Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-01
MONEY OF THE WORLD
Aggregate Stock Over Twelve
Billion Dollars.
THIS COUNTRIES SHARE
ABOUT oNE-F1FTH HELD IN THE
UNITED STATES.
Per Capita Circulation Here Greater
Than That of Any Other Coun-
try Except France.
By wM. e. CURTIS.

By wM. E. CURTIS
written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
/ asked William Baret Ridgely the other
day how much money there was in all Of
the world. He pulled open a drawer in his
big desk. put on his eyeglasses, looked
over some papers and replied:
ION the 31st of December, 1908. which is
the latest we have, the aggregate stock of
money in the principal countries of the
world was SIP 313. 100000"
How much of that is gold and how
much is silver, and how much is paper
currency?"
According to the most accurate esd
mates $5.62s, 100000 is gold coin, So AGO.
600 is silver, and s., 49,, 500 600 is uncovered
paper currency"
How much of that money have we, here
in the United States?"-',-
about one-ffth Of the total is held In
this country, or approximately 81. SOC. 200.-
600. The stock of gold in the United States
is greater than that Of any other country,
being nearly one fourth of the whole or in
the neighborhood of 81. 800, 400 COO and we
have about S679, 100000 in silver"
How much is that per capita?"
THE per capita circulation of the United
States is $30.T, and Is greater than that Of
any other country except France, where
there Is $4,000 for each member Of the pop
ulation. Our money, If distributed equally
throughout the land. according to the re-
cent estimates of population. would give
each MAJ. woman and child $1626 gold,
1886 silver and $6.17 in paper. A state
ment issued by the Secretary of the Treas.
ury not long ago showed that the coin and
other money In circulation in the United
States amounts to 81 SO3 500, 600 of which
$2S4 3O0.O 900 is in the treasury. $3.50 900 900 in
the banks and s., 536, 100000 in general cir
hno hoov,
the money wealth of the United States of
nearly $1.OOO.O000OO during the last ten
years In 1894 the total circulation was
s i while the per capita. exclu-
sive OF coin in the treasury, was s24 o.
There was slight falling off in 1896 and
1897, when the per capita fell as low as
SZl.lO, but since that date it has been
e cur up rapidly The national wealth
and the per capita of circulation. without
counting coin in the treasury, is S9.6T
greater than 1t was setei fears ago"
Money in the Savings Banks.
How much of this money is In savings
banks?
"A compilation recently made by Mr. NJ
L. Jacobsen Of the bureau Of statistics
shows that the savings baifks of the United
States have deposits amounting to s., O6O. :
1900, credited to 1906, O0osdepositors The
total deposits in all the savings banks of
the world, according to the best Informal
ton, amount to ten billion and a half of
dollars, contributed By nearly SO 900 900 de-
posters. AS the figures used In the calcu-
lation cover about oae-lIalf of the popula-
ton of the world. that is. over TO 1000, 600,
1t appears that the United States has more
than 20 per cent Of the total savings of the
human family with less than 91s per cent
Of the population. We have less than 0
per cent of the total number of depositors.
while our average deposit is more than
four times the average savings per in
habitant of this country, and more than
three and one-half times the corresponding
averages for the rest of the world.
Here Is little table," said Mr.. Ridgely,
Showing the population, the number of de-
positors and the average deposit account in
the savings banks In the countries named.
according to the latest returns: