New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-08
---
MUNICIPAL BURDENS.

The subject OF municipal indebtedness and
| taxation has never been fully investigated
Indeed, the difficulties of such an inyes-
tlgahon ere so many and Sc great-the
chief Of them being the indifference, indispo-
sition or incapacity of municipal oficers-that
| it has generally been thought impossible to
obtain information even approximating to the
truth, except by an inquiry conducted and SUD-
ported by Unie ed States authority. Suporin-
tendent Walker has made rigorous effort to
overcome the manifold difficulties of the work.
and the powers conferred upon officers of the
census gave the inquiry incalculuble advantages
IN comparison with any other ever made in
that direction Mr.. Porter, the agent having
charge of that division of the census, had
made earnest efforts in the same direction,
prior to his employment ia an Official capacity,
anG was therefore aware of the diff cultics TO
be overcome. Some OF the results thus far
attained, with interesting comparative state
| Inents regarding local debts and taxes in other
countries, are given by Mr.. Porter in an ar
hcle In RhodeSS Journal Of Banking, which is
copied tony. 1t appears, however that this
Dranch OF the CT nsIS work is not yet finished and
MI. Porter gives an estimate of the debts of
all municipalities other than 81 cities Of over
$500 population. This estimate, 1925, OOO, 600
for debts of all counties, villages townships.
school districts, and cities smaller than those
above mentioned, will probably be found be-
low the truth In the account of State debts
too, Mr.. Porter appears to have failed to in
ciude very large sums which Southern States
have repudlated or declared invalid. With
these deductions, however, the net debt of
States and municipalities still appears to be
over $1,O69, 100000.
These are net debts, 80 called all sinking
funds are deducted. mr. Porter is not ignorant
OF the fact that such funds are often fictitious.
or enormously reported in order to cover I'd
INSTRUMENTATION in fact he thinks, cities
ought to abolish that wretched lelusicn, the
sinking fund.- with its attendant perplexities."
Inc important matter is to know how much
the municipalities owe, and statements OF real
or pretended assets, sinking funds, and other
Offsets, may well be put away by themselves.
The reported amount in the sinking funds of
3l1 cities is Sly, 191 500, and allowance for
similar funds seems to DO made in estimates
of the Indebtedness of other Municipalities and
o. States. But one of the greatest difficulties
In this inquiry, which it was hoped might he
overcome by an investigation supported bv
United States law, arises from the PERSISTENCE
OF many local officials in reporting not what
the municipality actually owes, but what thew
want people to consider its "net indcbted-
ness" 1t is greatly to be desired that the
completed census report will help us to find
out what some cities really owe The amount
which they pretend to owe is quite q different
MATTER and can be ascertained without the
machinery OF census
1t is to be especially regretted too, if Mr..
Porter has not included the debts which States.
counties and cities have pretended to REM
date. Indeed, the omission of such sums
would go far to render ths branch Of the
census positive nuisance. as kind of official
recognition of the validity Of repudiating acts.
The reduction in debts of Southern States from
$174,4S6,00O in 1870 to $113, o67, 900 in
1850 is not honest, valid or actual, and the
omission of the debt of Memphis, because the
present local authorities pretend that the taxing
district has no debt, would tend 70 give ,he
eountenance of the Census Bureau to an in
famous and impudent fraud.
The assessed valuation of real and personal
property in different sections, as EVERYDAY
Knows, has for years been another form of
Official Justification and fraud. Mr.. Porter re-.