The Mena weekly star., 1906-08-09
NIlEST|NG STATISTICS.
c,usus Bulletin Regarding the 151
 Leading Cities of the Uni ted States. .-
avt MORE THAN TIE NATIONAL DEBT
.-u,erate Debt is $I,53I .462, ,655---Pcr Capita Debt, $56.97---Waterworks the Mast Important of the Municipal In- dustries---New York. New Orleans and Chicago Lead in Acreage.


 dustries---New York, New Orleans and
 Chicago Lead in Acreage.
 
 Washington, Aug. 8.-The census
 hureau Tuesday issued q bulletin on
 satisfies for 1904 of cities having a
 population of over 20000, the cities
 covered numbering 151. Of these
 New York held the largest land area,
 Oa21S acres, New Orleans with 125,-
 600 acres, and Chicago. with 114,932,
 ranking next. Hoboken, with 825
 acres, had the smallest land area.
 The total corporate expenditures of
 the 15l cities for the fiscal year 1904.
 exclusive of payments by one depart
 ment of the city to another were $554,-
 440,215 of which those of New York constituted s167, 7,0G0.171, or three tenths. The total expenditures showed an increase of s27.10S.7f3. of 5.s per cent over 1903. and of sS5. ,590, or 1S1 per cent over 1902.
 Of the total running expenses of the isi cities, 61.7 per cent went for sal aries and wages. and 3S.3 for all other objects
 Total receipts were s594.I75,99 of which $472.423.S5S, or 79.5 per cent were from taxes and other revenues. and s121,752,i40, or POS per cent from loans increasing indebtedness.
 The receipts from municipal indus tries, such as gas and waterworks and other commercial revenues amounted to 12.2S6.S27
 Of the municipal industries, by far the most important are the water works. They are reported by los of the 151 cities and their value consti tntes 63.S per cent of the aggregate value of all municipal industry prop critics. The cities of over 100000 pop ulatien not owning waterworks were San Francisco. New Orleans. Omaha, New Haven. St. Joseph. Scranton and Paterson. Of the sS,0O0,000 invested in electric light works. c hicago re ported about one-half.
 Nearly all of the s3l. 100000 invested in gas works was reported by Phila delphia.
 Four cities were shown to be in the irrigation business-Denver. Los An geles. Salt Lake City and San An. tonio; three had tell bridges-New York, Covington and La Crosse; and two were operating municipal ferries Y Boston and Portland. Ore. The only city running stone quarry and crusher was Auburn, N. r., and the only one having municipal asphalt plant was Detroit.
 The aggregate value of the proper lies of all municipal industries as here was s7s0. .570,726. The 15l cities have already met from general revenues nearly one-half the cost oi their industrial plants but still owe 534 per cent of the total value. out lays for permanent improvements are met from current revenue in Ameri can cities more generally than III British.
 The aggregate debt of the 15l cities lt the close of the year was $l,55l,- i62. .655 and debt less sinking fuhas s1 ,22S. .216,933 more than one-rourth greater than the national debt. me per capita debt less sinking funds was s56.97. Of the individual cities, the largest per capita net debt was re ported by Newton. Mass. $l25.oS; the second largest. New York, $l13.2s; the third, Boston, s10s.l7; the fourth' $104.19.
 Only ten other cities had per capita net debt of over $75 The taS lev, per capita was largest for bos- ton, S3016.