The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-31
L. S. Assets Greater Than Any
Other Two Nations.
National Debt Is a 22Oth of
Total National Wealth..
Is BILLIONS ON DEPOSIT
Possesses Third of Worlds
Supply of Gold.
Uncle Sam Does Some Tall Fig
uring on War Loan.
BY FRANK r. WILSON.

By fhANh II. "lIboON.
(FederaI Farm Loan Bureau United states
Treasury Department.
! written for the Topeka state Journalo
Washington, May 31.-Uncle Sam
glanced at his trial balance April l.
1917, and pledged the following brief
statement of his condition.
Assets-s2OO. OoO. 100000 plus.
Liabilities-s1 ,O23. 357,25O
In other words. the total material
wealth of the United States was IN
excess of 200 billions of dollars some
estimates placing it as high as 20
billions. The last official total was
in 1912 when the figure was 1877 bill
lions. On April l, 1917, our national
dent was slightly over a billion. Uncle
Sans debts as compared with his
assets were about as one is to go
Income 40 Billions Year.
But the smile that decorated Uncle
Sans face was not inspired entirely
by the statement of his comparative
debts and credits. He looked at the
record of national income and saw
that the total was forty billions of
dollars a year. or forty tunes MS
debts He took out his pencil and
made some comparisons. He found
that his national income had in
creased more than 33 per cent in the
last seven years, and more than 115
per cent in the last seventeen years.
Continuing further with the inven-
tory. the old gentleman turned to the
page devoted TO foreign trade and dis
covered that this item for 1916
amounted to between seven and eight
billions of dollars, or more than dou
BILE that of the previous year. He
peered over at the page where is
recorded the distribution of the
worlds gold supply. and discovered
that he possessed nearly three billions
of dollars of gold. or one-third of the
worlds total He discovered that
there were on deposit in banks and
trust companies. of his realm, ap-
proMmately twenty-five billions of
from banks and trust companies. for
commercial purposes, about eighteen
billions of dollars.
Other Nations Finances.
In addition to keeping a good set
of books on his own business, Uncle
Sam also kept books on the affairs of
his neighbors. He made some in
teresting comparisons and discovered
that the material wealth of the United
States was greater than that of any
two nations on earth. He found that
it was as great as the total combined
wealth of the Great Britain, France
Russia and Italy. 1t was more than
double that of England; four times
that of France and eight times that
of Italy. His notes indicated that
at the beginning of the war the total
material wealth of Germany was
eighty-five billions of dollars, and
that of Great Britain eighty billions
Verify this giant of the West, con-
templating these figures, for the first
time, really became conscious of his
greatness.
Then Uncle Sam began to investigate
the debit accounts of his neighbors
He found that since the beginning Of
the war-August 1. 1914-Great Brit
am had borrowed in excess of $4,000
100000 which. added to the national
debt previously existing. made a total
Indebtedness in excess of S25,OOO,OOO,-
600, and which, by the end of 1917,
would reach $50, 0OO,00O,O0O.
Germany Owes Sixteen Billion,
He discovered that since 1914