The St. Louis Republic., 1902-02-17
picture on Every Page" Describes
New Publication by Treas
ury Department.
GROWTH OF A HUNDRED YEARS.
Figures Set Forth in Condensed
Tables the Progress of the
United States in Every Way
Since $500.
The Renuhllc Bureau.
18th st. and. Pennsylvania Ave.

18th st. and Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington. Feb. ia picture on every
page" is the term by which an enthusiastic
student of statistics describes the 'statisti-
cal abstract of the United States'' Just is
sued hy the Treasury Bureau of Statistics.
While solid columes Of figures are not.
perhaps looked upon by the average citizen
IS especially picturesque, an examination of
the pages of the publication above men
toned. the statistical abstract. presents
some interesting if not absolutely pictur-
cSque facts,
1t is interesting for instance to observe
by one of its earliest pages that the gross
area OF the United States. exclusive OF
Alaska ana Hawaii has grown from o2i.Si4
square miles in 1850 to S.J-J.6Jt in 1850, ana
the population meantime from 5,3Ds, ,4S3 In
1902 to 10 6S3,i24 in 1870.
Another page shows that Virginia ranked
first in population in 1850 and in 1909 ranked
seventeenth; that Pennsylvania has stur-
diy held her own. having ranked second in
population in 1879 and the same in 1870. New
Ork, which ranked third IN 1850, stands
first in the list III 1890 North Carolina.
which stood fourth in rank in lSoq, was dill
t.enth in 1897. Kentucky mas moved down.
ward from eighth in rank i'll lsgv TO twenty
ninth in 1900. Delaware fell from seven
teenth to fOrty-sixth. Indiana moved up
ward frcm twenty-first in rank in 1850 to
eighth in 1850. and ONO from eighteenth
place in lSvV to fourth in 1900
Public Debt Per Capita.
Another page which presents an interest
ing picture is that devoted to the analysis
Of the principal of the public debt OF the
United States. 1t shows that the debt OF
the United States, which in lSo' was 500
per capita, was in 1891 Sl3i5 per capita, and
that the interest charges, which in 1900 were
si.2y per capita, in 1901 Were IS cents per
capita. The lowest rate of interest on out,
~ 4 rl.rD CON a
of those there We're but S90.UD,0oJ, against
S2i5, in per cent bonds. Sl.2l3,v'.Oo
at . per cent and S611vV0.,oO at .S per cent; !;
while in 1891 practically one-half OF the out
standing debt stood at per cent. and even
those bonds were selling at premium IN
the markets.
the page which shows the condition OF the
savings banks of the United States. in 1901.
Deposits in savings banks in 1870 were 81
13S,5iG. and the number Of depositors $3.50;
in 1891 the amount OF deposits was s.. 2.ii9,-
5iI $50. and the number or depositors t.1G.,-
tS3. The average sum due each depositor in
1870 Si3i.s6. and in 1891 Ii was Si0l.lN.
clearinghouse transactions.
Another interesting picture is found in
the statement showing the transactions of
the New York clearinghouse from 1881 to
the capital SiI,,0v,1y0 and the clearings So
Tt9, i55. SyI in 1891 the number of banks had
only increased TO sixty-two. their capital
creased to 81 02O 672 i9i. the humber of
banks thus having increased about 25 per
cent. the capital about 70 per cent, while
the clearings IN 1891 We're thirteen times
as much as in 1854.
SIM another interesting picture is that
which shows in a single table the story Os
the foreign commerce Of the United States
from 1900 to 1900. In 1880 the imports Were
Sl,GO0OU and the exports s7l.100JO, imports
exceeding exports by s2o.oO0.ooo. or nearly
20 per cent: in 1891 imports We're SS23 600 coo
and exports 81. iS7 900. 900 the excess of ex-
ports being $t6i.o.S.0oc. or 50 per cent greater
than the imports. Imports in 1891 were nine
times as great as in 1850, and exports were
twenty-one times as great In 1900.
Another interesting picture is that which
divides the imports into great classes and
shows the relative growth Of each. Arti-
cles of food In 1856 formed 81 per cent of
the imports and in 1901 26 per cent; manu-
factures ready for consumption in 1856
formed % per cent of the imports and IN
1901 16S per cent articles in crude con
dttton for use of manufacturers formed q
per cent of the imports In 1885 and SO per
cent in 1871. showing that manufacturers
are steadily increasing their importations
of raw materials required in manufactur-
ing, while in most other classes the rer-
centage of imports Is decreasing,