The age-herald., 1900-03-20
GREAT DIVIDENDS
 OF STANDARD OIL
F,rom the Chicago Trlbune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
 New York, March 15.-A new and remark able record in the matter of dividend dis trfbution was today established by the Standard OH company when 1t mailed to its stockholders cheeks aggregating $20,COO,- OeO in payment of the dividend of s2O share, declared February last. This is the largest amount of cash ever disbursed for a similar purpose in the his- tory of American industrial activity. Other large corporations have paid staggering dividends The Pullman Palace Car com pany once paid a stock dividend of S1sOO0,- GOO, but the achievement of the Standard oil company in this instance is so far in excess of any similar transaction that com parison is hardly pertinent.
 When the big dividend was announced in the early part of February Standard oil stock furnished the "eurb" market for sev- eral days with sensational feature. The stock scared rapidly upward, and did not stop until 1t had gained an advance of 30 points, which fixed the price at 55O.
 The previous high record was 52O, but the stock has not sold at that price since the declaration of the dividend. Quite natu- rally there has been reaction, but no sales have been recorded at less than 525 and trading today was between 52S and 530
 The active account of the Standard Oil company is kept in the National City bank, and at first it was feared that the pay ment of $20,000,00O in cash dividends would have noticeable effect upon the New York money market, which is already on com paratively tight basis. But the transaction, enormous as 1t is, will in no way affect the current situation for the reason that 1t is little more than transfer of funds on paper
 The largest stockholders of the Standard Oil company are depositors with the Ma tional City bank, and a majority of the checks sent out today will be turned back to the bank in private accounts Otherwise the bank might suffer rather embarrass- ing shrinkage of ready funds. The transac- tion Is not expected to be reflected in this weeks statement of the associated banks
 It may be long time before another such dividend is declared or paid, and hence the occurrence of today invited the interest of New York financiers as no other similar transaction has within recent years. The cheeks mailed today were not so numerous as might be imagined, owing to the fact that the distribution of profits was not widely scattered, for the majority of the comapny's stock is held in large amounts by. limited number of individuals.
 Of the 5000 stockholders less than a dozen insiders own 80 per cent. of the stock and control absolutely the workings of the com- pany.
 This vast disbursement of money by the Standard Oil company, an amount nearly four times as great as the largest quarter ly payment the United Sates government has ever made on its debt, has caused some calculations to be made in Wall street as to how long it would take the company at the rate of 80 per cent. a year to get pos session of all the money in the world.
 According to statsticians, the total amount of money in the world is $15,OOO- 100000. At $50 100000 year the Standard oil company would earn that much money in 1S7 years, aside from the enormous sums of interest that it would accumulate.
 The checks sent out today ranged in amount from the $2O check sent to the hold CT of a single share of stock to that for nearly $5,O00,000 handed to John D. Rocke- feller.
 Such dividend, declared annually would gladden. the hearts of directors and share holders of almost any corporation, but to holders of Standard Oil this is merely d foretaste, and each stockholder in the next twelve months may receive three checks like those sent out today.
 Incorporated at $1O,OOO,OOO originally, the capital stock of the Standard oil was in- creased in 1892 to $1100OO,OOO, of which $1OO- 100000 is common stock and $10,000, 900 is non-cumulative per cent. preferred stock. All of the latter issue is still in the treas ury of the company
 Six years ago Standard Oil common stock sold in the market at $l67 share. The present price shows an increase in market value within six years of nearly $40O, 1000.