STATISTICS: The Figurama

Most of life can’t be measured; but what can be, is. Last week the following measurements were recorded:

ENTERTAINMENT

Motion picture box-office receipts for 1951 were $69 million less than in 1950, a decline of 5.5%. Professional baseball teams took in less money too—$51 million as compared with $55 million the year before. Opera and the legitimate theater, with $90 million, and college football with $103 million, equaled their receipts of the year before. Horse and dog-track admissions jumped from $36 million to $38 million.

PRICES

The cost of living inched up to an all-time peak between May 15 and June 15, stood at 189.6% of the 1935-39 average —0.3% higher than the month before, u.6% higher than in June 1950. TRAFFIC

The state of New York, which has 13,757 miles of paved road, discovered that its cars and trucks, if placed bumper to bumper, would stretch for 14,676 miles. Meanwhile, the six-month-old multiple-lane New Jersey Turnpike, built to eliminate congestion and cross-traffic, had its 29th fatality.

DOCTORS & LAWYERS

The earnings of doctors and lawyers have risen steadily. Doctors earned an average of $11,058 in 1949. $12,518 in 1951—a jump of 13%. Lawyers’ average earnings rose from $8,577 to $9,375—an increase of 9%.

THE AIR

The passenger death rate on scheduled U.S. airlines last year was 1.3 fatalities for every 100 million passenger miles. Last year’s automobile death rate for 100 million miles: 7.6.

PENSIONS

At least two millionaires are now drawing old age benefits under the Social Security Act, but two-thirds of all Government old age pensioners have no other income.

CHILDREN

American G.I.s in Western Germany have fathered 50,000 illegitimate children since the war; nearly 3.000 have Negro blood.