The Tupelo journal., 1910-07-01

be worth is the estimation of what Is
known as the per capita wealth."
According to the bureau of statis-
tics reckoning, o and l are worth
a good deal more than we were in the
days when the country was young. In
1900, or at the time when they have
the first record of per capita wealth,
the citizens of the United States were
only worth S. apiece. The gain in per
capita wealth has not always been
steady during the decades. Certain
census years showed us poorer than
during the previous ten years, but
most of the time we have been getting
along nicely. thank you. In 1910 we
were worth $3.50 a head, 1920 had fall
en- to 1854; in 1880 we were even a
little poorer at $6.79, but in 1910 had
jumped to $10.91.
In the middle of the century we had
advanced to $12.02 apiece, and from
that time on there were no more bar
gain drops or reductions whatever. But
while we are talking of what We are
worth per capita, it might not be
amiss to mention the fact that every
one of us here in the United States
has also a debt per capita. In 1900
the per capita debt was $15.63, or
more than three times as much as the
wealth per capita. Now, thank good
ness and the statisticians, we seem to
be well out of the financial woods, for
each and all of us has a per capita
debt of only $10.76, or considerably
less than one-third of what We own.
With a showing like that we may be
pardoned if we take the day off and
go celebrate.
The biggest figures that the govern
ment has compiled this year are prob
ably found in the freight records.
They are so colossal that they really
mean nothing to any n outside OF
the railroad business, and perhaps not
so very much to the railway expert
except by way of comparison. Last
year the railroads hauled 236,601, $780,
103 tons of freight one mile. We can
not easily compare that showing with
the amount of freight hauled during
colonial days, for during colonial days
railroad freight was not known. Pos
sibly there were figures compiled
showing how many pounds of freight
were carried by the coastwise vessels
or the ships that piled between Amer
lean and English, Dutch, French. and
Portuguese ports. If these figures
were prepared, however, they have
been lost in the dust of time and the
world has been too busy to hunt for
them.
In the year 1900 the United States
coined all of $317,600 worth of gold.
That was going quite a bit, one must
acknowledge. Last year we converted
S131,63S,632; the silver coinage record
was s224,294; last year 1t was $12.391.-
TIT.
More than 500, 600, 900 worth Of gold
was taken from our territory last
year. In 1910 when the gold mining
business was in its cradle, the produc-
ton was $2,463, and even that amount
is not vouched for as absolutely &C
curate.
In 1920 the pig iron production Of
the entire country was estimated at
10000 tons; last veal it was about 49,
600, 900.
In the year 1910 there were said to
be 359 newspapers in the country, as
compared with 21,320 at the present
time. The records do not attempt to
tell what kind of newspapers the edi-
tors printed 100 years ago, nor do they
give any sworn statements Of circula-
ton.
The war department spent 5 2 100000
in 1900 as against more than $175,0 00,-
900 last year.
The navy expended $~3,44S,000 in
1900, as compared with $118, 10000 last
year, while the pension roll Of the two
years was $64,131 and $153, 1872 ,467.
Cotton consumed in 1900 amounted
to 1882 bales; now we use 100000
bales.
We are consuming more than 6.000,-
000,0 pounds Of sugar a year just
now; in 1860, the first recorded year,
the consumption for the IL months
was 6S1. 1000 pounds. Almost equal
ly enormous and unfathomable figures
are produced to show the annual value
Of the stock products Of the country.