Show GAIN N IN WEALTH OF NATION AT NEAR STANDSTILL CLAIM CLAH Wealth Census Shows 60 Per Cent Increase But Living Advances 94 64 4 Per Cent Land Values Inflated By fly r HUlDEy COLI cor Standard SpeciAl Co Correspondent Copyright 1924 b by The Consolidated dated Pre Press Association March 22 22 Government enumerators who have ave been engaged for tor the PMt 15 months In tn taking an Inventory tory of o the tho wealth of ot the United havo virtually 1 their work worl and are arc on the ove ovo 0 o announcing tho the final figures Thle will Ill be he In the neighbor neighbor- neighborhood neighborhood hood of OO 00 us as ot of 31 l 22 a as C compared Ith ten ya year before The Tho Increase during this period has been beon 60 per er cent During the he same period how T however over ever the cost of ot 11 living In has In- In In Creased about 64 per cent And Andas as the he enumerators figure the cot cost ot of living by averaging I the lOts oC ot commodities ot of e au all kinds and sorts Borts the thc Increase Is la In re- re re reality the Index to the rise In general prices Hence the unusual unusual al situation Is presented where where- whereby by general prices have bave risen 64 per Jer cent while the wealth ot of o the countr Inventoried at t the ilie high high high- higher higher er cr price values alue h has haa risen 60 per cent TH WE Dr Apparently there haa has be been on no Increase on en the tho face of et these thee preliminary estimates In Inthe inthe the tho wealth ot of the country as os the tho increase e ot of 60 per cent tall falls fails be- be below below be below low the puce pi III Ice rise of et o 64 pr cent From these two sets of et figures Indications are aro that there h his been a slight de- de decrease de decrease crease In wealth as me b ph property properly on n n the pos pos- pos pos lon of et American citizens fome economists hold beld that the dollar his become so debased from trem it Its war pre values alues It is us no longer an accurate standard for fer measurement and that the Cot Cot- red col-red reet assumption in 1912 is to be obtained only enly llY y an all of ef the physical properties ot of the ilie country regardless of et o dollar vl- vl val values ues as compared with a lat inventory ot of ton years ears be- be before before be before fore Such a SL cumbersome method ot of comparison 11 us regarded as Im- Im Impractical Im iou Impractical practical If It It were ere mide m ho s hoe how however e eer ever er and nd it if the official and figures as to the rise In II hising Ini costs are arc correct the rec- rec record rec record ord era probably uld show how a slight In our eur national wealth as e cemp Ith the tho of the country In 1912 rHOa n TO 10 Y PY The Ihnes 1 which Ame lea shipped its lIs merchandise ot of every o description abroad dur- dur durIng durIng dur during ing the decode decade d eca de Is La re regarded as a possible iati pl on at n In part of othe the IIpp dl discrepancy Com Com- Commerce Commerce merce dep figures how I that toe tie Ie ten tn years year ending l Z 31 1922 I Inc Ino ne excess an pel t o ei ts ag ls more thin lii or ur 01 tM this hue hug excess Of 6 hiate white he lIe departure arture from America depleted the national wealth to u t-ie t lalue alue placed upon them ther nero ft ere re received only promises premises to te pa p pay lhee I lT nl es In the slow low ot the consul I 1 do not con constitute They constitute II a mOl mortgage aad not a first mort mort- mortgage mortgage gage age at that upon that upon the relt ot of future ot et Euro Euro- pans ans elt thither er the 11 II In foreign loans held lucid In the treasury lucre hero nor the foreign e as sold lold by private financiers financier in this country since the tho ar 1 figured In the th count A suit of et clothes on en the back of et an n Ameri Amen American American can wage e earner outweighs out In Inthe tho Inventory our whole grand total of et o billions In tn foreign tics tic ties In Its task of et estimating the country s wealth the consul bu- bu bureau bu bureau reau resu ha has thus far r disposed of et totals for tor every state except Okla Okla- Oklahoma Oklahoma homa horns It Is expected that the tho figures showing hewing Oklahoma's wealth will be completed and sod an- an announced an announced within the next nt two weeks When that Is done the tho bureau will vIli make mAc public the grand total b by stat states LAN 1 lUrs Based nd on en preliminary figures the totals will ho show an Increase In land values throughout the country to about This Includes all till land from the most moat valuable city real real- real estate estate to te the arid regions together er with t the buildings building and other Improvements thereon In III al the value alue of et the nation nations s real 11 r estate was waa about Tho he figures reflect the upward rise In prices BS as a the land hand of et course coue wa was 11 the tha same ame In In 1912 as it was ass In 1922 Id ad the 52 Increase Is entirely to the addition addition- additional al 01 buildings erected plus the marked up sip 1 prices at which real estate was ass 05 held INFLATED D VALUES How now much of ot thIs Ibis 52 00 Increase la Is pure inflation Is 1000 not net hard bard to estimate Total 1 building during the decade i exceeded It Is belll believed ell when ben allowance I Is made for lor old eld buildings destroyed to make way isay for tor ne new nen and the fire 10 loss not replaced the re- re remaining remaining re-malnine- re In real estate values probably Is lly De all due to te inflation Tax exempt c real estate such sueh as government buildings b anuS and churches apparently has In- In Increased increased In Increased creased from about bout to 19 The value ot of machinery etc Itc In appears to have hase tripled bile th t on co farms I Is marked up at atan atan an increase of et out about about 50 per cent ent Railroads have tailed failed to I pace with the zest Cst ot of the coun- coun countr's coun tn's tt's possessions showing an ap- ap ap Increase ot of o les less than 25 per cen ceno cent go o |