The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-09-05
AMERICA AS In IS.
Great Strides Of Nation ia the Past
Two Decades.

A washington special to the Record
Herald says: One Of the most fasci-
mating official bulletins ever issued
by the government has just made it's
appearance in the ANNUAL report of
the bureau of statistics of the treas
ury department. It is entitled PRO
gress Of the United States in It's Area,
Population and Material Industries"
The story it tells is perhaps the most
marvellous to be found in the history
of all the nations. It shows in COM
pact tabularsform the development of
the United States to a great and
wealthy nation, all the material facts
being arranged by decades, beginning
with 1900 and ending with 1900.
OF far greater Importance and in
terest is the growth of the United
States during the last twenty years.
Probably 40 other nation ever made
such rapid strides as the United
States has made since 1880. The
official figures which this
growth are simply amazing. Remem-
Der that the period under considera-
ton is only twenty years, a trifle in
the life of a nation. At the begin
ming of this period the United States
was already n of the greatest ma
lions. Its population had swept across
the continent. 1t had recovered from
the disaster of the civil war. 1t had
enjoyed years of large crops and I'M
interrupted prosperity. Yet the de-
velopment since that time reads al
most like a fairy story rather than
a tale culled from the sober figures
of census and other official statis-
tics.
Since 1880 the population of the
United States has increased by SO per
cent. The aggregate wealth of the
country has more than doubled-from
AZ billion of dollars to "a billion Of
dollars.
Wealth per capita has increased
SO per cent.
The public debt, less cash in the
treasury, has decreased nearly one
half. w
The debt per capita has dropped
from $38.27 to $14.52.
The amount of gold in circulation
has nearly trebled-form 225 million
Of dollars to GIL million of dollars.
The amount of silver in circulation
has more than doubled-69 millions
of dollars compared with ia million
of dollars.
Deposits in savings banks have al
most exactly trebled.
Deposits in national banks have well
nigh trebled.
That the farmers of the country
have shared in this wonderful increase
Of wealth IS clearly shown by further
comparisons Of 1880 with 1900.
The value of farms and farm proper
ty has grown from II billions to 2Oh
billion dollars.
The value of the yearly products
of farms has increased from two bill
lion to three and cne-half billion dol
lars.
The value of farm animals has in,
creased from two billion to three bill
lion dollars.
The number of manufacturing es-
adjustments in the United States has
doubled-from 253, 900 to 5000.
The value of the output Of these
establishments has increased two and
one-half times, from five billion to.
more than 13 billion dollars.
The number of employees in thesel
establishments has more than doubled
two and one-half million to fiveI
and one-half million, The wages of
these employees has almost trebled-E
one-half billion dollars. I
The production of gold has moro
than doubled-from SO million to- n
million dollars a year. {
The production of silver has nearly
doubled-from 80 million to "A mil
lion dollars a year. .
. Miles Of railway in operation havea
more than doubled-93, 1852 miles conf
pared with l94,321.
The number of passenger cars havea
more than doubled-12, 788 against 29,4
7S6. The number of freight cars hasj
increased two and one-half times
4 1000 to 1,358,O00.
Tonnage of American built vessels
has more than doubled, tonnage en-
gagged in foreign trade has dimin-
ished 40 per cent, tonnage engaged in
domestic trade has increased 60 per
cent, and tonnage on the great lakes
has increased two and one-half times.
Tonnage passing through the Sault
NJ 4----