of interesting deductions
and comparisons.
These reports show that the money
capital Of the world is $12, 1870, ,000,0 900.
4 good, round sum, indeed, and yet it
makes only eight dollars for each one
of the billion and half inhabitants;
but, as many of the inhabitants have
no money at al, there is large proper
ton to be divided among those who are
fortunate enough to get it, though there
is no uniformity in the distribution.
In ascertaining these figures of the
total money wealth there is little du-
plication, for nearly third of the $3,-
800 100000 of paper money in the world
is secured by gold and silver, which is
included in the sum total given. To
be exact, there are $2,700,0 100000 Of pa
per money "uncovered'-thati is, the au-
thorities issuing it hav9 not the gold
and silver to redeem it, This sum rests
simply on credit and not on security of
intrinsic value.
The same thing is true in regard to
much of the silver coinage, to the cx-
tent of about one-half of its face value
Take last year for illustration. The
coming value of the silver produced
was $215, ,272, 700, while the commercial
value was only 500, 500. This is q
difference of $105, ,S35, 900.
The total sum of the worlds money
is made up of $4,3GO,O0O,OOO in gold, $4,-
900 in silver, and $3,50O, ,0O0, 600
of paper. OF this the government and
people of the United States own-to
give the best exact obtairable figures
SG96,27C,542 in gold, S637,5O9,'S1 in ST.,
yer, and S1,120,000,0O0 of paper. This
paper consists of gold certificates, sill
yer certificates, United States notes,
treasury notes, national bank notes, and
currency certificates.
This volume is continually changing
and gradually increasing. During the
last fiscal year the mints of the United
States coined in gold $71 GAG, 705. and in
silver S2i,327,7S6. The same sort of
thing is going on in all civilized coun-
tries, and so the annual god product
of the world-which in 1896 was $2O4,-
96,G00-is being consumed; but it must
be remembered that Il little more than
oGe-half of it goes into the arts. And
the artisans do not always use bullion,
but take the coin, which is of no mere
value; so likely the wedding ring you
buy to-day was a tive-doliar gold piece
yesterday. In this manner the gold cir
cuIation is being decreased, while the
work at the mints is making up the .oss,
and usually a little more.
OF the total amount of gold and sill
YER produced, the United States does a
fair proportion. According to the last
report, which is for the year 1896. it
produced $53,OSS,0OO in gold and $751;
,23G in silver at coinage value.
But the idea conveyed by figures alone
is at best incomplete. Figures in the
millions are confusing; figures in the
billions mean almost nothing to the
mind. Comparison can give better the
true significance of the amounts quoted
above.
Take, for instance, ,Cleopatra's Needle,
that famous shaft once a wonder of
Egypt, now set up in Central park, New
York. The obelisk is 81 feet high. If
the gold and silver of the world be
placed on a scale they viii weigh about
267,246,1S4 pounds. the gold being &c.
)G9,714 pounds this weight, and if these
are combined with the paper money we
will have a bulk with cubic contents of
43S,3S1 feet.
But their amounts will be better un-
derstood if divided. If the paper money
were pressed firmly into a bale "a feet
long its other two dimensions would be
so feet, and it would not be an incon-
spicuous figure if stood on end beside
the obelisk. If before baliug these bills
they were joined end to end they would
form band that would reach four
times around the earth at its equator.
If the gold were cast into a single
pyramid and set near the moEo.ith it
would tower far above its great base,
for if from ground to apex it was 3SA
feet, it could have that same measure
ment along each of its base lines
Apyramid of the silver would be much
larger than this, though the face value
of the coin represented in each is near
ly alike. If you wish to get an idea Of
the proportion lay a $50 gold piece be-
side pile of 90 silver dollars. The apex
of the pyramid OF silver might tower
1I5 feet and its four base lines could
each measure ,he same distance.-Chi-
cago Times Herald.
The Age OF Nan IN switzerland.
Ii is not often that estimates are