The San Francisco call., 1896-07-31
Thirteen Million Dollars Excess
of Expenditures Over
Receipts.
EXCUSES OF THE OFFICIALS
Payment of the Sugar Bounties Will
Prevent Any Improvement
in August.

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 9o.-To-
morrow is the last day of the first month
OF this fiscal year. The deficit OF the
treasury is to-day thirteen and half
millions for the first month. 1t will be re-
duced by methods so well known to treas
ury officials by about half a million to-
morrow, SO that the shortage for the first
month will be only thirteen millions.
1t is stated'at the treasury, in extenua-
ton of this appalling. deficit, that the first
month of every fiscal year always shows
the heaviest expenditures of the year.
There are the deficiency appropriations
coming over from the preceding fiscal year
to be met, and the expenses of all depart
ments are always of unusual amount.
Thus this month $13, ,000 600 was spent by
the Pension Bureau, $1,000, 900 was paid
out in interest, more than S., 600, 600 was
required for the War Department, s., 4,00o,-
600 for the Navy Department, and over
So, 900, 900 in other departments not speci-
fed in the above list.
The deficit for the month should prop
erly be $4,000, 900, inasmuch as Secretary
Carlisle promised the Louisiana and Cali
fornia sugar planters again and again that
the $4,000 600 for sugar bounty would be
paid out. this month. In view of the
startling proportions which the deficit was
already acquiring early in the month, Mr..
Carlisle simply suspended the fulfillmen ent
of such promises. He has given directions,
however, that the $1,000, 600 shall be paid
next month, and first payments will be
made on next Monday. With $1,000 900
sugar bounty to be paid out of the treas
A7rir Re Of hno Ia
hope is entertained by the treasury officials
that the deficit for the second month of
the fiscal year will be much smaller than
that for the first.
The feeling among well-informed Of
ficials as to the treasury's prospects for
this year is by no means sanguine. In
spite of all that is printed by free-trade
writers the customs receipts. under the
Wilson bill are not improving. On the
contrary, they are steadily falling off.
Internal revenue receipts. or at least that
portion derived from the whisky tax, show
a growth. This is accounted for by the
fact that all the whisky which was hur-
riedly taken out of bond Just before the
Wilson bill increasing the whisky tax
from 80 cents to 81 10 per gallon went into
effect has now been consumed.
1t is not believed that the Presidential
campaign this year will have much effect
on importations. In the two preceding
Presidential elections, tariff being the
overwhelming issue, importers held back
all goods ordered until after the elections.
There is such a strong feeling, however,
among business men that there will be
no tariff legislation for years to come, no
matter how the election goes, chat there
will be no noticeable effect in the customs
receipts this summer and fall.
Treasury experts have, of course no ex-
pectation that the promise of a surplus OF
$7,000,Q00 at the end of this year, made
by Secretary Carlisle: in his last annual
report, will be fulfilled. They expect the
usual deficit