HIGHEST MAN IN THE WORLD

Evening Star, Issue 17792, 14 October 1921, Page 1

HIGHEST MAN IN THE WORLD

MR ROCKEFELLER’S £480,000,000. WHO IS THE WEALTHIEST MAX IX THE WORLD? Mr John D. Rockefeller, tiro oil magnate, can have few rivals io the distinction, for, according to Jlr Henry H. Klein, Uio First Deputy Commisfiioner of Accounts for the City of New York, lie is worth about 2,400,000,000 dolla-M, or, at tho normal rate of exchange, £480,000,000, including his holdings in the Foundations and tile 'wealth transferred to his family. “Foundations” aro largo amounts of money put in 'trust for various public or philanthropic purposes. This information is ' given in Mr Klein’s recently published book, 1 Dynastic America and Those Who Own It.’ It is a book of figures which make "ho brain reel. In it is given a list of 175 fortunes over £2,000.000 in value which _ have been left during tho present generation. The first five aro as follows: Andrew Carnegie (highest amount owned) £60,000,000 Frederick Wcyerha.user (estimated) £60,000,000 William Waldorf Astor (estimated) £40,000,000 Charles W. Darkness £34,000,000 Oliver H. Payne ... £30,000,000 The Carnegie fortune was made in steel, tho Weyerhaeuser in lumber, tho Astor in New York land, and tho Harkness and Payne in oil. According to Mr Klein there, are more dynasties in the United States than existed in the Old World. “Their wealth-power is greater than all the King-power combined," ha says. “Theirs is the power of life, and death over the whole human race. “There is (be dynasty of oil and the dynasty of copper, the dynasty of boar and the dynasty of coal, the dynasty of steel and the dynasty of railroads, the dynasty of gas, electric light, and traction, and tho dynasty of ships, the dynasty of tobacco, the dynasty of rubber, the‘dynasty of sugar, tho dynasty of telephone and telegraph, and the dynasties of a hundred other things in essentia! use by the people. “ Rockefeller is the Colossus that bestrides the world. The Rothschilds in Europe, whose wealth is estimated at two billion dollars (£400,000,000 approximately), and the Guggenheims, Dn Pouts, Vanderbilts, and Astors, whose family possesions approximate half a billion dollars each (£100,000.000 approximately), are .subordinate to Rockefeller.’’.