Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-01-01
Is NATION OF gaospaR1TY..
Immense Values OF Natural Rs
sources and Manufactured Pro

sl5s : --------------.j
Immense Values eof Natural Re
sources and Manufactured Pro
ducts.
American Industries for December
Isf, is largely devoted to papers on
Che Fundamental prosperity Of the
United States, among the contributors
being Henry Clews, George ]. Gould
3. II. Gary, J. J. Hill, Joseph G. Can,
non, Hon. James Bryce, Thomas L
James Lucins Tuttle, James THarra.
han, ]. b. Webster, James Mclean.
Leslie III. Shaw, Andrew Carnegie
George 7. Oliver, Frank Seaman.
Theodore P. Shonts, Samuel S. Den.
mis-, Theodore Armstrong, William Il
Tuesdale, Charles A. Schieren, Jr..
John +. Wallace and George q. Bar
bour. 1t is symposium Of prosper
ity and return Of business conf
dence. In an interesting summary, the
editor says that American people as
whole are tho richest on earth
Their visible assets exceed $1,000, 600
100000. This valuation does not In
clude our lands nor the estimated val
uations of our mines and standing
timber. AS a comparison it may be
pointed ont that Great Britain's visi-
BILE assets are $500, 100000. Each
revolution Of the globe sees us richer
by the sum Of $10,5O0,00o. Our in
crease in riches in each two months
is somthing in excess Of the aggregate
banking capital Of all the banks in
Great Britain and Ireland. In each
enSdays we roll up a national gain In
riches that is the equivalent Of the
capital and the reserve Of the Bank
Of England. We have 100000
workers who earn $1400O,000,00o
during a year, which does not include
dividends on any form of stock; or
incomes from bank deposits. If the
total wealth Of the United States
were divided into per capita alot-
ments it would figure at $1,768. ALI
the riches Of our milhonaires in the
aggregate pale into insignifcance
when contrasted with the peoples
money in our savings banks, which
contain seyen times as much money
as is held on account Of all the crown
ed heads and nobility Of Europe and
Asia. We possess one-ffth Of the
world Is money though our country
has but one-sixth Of the worlds popu-
lation and only one-seventh per cent
of its area.
The industries of this country which
consume agricultural products as the
principal materials employ 81 per
cent Of all persons engaged in manu-
factaring and the capital Of those In
dustries is 42.5 per cent Of the capital
of all manufacturing plants. The val
sue Of the capital invested in our rail-
roads is almost $1S,000,000,0o0. The
total length Of the roads is 226,000
miles of double and single track lines.
Adding sidings and trackage in rail
road yards, the total line Of tracks
measures $4,000 miles. The annual
passenger traffic is 70O,0O0,00O, the
yearly haulage of freight is l,65O,OO
tons. To operate this service 1,657, 500
freight, $4,000 passenger cars and 56.-
900 locomotives are required. The an
snual upkeep of these roads costs
S300,000, ,0G0, and they consume the
larger. part Of the output of our steel
mills. In freight carriage there has
been e gain Of 100000 tons be-
tween 1902 and 1907. This gain is
100000 more than the total tonnage
of freight carried by all our railroads
in 1880.
The conclusion arrived at from a
review Of these simple statistics is
that beyond doubt this country is not
only increasingly prosperous as the |
years pass, but prosperous to a mar
yelous degree at the present hour
Charlotte Evening Chronicle
II