Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-01-24
UNCLE SANS WEALTH.
Experts Give Value of Everything
in United States.

The total value Of everything in the
United States. including real estate,
live stock, farm implements, tools, gold
and silver bullion. railroads. street rail-
ways, clothing, furniture, iewelry, etc,
has been summed up by the govern
ment experts Each year sees an in
crease in the sum total of our wealth
The count which has resulted in these
figures, was made in 1904 and has just
been tabulated- The census OF 1900
showed the total value of property TO
be SSS,517. 306.775 Thus we have
gained something like $4,000, 100000
in four years This gain is in actual
tangible commodities, things which can
be seen and handled, and does not in
clude the kind of values in which Wall
street and the stock markets deal.
According TO the authorized figures
every man, woman and child ought to
have more wealth than he or she had
four years ago If all of the real es-
tate were divided up on the basis of
its actual value, and each person Civ
en- proportionate share. together with
the houses, fences and other improve
ments upon the land. each of the ST.
256,202 individuals in the United
States would possess $767.22 worth OF
real estate. Four years previously his
share would have been S691.33 worth.
The present average value per acre
of real estate, with Improvements, is
S32.75. Four years ago the average
value per acre was S2760. The total
value of all the real estate, with inn
provements, in the United States is
So, 81 1872 34. Four years ago the ag-
gregate value was $52531, 62S. 1854.
The total value of all the railroads,
with their equipment, exclusive of tele-
phone systems and telegraph lines is
81 LA. $4,000 This is an increase
over four years ago. when the same
item was worth S9,035.7 900.
Next TO the railroads the live stock Of
the United States is the most valuable
asset, amounting as it does to S4,OI3.-
791, 1856. which. by the way. is an in
crease of about 1,000,0G0,0OO over
their value of four years ago. Manu-
featuring machinery, tools, and nipple
ments come next in value, amounting to
S3.2977j4,1S0. Jumping together the
products of agriculture and the mines
import 4 merchandise, clothing and
persona 'ornments, furniture. car
riages, and Cnfstmas presents. the to-
tai is estimated at $1S,462, 2S1, 1872.
After all, gold and silver coin and
bullion are the least important assets
in our wealth. The total of these is
only a paltry S1,99S, 603,303.
Judging only by the division of the
real estate and its improvements
among the people, the least desirable
state in which to reside is Mississippi.
IN that state the average per capita of
value of such property is S16S.70. This
is in sharp contrast with state like
California. where the per capita value
of real estate and improvements is ST.
671.S6, or more notably Nevada, where
it is $2.SSS.79 The District of Columbia,
on account of its smaller area, is even
more remarkable. According to the fig
ures. every resident in the district is
entitled to real estate holdings to the
value of S2,7S559. In rich states like
Massachusetts and Rhode Island the
per capita value of real estate holdings
IS high; in the former being S1,09429,
and in the latter $1.1141S.
1t is Interesting to note thst there
has been an increase of real estate val
ues even in old rundown and deserted
New England. Four years ago the es-
ticated value of rea, estate and i'm
proyements in Maine New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
and Connecticut was $4,953,575,145
This increased in four years to $5,506.-
5OS,204. In 1900 the census count
showed 5,592017 inhabitants The
population in 1904 according to the
census reports was 5,SSS,632 So the
average value of an acre of real estate
in New England has increased in The
same period from $27-60 to S32.75 and
the pc, capita value of the real estate
has increased from S691.33 to S767.22.