Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-11
TALL FIGURES or PROGRESS.
Eloquent Proof OF American Espsn-
sion and Greatness.
Nau, VAIL, Saw

New York Sun.
A pamphlet containing nothing but troops
OF figures in its forty.two pages, and there
fore not inviting at9fifgt sight TO any man
but a professional accountant, has been
issued by the Department of Commerce and
Labor. with the name Of o. p. Austin,
chief OF the bureau aof statistics upon it's
cover. The serried figures rerel, and the
title Statistical Record of the Progress
OF the United States,'' almost completes the
rout Of interest. Nevertheless, II Is fas-
cinating publication and klndles the i'm
sgination wonderfully. for its dry figures
are eloquent of the expansion and great
ness OF tho United States since 1900 when
the record begins. History can be read be-
tween their marshaled rows and the mag
ical future of the country is vividly sug-
Rested.
One can dip In anywhere and find some-
thing OF interest. We know by regarding
Jhe ratio OF Increase of population that the
United States will be 100000 strong in
1910. In the last census year doOG the
total was 6,SO9. 1857, and in 1905 1t is esti-
mated to be S4.545.O00 growth OF 7s, s36 SIT
since 1900. In that year we find the money
in circulation was t26.5OOoOO, OF s. per cap
tia, and 1t is now s2.T44,4S3.S $50. or s32.42 per
capita. OF course the public debt has ex-
panded: It was $50, $40, 29435. and is now
1850 the imposing sum of s964.45, Csc. 70;
but the per capita Is less, fl as compared
with $3.50 In 1900, We are more and more
a thrifty, potential people In 1890 when
the first record was made, the savings
bank deposits amounted to s1.1ss5T5, and
they were In 1896 the mighty sum OF $685.
oar, ,357, the property OF no less than 1896, 299
depositors.
Other things have. OF course risen in
proportion, for the nations bills have to be
settled. In 1900 the government was paying
out only ss4 ,l31 for pensions. and in 1906 the
expenditure is sl11.I66,Ts4 A large amount
In the aggregate must go into the savings
banks. The trade figures, TO turn to a
more engrossing subject amaze by their
contrasts In 1900 our exports Of merchan-
disc reached the tidy sum OF ,7s0 for
a new country, but by 1906 the sum has be-
come colossal being estimated for the year
at M.743, ,s6i,6O0. Importations Of food and
live animals now amount to .9S9;
they were sl2. .4s2594 in 1920. Our bill for
imported raw materials for manufacture
WAS S. 107, ,564 In 1880 and in 1906 II will be
$i15S56, 1856, while manufactured articles
ready for consumption rose from S2i.527, ,23S
20 500. 457 .043 All imports were Sa, 500 sS4
in 1900. and they will be 81, 226, 5SsSiS in 1906
Agriculture in some respects has shown
the greatest expansion of all There are
no reliable figures before 1850 when the
number of farms was l,449O73; according
TO the census of 1900 it had increased to
s. go. .657. IN 1870 the first census of persons
engaged IN agriculture was taken; the num-
Der was 5,922.4u, and in 1890, or in thirty
years, it had increased to 10, 43S. .219. The
value of farms and farm property grew
from 1885, $50 in 1850 10 t20, ,5l4O01, ,S3S in
1870. In 1900 there were produced 1886
bales OF cotton. and in 1905 the quantity was
I9.5e5sS5, TIE gold product rose from
81. l63 In 1910 to $s6 SS7 100 In 1905, and silver
from $50 go in 1850 to sS5, 952,S97 in 1906 Coal
outstripped them both tremendously ONLY
se5 tons were mined in 1890 and $50. s2'l. so
tons in 1906. Wages in the manufacturing
Industries amounted 10 s296, 1856. I6l in 1850
and to Ss,ls6SOl,76a in 1875, and the velun
OF products increased from N.Ols10 GIG TO
ALsO O2,l47Os7. There were twenty-three
miles Of railroad in 1880 and 2l7.s5O in 1895.
In 1910 there were l73 patents issued and
last year i3,s40. In ls2C only SsS5 imm!-
grants landed, and since 1903 the total ha
been more than million a year. There
we're lG 256.09s pupils in our public schools
In 1904 (no later figures available) as COM
pared with 6S7l,522 in 1870.
The greatness and promise OF these
United States are nowhere set forth and
Indicated With more splendor than In the
arid looking figures OF Mr.. Austin's
pamphlet. II they counld be get 10 music
Niagara would be a mere whisper COM
pared with the volume OF sound produced
by chem.