Evening star., 1898-11-21
MONEY FOR GOVERNMENT
The Ordinary Expenditures Are Calculated
at 100000 Per Day.

The recent discussion as to the revenue
producing qualities of the present tariff
law lends special interest to a series of
tables Just issued ny the treasury bureau
of statistics. showing the receipts from
various sources by months during a long
term # years.
An examination of these figures shows
thai the customs receipts of the Treasury
Department now amount to one-half of
the ordinary expenditures Of the govern
meut. which is about the usual proportion
allotted 10 that branch Of the revenue-pro-
ducing service. The ordinary expenditures
of the governments. aside from those of the
Post Office Department. winch is practical
ly scif-sustaining. are usually cr3lcH ated at
about S1cU.t1O per day. and averaged dur
ing the years 1891 to 1887 s:IiD,5l1.1" per
aunum. and at about the same rat il ISIS.
emitting the Pacific railroad and extra or
dinary war expenditures. The general plans
Of those charged with The duty OF providing
the revenues for the government have con-
templated the production of One-half Cf the
ncCe 5Sary expenditures from customs and
the remaining half from Internal revenue
and miscellaneous sources, or. in other
words. u half million dol dTS Il day from
customs and half million dollars d day
from internal revenue and nisceIla neous.
The Daily Statement.
1t is interesting, therefore. 10 examine the
detailed figures OF the receipts of the gov
ernment during the time IN which the pres
ent custom law has operated under normal
conditions and to determine whether it is
supplying its assigned proportion-one-hal
of the normal expenditures. The daily
statement Of receipts and expenditures is
sued by the Treasury Department shows
that on November Il, the 1lJth lay of the
present fiscal year. tn customs receipts
had during these 40 days amounted to
$I%.::n. .42'. OF this sum 81 Httle over 81 .o1O.-
oou was from the duty placed upon tea by
the war revenue act: So that fully S72.pND,-
Gb of the S13.34u.42g received in these 40
days are the legitimate normal revenues
from the rates levied by the customs law
enacted in July, 1891. or a little m1re than
the promised rate Of a half milton dollars
a day from customs under that act.
The receipts from customs during the
past ten years have averaged Sl5 1:ElrpO per
month This ten years term includes the
operations of four tariff I9ws. and it is
therefore interesting to compare the opera
tiOnS of the new law at its various stages
years term. which includes the operations
of four tariff acts.
As il was not expected .- The new law
would in its first few = IS operate nor
mally in its production .. -GStonS revenue,
owing to the excessive ImpoF-sGianS IuSt
prior To its enactment. it is not improper
10 show, first, the average rcceIp-S during
the first four months of 'ts operation m
Cluded in the calendar year 1871. and also
10 consider separately the las, four months
of its operation dating from the pesinning
Of the present fiscal year.
Receipts from customs. monthly average
Ten years. 1SS9-9S. 81. .l99 ,Hn August IL
December. 1891. So.227 900. January l. 1895,
To- November /. 1SgS. SIJ.r11 500: July 1 to
November /. 1S9S SO 1,i 900.