Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-12
WORLDS GOLDEN AGE.
Stream of the Yellow Metal Largest
I'm History.
st. Louis Globe-D Democrat

IN
st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
In 1908 the world will see produced a
larger amount Of gold than ever before in
all its history. There is a probability,
however, that the United States will not
hold the first place this year In the list
OF producing countries. In 1902 the gold
output OF this country was placed at
nearly $S1, 900, 900 by the director Of the
mint, though some other authorities put
It at a higher figure. Nearly $4,000, 900
Of this amount was from Alaska. chiefly
from the Nome district. The Klondike's
output in 1902 was a little over $4,000
900, which was a large decrease from
1901. While the last-named locality is
likely to decline instead of increase In 1908.
the outlook from the United States is toll
erably certain to go above 1902's mark.
1t is in the rest OF the world. chiefly
South Africa, that the greater part OF the
gold gain for 1903 will be scored. The high
est mark ever touched by the gold pro-
duction of the world in a single year was
in 1899, when It amounted to 1907 600, 900.
Estimates made about the middle OF that
year put the production OF 1900 at about
$3.50, 900. 900 and that Of 1901 at S400, 900, 900.
Something not ~foreseen at the time puts
these figures far RstTay. The British-Boer
war, which started in October. 1899, shut
up the mines in the Transvaal, the most
prolific gold field Of the world, and they
remained closed until peace came In May,
1902. The Transvaal's gold output in the
nine months Of 1899 was about $50. 00O, 900.
and this helped to swell the worlds prod
uct for the whole year to 1901, 000. 900. The
shutting on of the supply from South At
RIGA cut down the worlds product in 1900
and 1901 to about $685.. 900, 900 in each year,
but that Of 1902 was close to the $500, OO0,O 900
mark.
There has been a steady increase in the
output in South Africa since the end OF
} the war last spring. Last Defenders pro-
duction was about two-thirds OF that OF the
biggest previous month. September. 1899.
The reports from the Transvaal field for
the present month thus far indicate a gain
over December. All the mines in the
Transvaal are not yet running to anything
like their full capacity. but the gain which
is being made indicates that the $50, 0OO, 900
rate per year, which was the figure for
August and September just previous to the
beginning of the war. will be reached before
1908 closes. Present prospects are that the
worlds gold yield for this year will be In
the neighborhood Of $780, O0, 900. and that
the S4OO. OOO. 900 mark, which seemed to be
in close view just before the outbreak
1 OF war In the fall of 1899, will be
reached In 1904. Some OF the officers Of
the financial arm Of the government in this
country, notably Ellis II. Roberts. Imagine
they see a serious embarrassment in thii
immense flood OF new gold, between $500.
900, 900 aud $500. 600, 900 a year. which Will
be poured upon the world. but business
men in general. neither in this country mol
elsewhere. have any such fears. Never
theless. this gold deluge will not only es'
tablish the gold standard in the few eoun-
tries in which the silver basis stin prevails
but II will have a tendency TO quicken an'
expand all the worlds principal activities