The Penn's Grove record., 1901-01-04
MILLIONS IN Dividends
About $l75, 900, 900 Was Distributed
at the Beginning of the Year,
THE LARGEST SUM EVER KNOWN

Counting Out Savings Bank Depositors. 1t
is timat That the Greatest Part
Went Into the Hands Of a Few-A
Memorable Day in the History of the
Country-Records Of Past Years.
New York CT y-Wednesday. Janu-
airy 2. 1901. will he memorable in the
history of the United States, for ii was
the day for the payment of interest
and dividends by the great industrial
and financial corporations of the coun-
try. and these payments were the
largest ever made, There are more
corporations than there re a year
ago, more stockholders and bondhold-
ers. and therefore more persons TO
whom payments were made, AS the
United States is the most prosperous.
financially and commercially. Of any
country in the world, and as the year
1900 was the most prosperous in tine
country's history, the surn distributed
on Wednesday was larger than that
ever before put in circulation in any
country on q single day.
1t is estimated that S1T5.000, 900 was
disbursed on that day, in all of the fl
nancial centres of the country. It IS
estimated that this large sum found
its way into the pockets of about 12.-
100000 persons.
As a matter of fact. however. if the
100000 Of savings banks depositors
be taken out, whose aggregate wealth
is giver at 50 449.54TSS5, and whose
share Of this SITS. 100000 was not far
from $4,000. 900, the rest, or about
$50, 000,0 was distributed among
comparatively few people. There are
4047 men and women in this country
who are estimated to be worth 81 ,00O,-
900 or more. aud n large part of the
remaining $50, 900, 900 was divided up
among these millionaires. 1t is said
that, if the portion of the SS9,0O0,O0O
which was distributed among these
possessorS of large wealth were di-
ided among them equally, each n
would receive something like $4,000.
1t is also said that John D. Rockefeller
alone received about 1000 600 for his
New Years present. This statement,
however. is simply based on a Wall
street guess.
BY far the largest part of the S175,-
100000 was paid out, of course, in
this city. Those who should know say
that not far from S140,000,000 was
disbursed in New York City. This was
about $10000.000 more than was paid
nus on January .. 1900. The dlsburse-
ments of that day were regarded rs
almost fabulous, and, up to that time.
were the largest yer known. The
payments on account of interest
amounted to S66, COG, 066. and the pay
ments on account of dividends amount
ed to S34.74T .995. There were other
interest and dividend payments which
had to be estimated. making the esti-
mated total disbursements for Janu-
airy .. 1900, about 100000, O00. The
January disbursements for 1899 were
SSS,6G1, 399; for 1898, $T9.201 OPS; for
1897, S7S,3S1 800, and for 1896, ST.
15S.290.
The news from Boston is that the
January disbursements there mount
ed to $20,671. 64S, an increase of $685.
40, as compared with January, 1900.
Baltimore, Philadelphia. Chicago. Gin
cinnati and San Francisco are the
other cities where the majority of the
rest of the payments were made, and
reports from each of these places
state that there was a large increase
oyer the disbursements of q year ago.