Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-10-16
UNCLE SANS MONEY,
ROBERT GRAVES TELLS US HOW
HE SPENDS 1T.

Here Is That Unusual Thing, a Letter
Full of Figures That Are Intensely In
t~eresting-vast Sums Required to DC
the Nations Work.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5.-Probably you read
in the newspapers a few days ago that less
than 81, 0OO, 600 currency was in the treasury
vaults here available for business, and that
for two or three weeks the officials of the
treasury department. nave been compelled
to hustle" for funds with which to meet
the requirements Of the government. As
a matter of fact, Uncle Sam was not quite
so hard up for ready cash as this state
ment would imply, for in addition to the
million dollars on hand here he had on
the day mentioned ten or twelve millions
in currency on deposit in the New York
and other subtreasuries. But twelve or
thirteen millions is a narrow margin for
Uncle Sam to go on. A lady whom I
know read in the newspapers that our
uncle was hard up; and then she turned
to the first paragraph in her ~favorite Wash
ington newspaper, which always reads:
Government receipts today, CUSTOMS, S49l,-
550.0l; internal revenue, $467 1928.
"See what a lot of money the govern
ment takes in every day." she exclaimed.
what in the world does it do with it ALP"
This was a very interesting question,
and l tried to answer it.
No one can us yet say just how much
money the government will expend during
this current year, but the amount will not
vary much from five hundred millions of
dollars. This OF course will include all
cN~fc of w 1~O @D~ok 49,. H.
tional debt, sinking Juno and the opera
tions of the postoffice department, which
is practically self sustaining.
The governments greatest expense item
is the pension roll. During the year end
ing June 30 next, the pension appropria-
ton is Sl33, 173, 0S5. This is the sum set
apart for pensions. A little more than
$4,000, 600 is appropriated for the expenses
of the pension office, the fees of examining
surgeons, ETC., so that the total reads:
Second in Importance, in the amount of
money involved, come what are known as
the permanent annual appropriations. The
sinking fund takes about $50, 600, 900; inter-
est on the public debt about $25, 600, 600:
collecting the revenue from customs,
sc, AGO. 600; arms, stores and camp equipage
for the militia, $500, 900; marine hospitals,
100000; interest on Pacific railway stock,
S3,S77, 600; Union Pacific sinking fund,
$950,0O0: Central Pacific sinking fund,
S37O,O00; repayment of excess to importers,
s., 00O,0 600; mail transportation on Pacific
roads, 81 200, 600, and enough other items
to make a total Of
Permanent annual appropriations .S1222, 4SG, sos
The third largest item is for the post
| nffica 1pDartn)ant If iS jpr araStipr r., ,oto
how the money is distributed. In a year
the railroads of the United States are paid
$22, 500, 600 for carrying the mails. The g.
600 postmasters in the Union draw $14,.
100000 a year. This is ii great sum of
money, but the average salary is only $ss,31
for twelve months. The free delivery serv
ice in cities and towns costs IA little more
than SlO,O00,O 600 a year. Clerks in post
offices are paid $4,000, 900. The skillful,
hard worked men who ride in the postal
cars and distribute mail ell route get
$780, 600 a year, and should nave more.
Carrying the mails by what is known as
Star routes'-by horse, wagon, stage,
man, boy or woman-nearly $4,000, 900.
Purchase and maintenance of railway DOS
tai cars, s., 70O,0 600. Rent, light, fuel for
postoffices, 81, 300, 900. Transportation of
foreign mails, 81, 225O, 600. Mail messengers,
or carrying mails to and from railway sta
tions and postot1ices, 81, 200,0 600. Manufac-
ture of stamped envelopes, newspaper
wrappers, etc, almost 81 1000, 900. Carry
ing mails on steamboats,, 1925 600. Wrap
ping Irvine, $S5, 900; wrapping paper, $780,
600; mail bags, $500, 600; manufacture of
postage stamps, $500, 600; manufacture of
postal cards, S214, 600. and other items swell
the total for the
Postoffice department. 81, 97, 22as2
Fourth in amount of money disbursed
is the deficiency list. 1t happens, of course,
in the operations of the government, that
many expenses cannot be foreseen, even
by all the wise men of the government and
congress, and when the accounts are made
up at the end of a fiscal year an appropria-
ton must be made to meet a great number
of obligations. This year, for instance,
the deficiency list embraces a thousand
separate items, from S29, GOO, 600 for pen
sions all the way down the gamut of fig
ures to 81. B. Bryan & Bro, for soap, SO
CENTS" n "E. G. Wheeler, for hinges, 10
cents" Under this head comes
Of claims to the amount of about 81, 900, 600,
and ranging from s., 300, 900 on the famous
French spoliation claims to somebody or
other "for transportation of Indian sup
plies, Scents" A million dollars goes for
carrying on the work of equipping men-of-
war vessels, and a half million dollars for
printing, giving a grand total Of
OeAlcleuCy. %SS,6SS, 40
What Uncle Sam terms his "sundry
civil" appropriations next attract our at
tention. Here we discover that the gov
eminent is in the building business on a
a large scale, for money is set apart for the
erection of more than a hundred court
houses, postoffices, ETC., ranging in cost
from 5000 to $4,000, the whole sum thus
appropriated being
plC So,ol6yzLS
More than half a million dollars is de-
voted to the erection of new lighthouses;
$375, 900 for supplies for lighthouses. $345,
600 for repairs, $685. 600 for salaries of keep
ers, $500 0 for light vessels, 1886, 600 for the
buoys and $2s3, 900 for lights on rivers, in
all, for
p@soIo,VU
1t is a pity that the 252 brave men who
keep Uncle Sans 252 life saving stations
ghOul6 rpcpiva oDlv 31RQ 0n0 q vaor color,