Arizona republican., 1909-05-17
An Analysis of the Recently Issued Statistical Abstract II COVERS ALL FEATURES
In Sixty-Nine Years the Wealth of the Country Has Increased From Seven, to One Hundred and Seven Billions of Dollars.

Washington. May 16.-Seven hun | dred pages of solid figures. with ! scarcely a line of reading matter" ac- companying. make a very dry and, to many people. unattractive looking vol ume. Yet the Statistical Abstract of ! the United States, containing this number of pages of solid figures, to be | issued from the bureau of statistics of | the department of commerce and labor witha few days, offers to the observing | reader and student much interesting as well as instructive information. The Statistical Abstract. which orig mated in the bureau of statistics thirty years ago under the direction of Hon. John sherman, then secretary of the | treasury, and which in it's first issue was a thin pamphlet of but little over i 100 pages, has been issued annually by that bureau since that date, increasing from year to year the scope of it's operations, until it now includes within it's more than 700 pages of information regarding a great variety of subjects concerning conditions in the United States; area, populations; occupations, 
 agriculture forestry and fisheries, mining and manufacturing industries; internal communication, transportation and freight rates; merchant marine and shipping, prices of various com modities in various markets of the country. consumption of the principal articles produced and imported: mon ey, banking and insurance; receipts land expenditures of the government, wealth and public finance; army. navy and pensions; the commerce of the United States and of it's noncontiguous territories. it's imports and exports by principal articles and its trade with the principal countries of the world, also a brief statement of commercial and financial statistics of the principal countries of the world. closing with a series of tables presenting a statistical record of the progress of the United States in area. population. wealth. in dustries. production and commerce from the year 1900 to 1908.
 This mass of information regarding conditions in the United States. drawn nj part from official publications and official records of the various depart ments and bureaus of the government, in part compiled by the bureau of sta tastics and other parts obtained from authoritative sources-state and in a few cases acknowledgements a pie turei of conditions in the United States. past and present, extremely interesting not merely to the economist and stu dent, but to those interested in the conditions in and growth of the coun- try and it's industries.
 It is interesting to observe, for eX- ample, from the figures. of the areas of the various states and territories with which the volume opens. that the total continental area, including Alas ka, is about equal to that of all Eu- rope: that while the area conceded to the thirteen original states by the peace treaty of 17S3 was S2S,000 square miles their present area is but 326.000 square miles, the other 502,000 square miles forming in whole or in part thir- teen other states, while the remaining 24 states and territories were created from territory added by purchase or annexation. Of the SS.000.00 of pop Ulation occupying this area practically One-third. speaking in round terms, are found in the thirteen original states. another third in the states ere ated from the territory ceded to the common union by those states, and the remaining third in the area added by purchase or annexation.
 The figures of the population of the United States at the decennial cen suses as supplied by the census bureau ..t. l.. .c f,, the year 1900 as 1,00O,000, speaking in round terms, and in 1900, S.S41. 900. The negroes formed in 1900. ISIS per cent of the population; in 1910, 1908 per cent in 1S50 15.6S per cent; in 1860, 14.12 per cent: in 1880, 1911 per cent; in 1890, 11.92 per cent; and in 1900, 11.59 per cent.
 While a large share of the territory of the United States has come under cultivation or individual ownership. the figures quoted in this volume show the amount of land areas still unap- propriated and unreserved in 1908 as 754S95,00 acres of which 36S. OPP 900 acres were in Alaska 61,177. 900 in Ne vada, 46.532 ,000 in Arizona. Swamp and overflow lands are shown to aggregate in round terms 75,OOO,OOO acres. of which 1S,5O0.000 are in Florida, 9,50O,- 900 in Louisiana, 6,deO,OOO in Missis-
 sippi, and 5.750,OOO in Arkansas.
 The developed water power of the United States is reported at 5,357 000 horsepower, and the number of wheels which it turns at 52.S27. The estihat- ed coal supply of the United States is put down, from statements made be-