The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-10
CHEERFUL STATISTICS.


The figures which the Indiana Bureau of
Statistics has collected regarding mort
cages refute the assertions and the predic-
lions of the professional calamityite. The
figures from thirteen counties which are
published elsewhere. are the actual returns
made by recorders to the bureau as re-
quired by law. The counties have been
selected at random in the different sections
of the State. The first figures to which at
tention is called are those giving the ag-
gregate amounts of outstanding mortgages
on record in the thirteen counties for the
years ending in May, 1896 and 1897. These
figures show that the aggregate in the
earlier year was So, 743, 427 and in the latter
$12, 012676. Thus it appears that instead Of
progressive swallowing up of the property
of the people by the mortgage shark as the
purveyor OF calamity is wont to stigmatize
those who loan the money of savings
banks, life insurance companies and build
ing and loan associations on real and per-
sonal property, there has been falling
off in the aggregate of mortgages of about
per cent. Not only has the total of money
in mortgages in these counties been de
creased, but the total number of mortgages
has fallen from 49, 315 in 1896 to II, 514 in 1897
or 1S01, which is 1872 per cent. This means
that nearly on'e-seventh of the persons who
were carrying mortgages May 81, 1896, got
rid of the burden during the following year
Even Clinton county. which is the head
quarters of a high priest or two in the
propagation of calamity dropped about
100000 of its mortgages during the last
year. or almost IA per cent. of the whole
The figures showing the number and ag-
gregate of new mortgages recorded in the
two years are of a nature to destroy that
cheerfulness which eXalts the soul of the
professional calamityite when he finds evil
dences of distress and desolaton. During
the year which ended May 81, 1885, the ag-
gregate amount of the mortgages recorded
in these counties was $685., 1929 against
S. 757, 951 during the year which ended May
81, 1897 If, as the calamtyites assume,
mortgage is evidence of distress on the
part of those giving it (Which the Journal
does not believe). then the people in the
thirteen counties are getting cut of the
hands of the mortgage shark with wonder
full rapidity
Those who go about proclaimng the
hopelessness of the people as represented
by the aggregate of the burdens of mort
cages are wont to tell the farmers that
they are the chief. victims of the money
lenders. With the exception of Elkhart
and Vigo, the thirteen counties which are
embraced in the figures of Statistican Con-
ner are agricultural counties; yet the ag-
gregate mortgages put upon farm property
during the last fiscal year in those counties
was 81, 1870, S72, to $3027,O77 on town lots and
personal property. The mortgages put upon
town lots the last fiscal year in Vlgo coun-
ty were nearly twice as much as We're put
upon the farms of Clinton county
1t further appears that during the year
which ended May 81. 1896, 5225 per cent. of
the aggregate of the mortgages in these
thirteen counties, compared with the mort
cages recorded, were paid. while in the
year following the aggregate of mortgages
paid and satisfied 1891 per cent. of
the mortgages recorded. Further, while
the aggregate consideration for which the
mortgages were given in 1897 was $3,134, 447
less than the aggregate consideration for
1896, the amount of mortgages paid during
1897 was sl5J,SS7 more than in 1896.
During the last session of the Legisla-
ture an effort was made to repeal the law
which requires county officers TO furnish
the information from which statistics like