The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-09-13
COUNTRY never
RICHER IN GOLD
More In Treasury Than In That
Of Amy Other Nation
S1,22O,932, 1897 or THE METAL
The Money Is Not All In tho Washing
ton VauIts-Storase Double What Il
Was Ten Years Aso-How tho Vast
Sum ls Made Up.

Sum Is Made Up.
There Is more gold in the vaults of
the United States treasury than ever
before in the history of the country,
and, according to the governments fs-
cal experts, there is now more gold in
the possession of the treasury than
has ever been stored in the vaults of
any nation at one time.
At the close Of business on Sept. 3
the gold in the vaults Of the treasury
amounted to $1,22O, ,932, ,9976S. 1t was
made up in this way:
A reserve fund of $71O,0O0,0O0, of
which $100,0O0,OO0 was in gold coin
and $50,0O0,0O0 in gold bullion held
for the redemption Of United States
notes and of treasury notes Of 1890,
this reserve fund being fixed by law
at S150,O0O,O00 Mt all times.
A trust fund of 81, ,054, ,375, ,2G9 in gold
held for the redemption of gold GER
tifcates of that amount outstanding,
and of this enormous fund of over a
billion in gold $SSS,925,973 is in gold
coin and $165, ,449,2 is in gold bull
hon.
When the Crest Was Reached.
A fund of $16,557, ,72S6s in gold coin
Is held in the general fund in the
treasury offices for daily use in the
current operations of the treasury.
To be more accurate, the crest of
this greatest aggregation of gold in the
federal treasury was reached at the
close of business on Aug. 2S when the
total reached 81, 100000 in round
numbers, and 1t has since been in that
neighborhood.
This gold is not all in Washington.
In fact, most of it is outside of Wash
ington.
1t Is in treasury vaults, but some Of
these vaults are in the subtreasuries,
some are at the mints, and others are
in the assay offices. But all Of 1t is
held by the treasury to back up its
credit and the good faith Of the gov
ernment's currency in gold.
Compared With Ten Years Ago.
Treasury records show that this vast
treasure of gold in Uncle Sans vaults
Is ludu Tic lA6io
ten years ago. The total amount Of
gold in the treasury on Oct. 1, 1902,
was $573, ,S07 ,S25.09, of which $780,
OO0, 900 was held in the reserve fund.
$946,612, ,0S9 was in the trust funds
and SIT, ,195, 1900 was in gold coin in
the general fund.
What 1t means to have nearly a
billion and n quarter of gold coin and
bullion stored in the vaults Of Uncle
Sam may be better appreciated from
the fact that according to estimates by
the director of the mint, carried along
from year to year, the total produc-
ton of gold in the world from the dis
covery Of America until and including
the year 1909 was 647 ,S53, 700 ounces,
valued at S13, 1902 ,32S, 200.
In other words, the store of gold In
the treasury vaults is now almost one
tenth Of the total world production of
! gold since Columbus found America,
and the comparison is all the more
striking when the fact is taken into
consideration that much of this gold
has gone into arts and manufactures.
The total stock of gold in the none
tary systems of the world is about
$8,000,O00,000, of which nearly $5,OOO,-
100000 Is in banks and public treas
uries, the balance in circulation.