WEALTH OF GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 94, 19 July 1879, Page 2

WEALTH OF GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE.

An exchange says:—ls France or (!« r Britain tliu wealthier country ! A re cent paper by Mr. Uiti'en, the' Government Statistician, estimated the wealth of the United Kingdom at tlm enormous gross total of £N,.">O >,00(J,000. M. Vachwr, a Fi-cueh statistician, has followed suil with an estimate of the wealth of Franrf at.£!),2i0.()00,000. If we could, by a stroke of the pen, sweep away our national debt, we should be about £0,000,000 richer than France. The Saturday Review, careful for the standing of the JSriti.sh Empire iu the plutocracy of the world, subjects M. Vachor's figuora to sonic criticism, and concludes that it' the Frenchman bad been so car - ful in his method of investigation, ana as modest at stating results as Mr. Uitt'eu, the United Kingdom would have been able to boast the larger ligurc. Fur exauipio the French Ingkwoyi are faluod at i:i().-.,(li)iMMio. Ull extravagant sum, - wbil- Mr. (Jin\.„ takes no account In hia utimatg or UrilWi liiguwaw, Again, XI. Vaolier appear lu riavoloilawM Mr, Uillmim oalotilalioDi In capitalising in ••very particular, whereas it is Incredible that house propotiy commando the name vain* In Franco im In Hn-tnnd. roklug t w Hgun - iu> they arc given, it may. W

V(iterating to inquire whethei Frenchmen <.r BntOßi eu Ih' Mid to !»• wealtliii.it imiiviiliiallv. Taking the ponulatkm of France ill S6jDOO,OOO ami th" wealth at £0,230,000,000, wo flu.l thai tliu average rohaa ot tin- individual may be anted at'£&& The population ... the United Kingdom may !»• taken al 32,000,000, and eaanratogiU gross wealth hi 3Jr.Qriihn , vo anivo at an average powieuicd pel !u-ad of £2fi."). What is most important ;- that in France, aa in this country. ti.uv has teen an enormous increase of wealth dining late years, M. Vacher estimates that the accumulation in France in the last ten years is not less than 3i I ~"iO0,(l()0,OOt>. Thus, says the Saturday Iteview, the war indemnity of £200,000,000, exacted by lienunny, which was regarded as so ruinous, meant mi more than the national saving-, of sixteen months. The national debt of France is quoted in tlie Statesman's Year Hook at £037,584,280. The whole sum might be extinguished in six years, and a handsome baJauceovor, if France would consent or COllld arrange to put aside her entire savings for the purpose for 80 short u time.