Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 112, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1910 — ENGLAND FINANCIALLY STRONG. [ARTICLE]

ENGLAND FINANCIALLY STRONG.

Resources of the Nation Were Never Greater than They Are Now. If, however, the problems are big the resources of brain and brawn and purse are seemingly inexhaustible. Is recent years there has been a good deal of foolish talk about the supposed decadence of Britain. Not a few Eng lishmen have themselves fallen intc grave doubts on the subject. As 8 matter of fact, the nation never pos sessed elements of strength equaT tc those of to-day, says Frederic Austin in the American Review of Reviews A population of 20,000,000 in 1815 hat increased to one of 4.4,000,000. In 181£ the nation’s accumulated wealth was under £3,000,000,000; as late as 1846 it was only £4,000,000,000; in 1882, according to Mulhall, it was £8,720,000,000; to-day it is variously estimated at from £12,000,000,000 to £15,000,000,The yearly addition to this accumulated wealth in 1815 was £60,000,000; to-day it is £300,000,'00b, or six times as much. The total foreign investment of British subjects, almost a negligible quantity a hundred years ago, is now estimated at £2,700,000,000, upon which there Is an annual income of not less During the past six years the placement of British capita) in foreign countries, largely suspended during the previous decade, haa been resumed on a stupendous scale, greatly to the improvement of foreign trade, and distinctly to the encouragement of public and private thrift. At least £100,000,000 was invested abroad in 1908 and approximately the same amount in 1909. These are merely a few of the more obvious evidences of the financial power of the nation. Of the ultimate ability of the British people to support a governmeht twice as lavish as any yet on record there can be not the remotest doubt. Assuming that the principles of reasonable economy are to prevail, the one towering question is Rs to how the public burden may best be adjusted sc that the 15 per cent of the population which receives 50 per cent of the na tional Income and possesses more than 90 per cent of the nation's aggregate wealth may be made to bear its jusi share.