Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-09
TWO BILLIONS OF MONEY.
Statement of the Monetary Circulation
of the Country.

va thV
Every years Developments seem to justi-
fly the assertion that this is "billion-dol-
lar country" The year 1899 brought our
foreign commerce for the first time past
the S2OOo OOO.OOO line, and the month of
February. 1900. shows our money in circu-
lation for the first time as more than
81. 0OO. Oon,00o. Thus by a curious coinci-
dence the announcements Of two billions of
foreign commerce and two billions of
money in circulation are made within a
single month, the totals Indicating that the
81, 0Go, 00oooO line had been crossed in our
commerce for 1889, having been only COM
pleted by the treasury bureau of statistics
on January IA, while the treasury bureau
of loans and currency February l an
nounced that the total money in circula-
ton had also crossed the s., 900 600, 900 line,
while gold and gold certificates alone had
crossed the $500. 600, $50 line.
The total foreign commerce for the year
1899 was s. 014 ,34J,2i2. while the total
money in circulation on February 1 was
$1,000, 149,35. The use of ten figures with
which to show the business conditions of
the country is indeed becoming surprisingly
frequent. The tables of the December Sum-
mary of Commerce and Finance show, for
instance. the total resources of national
banks at S4,41J, 343 924; the latest report of
the controller of the currency shows the
F-yf
94; the total resources of all banks In the
United States are given by the same report
as 81, 1@i, llI.3sl, and the latest number of
the Summary Of Commerce and Finance
shows the December clearing house returns
of all cities outside of New York at 3012-
Sy6.1ii and those of the city of New York
at S5,3iS. 2SJ. st7.
The announcement that the money in cir
culation in the United States has for the
first time crossed the 50 90O, 900 900 line also
calls attention to the fact that the amount
of money for each Individual is greater
today than ever before. The treasury bu-
reau of loans and currency publishes each
month statement of the amount of money
in circulation, and by combining with this
the actuary ; estimate of population pre-
Sonts a monthly statement of the amount
of money in circulation per capita. This
statement puts the population Febru-
airy ], 1909, at U,ll6,UU, the money in cir
cuation at S2,G03 / 1896 and the circula-
ton per capita at S259S. This gives
larger per capita than in any earlier month
in the history of the country. February l,
1899. it was s2.t2; February L. 1898, s23.42
February !, 1897, $500, and February /.
1896, s22.i7.
No period in our financial history has
shown more rapid growth in the amount
of money in circu alton than that covered
money in circulation today is }3 per cent
greater than at the beginning of the fiscal
year 1897. and the gold and gold certifi-
Gates in circulation 81 per cent greater
than at that time, the actual increase in
money in circulation during that period be-
ing 1856, IA, LOO and of gold and gold
tificates S305, $4,000, practically two-thirds
of the increase, therefore, having been in
gold.
The following table shows the amount of
gold and total money in circulation at the
beginning of each quarter of the fiscal
year from July l, 1896 to date: