The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-16

New York, Nov. Ie.--That there are
$4,000, 100000 worth of people in New
York and that the country's most valu-
able crop figured In cold cash Is neith-
er corn, cotton nor wheat, but human
beings, is the surprising statement
just made here as the result of recent
investigations. According to the flg-
ures which have been compiled, the
population Of New York alone taken
only as human units capable OF Great
ing and producing is worth twenty
times the national debt. while for the
whole United States the figure reaches
the enormous total Of $3.50, 600, 00o, 900.
Compared to this a billion dollar corn
crop sinks into insignificance. Careful
tabulations have been made showing
the net cash value of human being
at various ages. At birth, according
to these figures, the value Is 500; at
the age OF i've, $3.50: and at the end
Of the first decade $4,000. From the
ages Of twenty to thirty the human
being is most valuable having a net
cash worth as a producer OF $4,000 at
the former age and s4.Io0 at the lat
ter. At fifty the value OF the human
unit has declined to $4,000 while at the
age Of eighty years the figure Is minus
| $500, the unit not only having lost its
productive power but being burden
on the producers as well. The average
value for all ages Is about $4,000.
Nearly $4O0,000,000 worth Of babies
value $50 each--is the annual record
while 100000, 900 worth OF people die
every year--the magnitude OF the lat
ter figure being accounted for by the
mature age and the correspondingly
greater value OF many of the victims.
OF these 100000 deaths annually, it
is figured that 40 per cent or 10000
are preventable, so that the national
unnecessary loss OF human beings is
over one billion dollars-practically the
value Of the corn crop. Three million
people, 1t is figured, are always on the
sick list, this total OF 5000 600 years Of
illness annually netting loss OF an
other billion dollars. But in spite of
these losses, which large as they may
seem and comparatively insignificant,
the value of the human crop is In
creasing at rate which stamps it
indubitably as Uncle Sans greatest.
If President Taft partakes Of nlince
pie on Thanksgiving day there are
strong indications that he will estab-
lish' precedent By doing so on the
lawn in front of the White House. II
he does not include 1t in his menu,
he will face the probable loss of the
pie makers vote in this city, and prob
ably in other parts Of the country as
well, The choice between these alter
natives which faces the nations chief
executive at present Is due to the
striking New York pie makers, who
have already made this article OF food
extremely difficult to obtain in the
greatest city. Finding themselves with
plenty of time on their hands the
members of the association decided to
utilize 1t by constructing a mammoth
mince pie to be sent to the president
for his Thanksgiving dinner. Com
pared to it the ordinary pie would not
amount to a single mouthful. A gi-
gantic pie pan was especially con-
structed for It's cooking, capable OF
occupying an oven in which one hum
dred pies of the ordinary size are baked
simultaneously. Ligewise an amount
Of mince meat has been prepared for
this one pie which would fill couple
of barrels. But now that all prepare
tions have been completed for the
worlds greatest mince pie IL has been
discovered that its dimensions are too
great to permit its passing through
the White House doors, unless 1t be
turned on edge. This of course is out
Of the question, but the undaunted pie
makers insist that they will deliver the
pie on the lawn in front OF the execu-
tive mansion. It will then be up to
the president to sally forth and par
take of his pie cold. or by refraining
from so doing to lose the greatest
American pie vote.
Gloom in large chunks seems to have
descended on various parts of the city
of late, Tammany hall Is gloomy over
the result of the election, which means
four lean years with no jobs to hand
out, and no finger in the letting of fat
municipal contracts; the famous Bow
cry is gloomy over the defeat Of one
one OF the Sullivan clan 1t being to the
Suliivans that this district has always
looked for everything 1t wanted--from
graft to police protection; and now last
OF all Broadway is stepped in the
gloomiest gloom OF ALL This last af-
Fiction comes not as a result OF local
happenings but from the report of DR..
Wiley at Washington to the effect that
he had discovered injurious acids in