Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-11-21
CUSTOM HOUSE CASH.
How 1t Averages in Supplying
the Government with Nee.
essary Revenue.
GIVES A PRETTY REGULAR INCOME.

| Present Tariff Figured TO Provide Hall
the Governments Receipts-How Near
| Il Comes to Doing What 1t Is There For
| Report on the Operation of the New
bankrupt Law-No Gases Hereunder in
Seven Districts.
! Washington. Nov. 21-The recent dis
| cussion as to the revenue producing
qualities Of the present tariff law lends
especial interest to a 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
amo ant to one-haIf of the ordinary ex-
peIditures Of the government. which is
about the usual proportion allotted to
4 that branch o. the revenue producing
service. The ordinary expenditures of
the government, aside from those of the
| pOstOhice department-which is practi-
celly self-sustaininG-are usually cal
culated at about 81 ,OOO.oO0 per day, and
averaged during the years 1894 to 1897
[ SS6O,5CO.OOO per annu.n, and at about the
same rate in 1898, emitting the Pacific
railroad and extraordinary wGr cxpen-
Gitures.
Plans of Revenue Designers.
The general plans of these charged
with the duty of providing the revenues
for the government have contemplated
the production of one-half of the neces-
sary expenditures. from customs and the
remaining half from internal revenue
/ and miscellaneous sources, or in other
words. $500 eco a day from customs and
$500 COO a day from internal revenue
and miscellaneous. 1t is interesting.
therefore, to examine the detailed fig
( ures of the receipts of the government
| during the time in which the present
| customs law has operated under normal
| conditions. and to determine whether it
is supplying its assigned proportion
one-half-of the normal expenditures.
The daily statement Of receipts and eX-
! penditures ISSUED by the treasury de-
partment shows that on Nov. Il, the
10th day of the present fiscal year, the
customs receipts had during these 1i0
days amounted to $40. $40. 429.
Comes Very Close to the Estimate.
OF this sum little over 81. OCO was
from the duty placed upon tea by the
war revenue act. so that fully 12,OO0.-
coo of the S73.3i0, 429 received in these 14U
days are the legitimate normal reve-
nues from the rates levied by the cus-
toms law enacted in July. 1887, or a lit
tie more than the promised rate of $500.
The receipts from customs during the
past ten years have averaged SlJlg9 eco
per month. This ten years term in
cludes the operations Of four tariff
laws. and it is therefore interesting to
compare the operations of the new law
at its various stages with this general
average during q ten years term which
includes the operations OF four tariff
acts.
Half Yearly Averages of Receipts.
AS IT was not expected that the new
law would in its fyst few months opc-
rate normally in its production Of Gus
toms revenues. owing to the excessive
impoTtations just prior to its enact
ment. it is not improper to show first
the average receipts during the first
four months Of its OF Grafton included in
the calendar year 1897. and also to con-
slider separately the last four months
or its operation dating from the begin
ming OF the present fiscal year The re-
ceipts from customs-mOnthly average
are as follows:
Ten years. 1SS9-9S. So. $4,000
August to December, 1S97...... 9.221O00
Ian. l TO July l. lS9S....-.-....- l5.uil.OOO
July TO Nov. / 1898. .......... 1885, eco