Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-20
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
teresting-vast Sums Required to Do
the Nations Work.
Especial Correspondence

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5.-Probably YOU rea
in the newspapers few days ago that les
than 1000, 900 currency was in the treasur
vaults here available for business. and tba
for two or three weeks the officials of til
treasury department have been compelle
to hustle" for funds with which to NEE
the requirements of the government A
a matter of fact, Uncle Sam was not Quit
so hard up for ready cash as this state
ment would imply, for in addition to tn
million dollars on hand here he had OF
the day mentioned ten or twelve million
in currency on deposit in the New YorI
and other subtreasuries. But twelve O
thirteen millions is n narrow margin fo
Uncle Sam to go on. A lady whom
know read in the newspapers that ou1
uncle was hard up; and then she turned
to the first paragraph in her favorite Wash
lngton newspaper, which always reads;
Government receipts today, customs S491
55OOl; internal revenue, S467, 372.38
See what lot of money the govern
ment takes in every day." she exclaimed
What in the world does it do with it all ?,
This was a very interesting question,
and tried to answer it,
No one can as 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
sorts of expenditure, interest on the ma
tional debt, sinking fund and the opera
lions OF the postoffice department, which
Is practically self sustaining
The governments greatest expense item
is the pension roll. During the year end
ing June 80 next the pension appropria-
ton is $133, 173, 0S5. This is the sum set
apart for pensions. A little more than
$1,000, 600 is appropriated for the expenses
OF the pension Office, the fees of examining
surgeons, ETC., SO that the total reads:
PENSIONS. .$l35 PA, 1856
Second in Importance, in the amount of
money involved, come what are known as
the permanent annual appropriations. The
sinking fund takes about $50, 900 900; inter-
est on the public debt about $25, 900 900;
collecting the revenue from customs.
S6,4OO,OOO; arms, stores and camp equipage
for the militia, S400, 900; marine hospitals.
S5OOOOO interest on Pacific railway stock.
S3,oU,OOO; Union Pacific sinking fund.
S95O,OOO; Central Pacific sinking fund.
$4,000 repayment of excess to i'm porters.
S4,OOOOOO; mail transportation on Pacific
roads, 81, 600, and enough other items
to make total Of
Permanent annual appropriations. S122, 4s6. SOS
The third largest item is for the post
Office department. 1t is interesting to note
how the money is distributed. In a year
the railroads of the United States are paid
So, SOC, 900 for carrying the mails. The 3d.
QUO postmasters in the Union draw S14.-
100000 a year. This is great suuSntJ1
money, buU average salary sofify 500
for twelve months The free delivery serv-
ice in cities and towns costs little more
than $10,000,000 a year. Clerks In post
Offices are paid $S,000,000. The skillful
hard worked men who ride in the postal
cars and distribute mail en- route get
&C, $50 900 a year, and should have more
Carrying the mails by what is known as
'sStar routes"-by horse, wagon, stage,
man, boy or woman-nearly $6,0O0,O0o
Purchase and maintenance of railway pos
tai cars, s., 700,0 600 Rent, light, fuel for
postoffices, 81 100000 Transportation of
foreign mails 81, 25O, 0OO Mail messengers,
or carrying mails to and from railway sta
tions and postoffices, 81, 100000 Manufac-
ture of stamped envelopes, newspaper
wrappers, etc, almost 100000. Carry
ing mails on eamboats, 1926, 600. Wrap
ping Irvine, $4,000; wrapping paper, $780,
600; mail bags, $260.0O0; manufacture of
postage stamps, 100000; manufacture of
postal cards, 1914, 900, and other items swell
the total for the
Postofice department. $77,9O7,SS2
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 $29,0O0,000 for pen
sions all the way down the gamut of fig
ures to ~. B. Bryan g. Bro, for soap, SO
cents" and "E. G. Wheeler, for hinges, 10
cents" Under this head comes payment
of claims to the amount of about 50, 100000,
and ranging from 81, 100000 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 half million dollars for
printing, giving grand total Of
Deficiency S3S, &c., 10
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 hundred court
houses, postoffices, ETC., ranging in cost
from 5000 d $4,000, the whole sum thus
appropriated being
Public buildings. .Se'o'o'Slz
More than half a million dollars is de
voted to the erection of new lighthouses
1875. 900 for supplies for lighthouses, S345
600 for repairs, S645, 900 for salaries of keep
ers $3.50 900 for light vessels, 1886, 900 for the
buoys and $685. 900 for lights on rivers, IL
all, for
Lighthouses. ~~'o''oo'
1t is a pity that the 252 brave men wh'
keep Uncle Sans 252 life saving stations
should receive only $4,000 year salary
but that is all they get. Their assistants
the surfmen, are paid 100000, and tn
total is
Life saving SERVICE. '9l,oo4'o'
The revenue cutter service, largely de
voted to customs police work IN New
York harbor and protection of govern
ment's interest in the sealing waters o
Alaska, costs a million dollars year
The bureau of engraving and printing
where Uncle Sam prints the crisp, dc
llightful bills which he hands out more o
less freely, costs him 81, 100000 year. Flo
surveys of his coasts, soundings, measure
ment of the tides, ETC., he pays out eac
year through the coast and geodetic SUI
vey more than half a million dollars. Hi
great National museum and Smithsonia
institution together cost him $40, 600. Th