The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-14

on 1S swelling at the rate or l,oOO,-
 year. Our national wealth Is mul-
 ying still more rapidly; 1t has in-
 esed $115. 900 ,00O0, 900 in the last ten
 n. Our total business has likewise
 ended tremendously.
 III this means greater demands for
 eessaries, comforts and luxuries. It
 ms immensely greater purchasing
 yer. It means rapidly,expanding con-
 nption.
 Therefore, our stock of anything use
 which cannot be increased becomes
 re and more valuable because there
 more and moro people to bid for 1t.
 the best example of all is real estate. Eo to almost any thriving American
 or town. and what do the people
 Int out to you.
 Look at that block,"s they say. "It
 Ia worth only a few thousand dollars
 years ago. Now 1t is worth more In $50,000."
 ,hey take you to new residential sec.
 ns. show you avenues of beautiful
 mes. and impress upon you "five hrs ago this was farmland. Now a
 acres are worth what the whole
 m was then worth"
 As it is impossible to increase the Sount of land in the United States. |d as the increase in our population
 our ability to buy land means great land greater demand for land, the nat aI. the inevitable result Is that the Hue of land rises and rises.
 You may have read that railroad se- rities are enjoying wonderful boom. [hy?
 7rhe explanation usually offered is Eat the election of President Coolidge Ia A republican congress means that |e railroads will be left alone. Erhis reasoning is all right so far as eoes. but it doesn't go very far. k more fundamental reason is that <e nations total railway mileage has Et increased in line with the increase our population, the increase in our Bpuiation, the increase in our com |erce. ,S kles of railroad today than we had ten ars ago. This, too, inJface of the in- leased demand for railroad facilities. why such a scramble all over the Lntinent for the right to harness our Vers to power producing machinery! Because the amount of water which n be utilized to produce electric pow Ia limited and the demand for elec- ho power and Wight Is rapidly in- leasing. @
 Hard coal Is dearer than 1t used to !. One reason Is thatsthe cost of min (es and. tielivefinge it. has risen; but ere Is the more basic reason that the |tal known supply is limited. Seats on the New York Stock ex- hange used to sell for few thousand bllars, But as the number of seats
 limited to HOO and as theNnumber or mericans who have become investors nd speculators In stocks and, bonds "a multiplied tremendously during re- snt years, the privilege of handling this ,1siness on the stock exchange has be- ome very much more valuable.
 But. why are automobiles, for ex- mple, cheaper than formerly? Mainly ecause 1t is relatively easy to set up n automobile manufacturing plant and ], find the necessary materials for mak- why has oil dropped so much in rice? Simply because it has been ,und possible to increase the supply normously.
 Diamonds. bring high prices chiefly ecause the quantity coming on the ,arket is limited. If the diamond min ,g companies in Cape Colony and the ransvaal were to dump on the mar ct tons of these stonesy the price would amble headlong and /the rich would O longer prize them.
 I know a man who received a salary f s750 900 a year. Why? Because the upply of his kind of brains is extreme 7 limited.
 Hold on to anything useful the total upply of which cannot be increased.
 C0TToN SEED OIL