The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1898-11-26
= rIILLION A DAY.

Til Oriin,ry Expei iscs of the Gov
erument outside the p. o. Depart
ment. Customs Pay Half and Inter-
nal Revenue, Etc, the Rest.
Washington, Nov. 2l.-The re-
cent discussion as to the revenue
producing qualities of the present
tariff law lends especial interest
to series of tables just issued by
the Treasury Bureau of Statistics,
showing the receipts from various
sources by months during a long
term of years.
An examination of these figures
shows that the customs receipts
of the Treasury Department now
amount to one-half of the ordina
ry expenditures of the govern
ment, which is about the usual
proportion allotted to that branch
of the revenue-producing service.
The ordinary expenditures of the
government, aside from those of
the Postoffice Department, which
is practically self-sustaining. are
usually calculated at about 81 900,
900 per day, and averaged during
the year 1894 to 1897S360, 100000
per annum, and at about the same
rate in 1898, omitting the Pacific
railroad and extraordinary war
expenditures. The general plans
of those charged with the duty of
providing the revenues for the
government have contemplated
the production of one-half of the
necessary expenditures from Gus
toms and the remaining half from
internal revenue and miccllaneous
sources, or, in other words, half
million dollars a day from GUS
toms and Il half million dollars a
day from internal revenue and
miscellaneous.
1t is interesting, therefore, to
examine the detailed figures of
the receipts of the government
during the time in which the pre-
sent custom law has operated un
der normal conditions, and to
determine whether it is supplying
its assigned proportion-one-half
of the normal expenditures. The
daily statement of receipts and
expenditures issued by the Treas
ury Department shows that on
November 18th, the 140th day of
the present fiscal year, the Gus
toms receipts had during these
l40 days amounted to $73, ,340, ,429.
Of this sum a little over $1,000,
900 was from the duty placed
upon tea by the war revenue act
so that fully $72,000,000 of the
| $73, ,340,4 ,429 received in these 140
days are the legiti mate noimal
revenues from the rates levied by
the cuetoms law enacted in July,
| 1897, or a little more than pro
missed rate of half million dol
lars a day from customs under
that act.
The receipt from customs du-
ring the past ten years have ave-
ragged $l5, ,199, 900 per month. This
ten-years term includes the opera
tions of four tariff laws, and it is,
therefore, interesting to compare
the operations of the new law at
its various stages with this gene
raj average during a ten years
term which includes the opera
tions of four tariff acts.
As it was not expected that the
new law would in its first few
| months operate normally in its
production of customs revenue.
owing to the excessive importa-
tions just prior to its enactment,
is not improper to show, first the
average receipts during the first
four months of it's operation. in
cluded in the calendar year 1897,
and also to consider separately the
| last four months of its operation,
dating from the beginning of the
present fiscal year. .
| Monthly average;
Ten wears, 1855 slo,1ss,o00 ,asso ~
/ August to December 1887 100 % 81 'o01 'lssl
Iannarv TO November ], 1893 I5ga ., ~ ~
July 10 November l, 1885 io'sSo'oo0 -
~ WNote-The receipts from tea
from July | to Nov. |, 1898 were
1850 no foav;no the monthly