Economics Volume II: Modern Economic ProblemsFetter, Frank A. (Frank Albert)
General
Economics Volume II: Modern Economic Problems
Fetter, Frank A. (Frank Albert)
Economics
§ 6.# Varying extent of the use of money#. Trade by the use of money
at no time has become the exclusive method. Barter still lingers
to-day.[3] The extent to which, on an average, money is used in
different parts of the world differs widely. The use of money in
Siberia is less than in European Russia, and its use is less there
than in western Europe. The use of money as compared with barter is
generally much greater in the cities than in the rural districts. In
the cities of Mexico not only money, but banks and credit agencies are
in general use; whereas the rural districts are more backward and make
far more use of barter than is the case in the United States. At the
ports in the cities of China, India, and South America the use of
money may be very like that in European cities; but go a little way
into the interior of these countries and conditions as to the use of
money change greatly.
However, the comparative per capita amounts of money (in terms of
American dollars) in circulation in different countries is far
from being a true index of their industrial development or of their
commercial activity. Indeed, beyond a certain point the larger average
amount of money in circulation in a country may indicate backwardness
in the development of banks and other credit agencies rather than
greater amount of wealth or of business. Notice, for example, the
medium position of the great commercial countries, Germany and the
United Kingdom, as compared with other countries above and below them
in the following list.
PER CAPITA CIRCULATION OF MONEY IN LEADING COUNTRIES DECEMBER 31,
1912.
France..................$48.91 America (U.S.)..........$32.98
Australia............... 38.45 Portugal................ 29.46
Canada.................. 33.57 Netherlands............. 26.86
Switzerland............. 24.32 Mexico.................. 9.17
Germany................. 21.36 Finland................. 8.38
United Kingdom.......... 21.21 Chile................... 8.24
Spain................... 19.96 Turkey.................. 7.09
Brazil.................. 18.79 Russia.................. 6.45
Denmark................. 17.73 Japan................... 5.68
Belgium................. 15.83 Bulgaria................ 5.57
Austria-Hungary......... 14.68 Serbia.................. 5.49
Rumania................. 13.24 Venezuela............... 5.51
Italy................... 13.09 India (British)......... 5.19
South Africa............ 12.93 Ecuador................. 4.62
Norway.................. 12.50 Peru.................... 3.17
Sweden.................. 11.59 Colombia................ 2.32
Greece.................. 11.02 Paraguay................ .57
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