New Britain herald., 1916-07-20
JOHN DIS WEALTH
 MORE THAN BILLION
Rockefeller Is Richest Man in
 History Of the World

Cleveland, Ohio, July 20.-Informa- ton of the existence of a balance sheet compiled ten days ago on the occasion of John D. ROckefeller's seventy-seventh birthday, showing that his private fortune, exclusive of en- dowment funds and other benefac- tions exceeds a billion dollars, is said to be in possession of the authorities of Cuyahoga county.
 The existence of the balance sheet, indicating that MT. Rockefeller's for tune exceeds that of any man in the world, and indeed, in the history of the world, was discovered in the search for evidence to present to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals in the forthcoming attempt of CuyahOga county to force MT. Rockefeller to pay taxes on holdings of more than three hundred million dollars. MT. Rocke- feller obtained an injunction in the United States District Court in Cleve- land preventing the enforcement of tax collection on the holdings in October, 1915, and in December of the same year Cuyahoga county filed an appeal in the United States Circuit Court.
 Since then county authorities have been SnQedNOTl1lS to ODldlll eVlueICS that MT. Rockefeller was a legal resi- dent of Cleveland. He is now at his home here, and on July celebrated his seventy-seventh birthday. It was about that time, it is understood, that a balance sheet containing the extent and the varied amounts of his holdings was presented to him. The balance sheet according to authentic informa- tion, indicated that the Rockefeller fortune had exceeded $1,OOO, ,OOO,O 900 and steadily was mounting upward; so rapidly, in fact, that with all of his enormous benefactions, MT. Rockefeller was unable to dispose of the income.
 Half Billion in Standard Oil.
 Of the enormous total nearly S5OO,- OOO,OO represents MT. Rockefellers holdings in the various Standard Oil companies and their subsidiaries. He holds approximately 247,ee2 shares out of a total of 883,383 shares issued in all the companies. The stock is now quoted around $1,7OO, about three times what it was before the federal courts issued the order dissolving the great corporation into independent companies.
 The balance of MT. ROckefeller's fortune, it is understood, is shown to be in enormous holdings in various railway and banking corporations, the United States Steel corporation, and in national, Municipal State and in foreign bond issues. Among his hold ings, it is recorded, there are $10,000,- poo of Anglo-Fren war bonds, floated here last year by the Allied 
 Naturally, with such an amazing ac- emulation of wealth, the variations of the stock market day by day in crease or decrease the fortune by a million Or more dollars. Since the compilation of the schedule in June succeeding the announce ment that the half years gifts of the Foundation, merely one of his projects, were more than three million dollars, the fortune is said to have shown a great increase. That is because of the steadily upward trend of various stocks because of the en- livened commerce of the country.
 Have Given Away $2OO,OOO, 1000.
 Neither MT. Rockefeller nor his son, J John D. Rockefeller Jr., are engaged i actively in business. Since 1910, 1 when their joint benefactions first be- l gan to loom large in the generosities l of the world, eclipsing those of ] Andrew Carnegie, 1t is estimated that 1 he Rockefellers have given away ap-