Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-06-24
State Finances.

Dep. Atty General Elkin is quoted as
follows:
A deficit does exist. and think it Is
the duty of every citizen interested in
the welfare of his State to recognize the
fact and help to provide the proper rem
edy. There is now a deficit of over
S3 500, 900, made up in the following
manner
The appropriations made to the com
mon schools by the last session of the
Legislature has not been paid except for
one year The school appropriation Is
due and payable at the end, and not the
beginning of the school year, hence 1t
follows that the appropriation already
made for the school year, which began
on the first Monday OF June lo9. re
mains unpaid. IN other words the State
now owes he entire sum OF 50. 500. 600 70
the school districts throughout the Com
mouwealth There is IN the State treas
uryfor this and other purposes in round
numbers, 81 000 900. So Ii can readily
bs seen that if all the available funds
We're paid ont on account Of the school
appropriation, there would be a dehcl-
ency in this one item OF 81, 500, 600.
'Ln addition 20 this, however, the
amount paid out on the warrant OF the
Auditor General quarterly for the sup
port OF the penal and charitable Instltu-
tions insane asylums and general eZ-
penses Of State governments $1,000, 900
The entire amount of the quarter ending
May5l last has not yet been paid Inls
is due and must be paid at al early date.
The State also owes the city OF PhIia-
delphia. ON account of personal property
tax paid into the treasury and not YET
/ IL =
these already large items must be added
very considerable more than $500, 900,
| balances due on appropriations 70 the
University Of Pennsylvania and other
! nstisutions, as well as amounts due
! several counties on account Of personal
I property tax.
TO sum it all up. il the State should
apply every dollar in her treasury to
/ the pay ment of appropriations hereto
/ fore made and now due, there would
I still be q deficiency of 81 500 600 in the
I common school fund, s. 000.0o0 on ac-
| count of quarterly payments provided
| for in the general appropriation act,
| $500, 600 to the city of Philadelphia anu
| over $500, 600 to other institutions and
counties. making total deficit OF more
than s., 500, 900 These figures are stated
| in round numbers, but they are correct,
and can be relied upon.
Many persons not familiar with the
whole question are mistaken as TO the
amount of our net revenue. The mistake
is made in this way: The gross revenues
of the State are something more than
s12, 000, 900 annually. This amount in
cludes the entire personal property tax
| collected by the counties and paid into
the state treasury. Three fourths OF
this amount, which approximates 81, 800
| 600 annually, is returned to the counties.
| When this amount is deducted from the
gross revenue, the balance available
for appropriation purposes is less than
so, ZOO, 600 per year. orabout $50, 900 o0o
| for two years.
''The largest increase is in the appro-
priations made for the support of the
| common schools In addition to this,
| the penal Institutions are caring for a
| larger number of prisoners, inmates and
patients, in consequence of which new
buildings have been erected and exten-
sions made All of these things have
been expensive to the State. The ap-
preparation that has been largely re
sponsible for the deficiency is that
made to the common schools.