Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-03-02
MUCH GOLD IS LOST
Large Amount Of Last Years
Production Disappears.
More Than 1900 Tons Of Precious
Metal Minced Last Year, Accord
ing to British Home Office
American Miners Expert.


London.-More than 1900 tons of
| gold were mined last year. according
| to the British home Office Much OF
this precious metal has already van
ished as completely as though 1t had
never been taken from the ground.
What becomes of all the gold Is one
of the perpetual mysteries which no
government ever has been able to
| solve. Enormous amounts are sup
posed to be hidden, or buried. In the
various countries. Much Of the gold
turned into jewelry is practically lost
| to general observation. The rich and
the noble put away their most prec-
ious gems for state occasions. They
are scarcely ever seen by the public
The gold used in decorating the pal.
aces Of the world is virtually lost to
the general view. Even the gold ia
ken by the banks and bankers as their
coin reserves Is often hidden In vaults
for years
The gold mined last year is valued
at $450, 100000 The British empire
supplied go per cent. OF the output. or
this proportion, one-third came from
the Transvaal and Is per cent from
Australia. The United States gold
mines turned out % per cent OF the
total production.
The civilized nations of the world
are now burning UP about a billion
tons OF coal n year. says the British
home office. More than a million tons
In addition is wasted in the operation
OF mining, go that the store of black
diamonds" is being used at rate
which may bring about the extinction
OF the visible supply in the present
century.
The United States is still the great
est coal producer-her mines contrib
uting one-third of the total supply.
Great Britain is next and Germany is
third. Then come. in order the Aus
tro-Hungarian empire. France Russia
and Belgium. Almost three million
persons are engaged in mining coal,
which is as many as are engaged in
ell other kinds of mining and quarry
Ing. More than million coal miners
work in Great Britain.
In iron. as In coal the United
States is still ahead Of all the rest of
the world as a producer. with an out
put of 100000 to 26.00O 900 tons a
year. The German empire stands
second, Great Britain third and Spain
fourth. with 4,50O.O00 tons.
America leads, too. In the highest
proportion OF loss or life from acct
dents In mines and quarries-3.42 a
thousand persons employed. The low
est rate is In France, 095 thousand
employees. 1t is a curious fact that
while Great Britain mines only two
thirds as much coal as the United
States-206,00O, 900 tons, as against
377 100000 tons--the.e are $4,000
coal miners in Great Britain and only
1000 in the United States.
Turning now to wheat the incom-
ing crop In the North and South
American continent is estimated by
Dornbusch at 120,50O.000 quarters:
that for Europe at PAP. 100000 quar-
ters; Asia at 100000 quarters:
Africa at 6,55oO00 quarters, and Aus.
tralia at 100000 quarters grand
total of 432 SOC, 900 quarters. This is
20,000.000 quarters less than the crop
OF the year before. The United States
now grows 100000 quarters. slight
ly more than the Russian empire. and
almost twice as much as India. In
the North and South American CONT.
nent Argentina Is second as a wheat
producer. and Canada is third In
Europe, France Is the second largest
wheat producer, with $4,000. 900 quar-
ters; Hungary is third and Italy
fourth Norway grows only 10000 |
quarters. but there, as in all the high |
countries of the north. the people eat |
oats. rye and buckwheat Sweden
though In Norway's latitude. grows
$4,000 quarters Turkey In Asia
grows 100000 quarters. and Japan
2 100000 quarters. Algeria $4,000. 600 |
quarters) grows nearly three times as |
much wheat as Egypt. Germany.
Bulgaria. Argentina and In. |
dia all are going to have bumper |
wheat crops. The United States wheat |
crop will be 100000 quarters shy |
Of last year. II is estimated.