The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-12
If You Do Not Know
You Ought to Know That

| Five years ago from g. OoO 900 acres of
land we produced 11,25O.0oO bales OF cot
Ton. Last year our acreage was nearly
20 per cent. larger. but our crop was / 600
wv bales less and owing to the lack of
labor and other reasons there Is sma II
chance for any great increase in the bulk
or our yearly products. The demand for
cotton stuffs is expanding tremendously
and new fields will certainly have to be
opened. The Soudan, the valley of the
1nlddle Nile and the other semi-tropical
possessions of European countries, where
cheap labor is procurahle, can be turned
to splendid advantage.
Our Imports from Cuba during the first
quarter of the present year amounted to
2lIlSo, and our exports to that country
tsbboo'opo Our reciprocity treaty has had
trade with the island, our Imports having
Increased just 100 per cent. in less than a
year
Or coure 1t is difficult to give pres
Eent valuation as "a basis OF comparison
for ancient moneys, but while we think
Rockefellers wealth Of something like
a billion dollars Is enormous, 1t Is we'll not
to forget that in Jerusalem during Roman.
times there were three Jews who between
them We're able to face an expenditure
Of 500 1000, 600 a year for twenty-one years,
One of them gave his daughter dowry
of sac, 900. 600; Joseph's Pharaoh accumula-
ted something like SO, 900, 600 900. and Solo
mon put up about s25O. 0Oo, 600 for his tenn
ple. while Herod's cost even more. There
have been high flyers in all ages.
Some interesting data has been collect
ed showing that In twenty or more of
our big cities 2s per cent, OF the fires
that have been started during the past
onJ, a%yfi nry lchn 1,,ttI, &c,
without the aid of the fire department.
Thirty-three per cent. were extlnguished
with chemical engines or extinguishers.
II per cent, with chemical engine or
hydrant streams, and e per cent. with
engine streams. H.
IT Is authoritatively shown that the fire
loss at Toronto was sS,564O0O. Ono hun
dred brick dwellings were totally de-
stroyed In an area something like 20 acres
In extent. 4
Tho total number of ronlroad collis-
ions during the last year was 1882 and
derailments l179. of which 2s7 collisions
and 10 derailments affected passenger
! trains The damage to cars, engines and
! roadways by these accidents amounted to
| S9,627G0. During the quarter ending De-
| LAS injured In railrond accidents, n par
| ticularly high rate, the killing being over
| 100 per cent, more than any other quar-
ter for several years past
| In New York there are actually 50, 75S, $50
| worth Of new buildings under construc-
ton, in Chicago s2.O3LOoo. Brooklyn ST.
ol6,O0 Philadelphia $4,000, ST. Louis
A,6l1GD, San Francisco sl,373,0N0 Kansas
City a,o3Soo0. Washington $97S,O0O, or In
| the twenty-five largest cities of the coun
try there are sSl.4s7,0p worth OF building
actually under way, A large sum Of
money involved. but the igures show that
there has been a falling off of AZ per
cent of building in Milwaukee, 80 In
Chicago, 81 In Philadelphia and 81 In Pitts
burg On the other hand Buffalo shows
a gain OF ZIG per cent, and Brooklyn 81
per cent, while IN the South very consid-
cradle gains are the rule, In all, the
showing for tho country at large indi-
Gates a gain In tho number OF buildings
under way. but falling off OF Is per
cent in the aggregate cost
Since 1870 there have been 40 fires In
this country In which the losses have
been owed 100000. The losses involved
in the forty-fiye fires aggregated 5000