Where Wealth Accumulates

The Bureau of Census, subdivision of the Department of Commerce, calculates diligently; but diligence takes time. Last week, it gave out its estimate of the total wealth of the U. S.--at the end of 1922. The sum is quite inconceivable, consisting of twelve figures, five of which are ciphers: $320,803,862,000--in other words 320, going-on-321 billion dollars.

Of course the whole thing is a guess but as compared to a previous guess of the same kind made ten years earlier, it shows an increase of 72.2% in the country's dollar worth--an increase from 186 billion dollars to 321 billions.

The chief components of Uncle Sam's estate, with their value (to the nearest billion dollars) are:

Taxable real estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$156

Clothing, furniture, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Manufactured products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Tax-exempt real estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Railways with equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Manufacturing machinery, tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Public utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Live stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Agricultural products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Motor vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gold and silver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wealth by states gave New York the most, followed in order by Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, Iowa. Nevada came last with a total estimated wealth of $541,716,000.