The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-21
Half of This sum Derived Mostly
from Internal Revenue and the
Rest Collected from Imports.
BANKRUPTCY LAW PETITIONS
ABOUT 1900 FILED SINCE THE NEW
ACT WENT INTO EFFECT.
Thirty-FOur Voluntary Cases in In
diana and 267 in New YOrk-SOme
Courts Waiting for Rules.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2O-The recent dis
cussion as to the revenue producing quail
ties of the present tariff law lends especial
interest to a series of tables just issued
by the treasury Bureau of Statistics show
ing the receipts from various sources by
months during a long term of years. An ex-
animation of these figures shows that the
customs receipts of the Treasury Depart
ment now amount to one-half of the ordi-
nary expenditures of the government, which
is about the usual proportion allotted to
that branch of the revenue-producing serv-
ice. The ordinary expenditures of the gov
ernment aside from those of the Postoffice
Department, which is practically self-sus-
tanning, are usually calculated at about
81, O00 per day, and averaged during the
years 1894 to 1897 $780, 100000 per annum and
at about the same rate in 1898, emitting the
Pacific Railroad and extraordinary war ex-
penditures The general plans of those
charged with the duty Of providing the
revenues for the government have contem-
plated the production Of one-half of the
necessary expenditures from customs and
the remaining half from internal revenue
and miscellaneous sources, or in other
words, a half million dollars a day from
customs and a half million dollars a day
from internal revenue and miscellaneous
1t is interesting, therefore, to examine the
detailed figures of the receipts of the gov
ernment during the time in which the pres
ent customs law has operated under normal
conditions and to determine whether it is
supplying it's assigned proportion, one-half
of the normal expenditures.
The daily statement of receipts and ex-
penditures issued by the Treasury Depart
ment shows that on Nov. II, the 10th day
of the present fiscal year, the customs re-
ceipts had during these 140 days amounted
to $73, 3,340 429. OF this sum a little over ST.
100000 was from the duty placed on tea
by the war revenue act, so that fully $72,-
600, 900 of the $7S $40 429 received in these 14O
days are the legitimate normal revenues
from the rates levied by the customs law
enacted in July, 1897 or little more than
the promised rate of half million dollars
a day from customs under that act.
The receipts from customs during the past
ten years have averaged $15 900 per
month. This ten years term includes the
operations of four tariffs laws, and it is
therefore interesting to compare the opera
tions of the new law at it's various stages
with this general average during a ten
years term which includes the operations
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
importations just prior to its enactment, it
is not improper to show first the average
receipts during the first four months of its
operation included in the calendar year 1897
and also to consider separately the last four
months of it's operation, dating from the
beginning of the present fiscal year. The
monthly average receipts from customs fol-
lows: Ten years 1SS9-99, SIS $4,000; August
to December, 1897, 1927 900; Jan. to Nov.
l. 1898, $15, Oh. 900; July to Nov. 1, 1885, $15-
933 OOO