THE WORLD'S GOLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6984, 27 December 1900, Page 2

THE WORLD'S GOLD.

- ■ ■: „- ' ~ ' ■■♦ - : — : SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. Though the rush for gold is so keen nowad^y?, it is a , remarkable fact that the amount of the precious metal which is turned into coin by : the World's mints each year is, as a mere: nothing ivhe© compared with Wle^vasb Hjuantities used Sn.the. anauuiacture of jewellery, designs for :. furniture and . <ornaments, . gilding , picbiire-f i«.mes, painting signs', binding books, tuid, so forth Though the world's ■> entire stock of ."-ofd is estimated ••■at 1100 tons, it is; calculated that ,onlyc 190 of them exist in .-the form of current coin. Oh an avejagf, .ibis stock, is increased by somethingr-like three amd a half tons a.yeajr.;"- ' " •'. . , On the- other (hand, though four and a half tons, are,, annually minted, one tou ds regularly lost by ;' wasfe' ihcid«ntoi r to .w«ar and, tear in^tjie prccess. of the cd&s chang■drtg'haihdS'. /'• ■/■■ -'• '■■■' -. . ; ; '. ° . This is a ticfling item '/when compared with ■the tons which jewellers and gilders ;'/Use up every year, nob an ounce of HvM^h'oan be repov'ered. ' La ;Beile France heads' l t < ne.ltet of- ;! oonsume'rs of gQld for the ai;ts,, uskig ; 35j0001b * every .* year '; while conic a gooi seppnd with 34,.10'b1'b. Next r cipm:es the! United' Si^tes^vriith^jQOOib. >ijin 'this : connection it; is comfbrtin^ to reflect that some of tliemyiriads of things marked "Alade .ih Germany" aiiust be genivine, for we ; findt I . that her craftsmen make use of 29,t)A01b. ■ ; Thanks mainly "to hen siuge .watch indus- ■ try, ; gaMant • little ■ ' Switzerland, absorbs 18,9001 b; while Italy accounts for; 91001 b, j and^-^lussia 90001 b. The;~iest is :C divided among^the smaller natiaps. ; • ■ - : , ' One; d'f. -,the.' ; sno.Bt reniaii^le jf aetSiiji nectibni^ifii l^'ejiriii&g^Kis'^.t^^ India it is:eitimated_tSiat nearly a inillioii pounds? . worth rof gold is annually withdraiWin^ from circulation 'b.V^natiT© hoarders.-