St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-18
THIS is A BALANCE SHEET.
Supt. Porter Gives the Financial
Condition of Cities and Towns.


WASHINGTON. Nov. 1.-THE finanan-
cial condition of S5S cities and large
towns is shown in Bulletin No. IA, is
sued by the census Office. Within few
days supplemental bulletin will be is
sued, showing the same facts in re-
latlon to remaining cities of
this size. This, with the one
which was published to-day, will rep
resent about 95 per cent of the munich
pal debt of the United States. The
statistics presented cover for each city
or town the bonded debt, the floating
debt and the total debt, the cash in the
treasury and other available resources,
the amount in sinking funds and the
total available resources, the debt in
excess OF resources, resources in excess
OF debt and the annual interest
charged. These details are given by
groups OF states, for the states
individually, and for each of the S5S
cities and towns considered as follows:
The bonded debt for 1890 shows an ill.,
crease of per cent, as compared with
1880; on the other hand the floating
debt has decreased II per cent; the in
crease in the total debt in the ten
invested in sinking funds has increased
Is per cent; the cash in the treas
ury has increased 81 per cent, and the
total available resources have increased
80 per cent since 1880. The exhibit is,
as a whole, most satisfactory and graft
tying one. During the last ten wears
the S5S cities and towns represented in
the returns. by reducing their debts or
increasing their resources,
Have Bettered Their Condition
financially to the amount OF $40, III, O19.
The Southern cities and towns have in
creased their debts by IS, ST.. 34S. but
have increased their resources by S42O,-
697; their net increase in debt is eX-
pressed by S3,156,65l. The Western
cities and towns, like the Southern,
have increased both their debts and
resources. The increase in debts
amounts to S12.656,07S, and the increase
in resources to Sl1,531, 6S5; the net in
crease i'll debt is 1,l24,393. The
cities and towns considered i'm the ter
ritories have increased their debts by
S50.577 and have increased their re-
sources by $1,000; the net increase in
debt is 81, SIT. OF the total available
resources, or $500, 575, $40, the sinking
funds represent S147. ISL, 191, or 59.65
per cent, while Sl43, So, S55, or 1885 per
cent, are in cash Or other available re-
sources. The total available re-
sources represent 1886 per cent
of the gross debt, thus leaving
CLOS per cent for future liquidation
An examination of the annual interest
charges, as compared with the gross
debt at interest, diScloSes some interest
ing comparative rates of interest in the
different sections of the Southern
nt mfr
4.9l per cent; it had risen, in 1890, to
$50 per cent, an increase of O.65
per cent. The Western states
showed an average interest charge
of SIS per cent in 1886; in 1890 it had
fallen to $50 per cent, decrease of OBS
per cent. The territories in 1880 paid
an average interest of 1882 per cent:
this had fallen to 7.0S per cent In 1890. OF
a decrease of S.74 per cent. The gen
erai average for the United States in
1880 was 5.41 per cent; in 1890 it had
fallen to 4.63 per cent, decrease of
0.7S per cent. Of the S5S
Cities and Towns Considered
in 1890, there were TO in which the
debt was in excess of the resources, and
10 III which the resources exceeded the
debts. In 1890 there were TAG "a decrease
Of $50 in which the debts exceeded the
resources and liz ian increase of 33) in
which the resources exceeded the
debts. The decrease. in debt, an
these cities and towns in which the
debts exceeded the resources in 1880. as
compared with 1880, was $50, AIS, 247.
The gain in resources over debt, in
those cities and towns in which the re-
sources exceeded the debts, in the same
period was Sl3, 29S, 772. These figures
combined give $40, 7S7, 019, which has
been previously stated as the exponent
of the financial gains of the S5S munich
palities in 1890 as compared with 1880.