St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-09-15
FOR LOWER TAXES.
THE SALARIES PAID CITY OFF,
GERS IN -FOUR WESTERN
CITIES.
ST. PAUL PAYS MOST OF ALL
IN PROPORTION TO ESTIMATED
VALUE AND TO THE POPU-
LATION.
BIG DIFFERENCES EXPLAINED.
st. Pauns Elections Cost Heavily
Complete Schedules of SaIar-
les in Four Cities.
BIG DIFFERENCES EXPLAINED.

Taking up the last subdivision of
the table Tax Levies and Assess
ments," as appears in the G 0 b e
of Sunday, Sept. s, showing dis
bursements of one year in each of
the four cities considered l find that
correction must be made in the
amount reported as interest paid by
the city of st. Paul. In that amount
the sum paid as interest on the wa
ter bonds ($114, ,2O0) is duplicated, ow-
ing to the fact that warrants are re-
corded in Exhibit No. 9, comptrollers
report, as interest for city bonds is
sued for water works. which the
city comptroller informs me are used
only in the accounting between the
board of water commissioners and
the city treasurer; the actual pay
ment of this interest being made,
with interest on other city bonds, by
orders recorded in Exhibit No. 16
The correct statement is
Ratio of
Interest Est. Per
Paid. Value. Capita.
st. Paul. .S541 1853 "a $4.07
Minneapolis ~ 296, ,262 LIS 169
Omaha c;,tu 2755a 80 d.ss d% g
Bonds and Interest" being what
may be called fixed charges, do
not require any further tabu-
lated statements but, as it was
found that a very large portion
Paul is accounted for by the dis
1c
statement of what has been done
during the past four years, by this
city, in the cancellation of interest
bearing obligations will be interest
ing, and may assist in eStimat ting
the reduction of the tax levy that
will result from this payment. In
the report of the city comptroller for
1894, on page 16, it is stated that
during the past three years no
bonds have been issued or renewed.
In that time there has been ST.
10S,S26.53 of interest-bearing debt
paid off," and "there is now out
standing of old floating debt in GER
tificates of Indebtedness $235, ,000."
By reference to the tabulated state
ment on the back of the same re-
port it appears that at this date,
Dec. 81, 1894, $1,000 of the $235, 900 is
past due, not having been presented
for payment when due, and that the
balance, 1924 200, will be due on the
1st day of September, 1895. A few
days ago (since the 1st of Septem-
ber) I was informed by the comp
troller that these certificates of in
debtedness were all paid off, and
that the outstanding tax levy GER
tif1cates are less by $4,000 than the
amount outstanding on the 31st day
Of December, 1894. Putting these
figures together shows that the
city of st. Paul has, in
the last four years, not only
paid promptly the interest on a
large debt, and paid all the regular
expenses Of the city, but has paid off
and cancelled an old debt of 81, ,343,-
826.53, the interest on which was over
$4,000 per year, or about 1924 per
day. This being the last of the old
floating debt, we may safely count
on reduction in the future tax
levies equal not only to the interest,
but such portion of the principal as
has been paid annually during the
last four years. This was, for 1894.
$309,000, and for 1895, 1924, 900, or an
average of $271 900 per year, making
total, including the interest, of
about $35O,00O per annum. This is
equal to 19-100 mills on the dollar of
the estimate value. being at the rate
of 1884 per capita, according to the
population of 1890.
In the above schedule City Officers
l have attempted to show the cost of
the principal elective offices, includ-
ing the salaries of chief officials and
assistants, The cost of printing and
stationery, including the publication
of the official proceedings of the
common council, the cost of main.
tanning the city hall, and the amount
expended during the year for cleo
t1ons. The total of these several
items was shown in schedule "Tax
Levy and Assessments" from which
1T appears that the amount expend-
ed in st. Paul for the purposes in
dicated is greater in proportion to
estimated value, and also in pro-
portion to the population, than in
either of the other cities. The
details of the different items includ-
ed in this total, and as set forth in
the above schedule, are therefore
given in the tabulated state
ment, which will assist in the
examination and will show at a