Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/370

 364 THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY

the population would get practically the whole things while the land going to the last half of the population is a negligible share. In this mental picture we are merely taking land as typical of wealth in general So unequal is the distribution and so attenuated the shape of the figure, it was not possible to show satisfactorily the upper right portion of it. This limb must be imagined as extending upward to such a height that a half of the whole area lies in the right-hand strip corre- sponding to 1 per cent, of the population. The curve would finally meet the extreme right hand line in an exceedingly sharp point whose height woidd represent the fortune of the richest man in the country. Taking this at a billion dollars, the figure would have to be ten thou- sand times higher to show it The pertinence of this diagram is not so much in the numerical values that may be scaled from it, but in the graphic or pictorial impression we get from the manner in which the area is distributed with regard to the horizontal base line. However, 2 per cent, of the people own more than the remaining ninety-ninel Think of it I One half the national wealth practically crossed out as

Fig. 1. This diagram is based upim an estimate for 1890 by Charles B. Spahr. (See his "The Present Distribution of Wealth/* pp. 69.) The diagram shows the wealth and population of 1918 with the distribution of 1890. It was made by pro- rating from one period to the other by population and total wealth. 8pahr*B figures thus transformed giye:

Families Total for Group

88.5^ or 17,000.000 own under $10,000 $27,450,000,000

10.6 or 2,000,000 own $10,000 to $100,000 70,160.000,000

1.0 or 200,000 own $100,000 and oyer 100,660,000,000

10^ 19,200,000 $198,260,000,000

These data were sufficient to fix but two points on the curye, but the total wealth between these points being giyen, the interyening curve was drawn with just enough concaylty to make the area below it equlyalent to that amount of wealth. In the same way the amount of wealth for all those families owning less than $10,000 determined the concaylty of the left end of the curye. If the wealth of eyery family was known and plotted, the resulting curye would undoubtedly be less smooth and continuous than the one drawn, but it would follow the general trend of that curye.

Fio. 2. Figures for this diagram were first compiled for what the census calls "persons gainfully employed,'* and then transformed to the family as a unit on the basis of 42 per cent, of population gainfully employed, and 6.05 persons to the family. This is equlyalent to 2.1 persons gainfully employed, to the family.

Personal incomes below $1000 ($2100 family income) were apportioned by figures of Scott Nearing for the year 1913. (See his " Income,*' pp. 106.) Incomes aboye $2600 were taken from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Internal Beyenue for 1914, and increased 20 per cent, to coyer omissions. (Income tax returns, pp. 112.) Incomes between $1000 and $2500 were allotted to the remaining popula- tion. Transformed to families, these figures giye:

Total Income Families of Group

42.6^ or 8,200,000 under $1060 $6,600,000,000

89.7 or 7,614,000 $1060 to 1675 10,100,000,000

9.0 or 1,720,000 1575 to 2100 8,100,000,000

7.8 or 1,500,000 2100 to 6250 4,900,000.000

.9 or 166,000 6250 and oyer 3,800,000,000

10^ 19,200,000 $28,500,000,000

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