The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-01
MUNICIPAL STATISTICS
The Census Bureau Gives Out Figvres of Cities Having from 5000 to 25,000
 Population.

the government, took only s.2 per cent of the budget; and the maintenance af the city courts, only ene-half of 1 per cent The per cents of the total form ed by the other principal items of ex- pendfture were as follows: Interest on public debt 12; highways, other than for cleaning and lighting. s.5; fire e. partment, s1; police department, s.2; street lighting, 6.2 charities, 3; street cleaning and refuse disposal, 2: health department, Is; libraries, museums, etc, 1.2: sewers and sewage disposal. l; parks and gardens, one-half of per cent; and prisons. only one-fifth of l per cent.
 There is a striking difference be- tween the cities under 25.000 popula- tion and those over 25,000 in the ex- penditures for police and fire protcc- tion. In the former, fire protection costs on the average about one-third more than police protection In t..e latter, police protection costs two-fif.ns more than fire protection. The cost of the schools in the smaller cities WIS approximately greater than in the larger, being 31 per cent of the total expenditure. to 25.1 per cent for the larger cities. It Is surprising to note that the total payments for general and municipal service expenses for the 3s9 minor cities included in the report. sm- bracing a total population of 5,241,7S:. amounted to less than e-eighths of those for the single city of New Yo.k. which. in 1903. had an estimated popu- lation of 3,716,139.
 Debts and Taxes.
 In the fiscal year 1903 the total amount received by the 369 cities on account of debt obligations issued 70 the public was s28,750.413. and the to-. tai amount paid to the public for che liquidation of the principal of munici- pal debt was s2i,12o.o4s. Thus the rs- ceipts exceeded the payments by s7.-| 63o,37o. Of the 36s cities 2o4 received from the public more than they paid, thus increasing their indebtedness; and 163 paid more than they received, thus reducing their indebtedness; while the payments and receipts of the other two balanced.
 A study of the report indicates that as a rule the minor cities are very con- servative with reference to their meth ods of paying for permanent improve ments. The Improvements paid for by these cities in the fiscal year 1903 had a value of $21.4s2,546; the net increass in the debt of the same cities was IT, s30,s70, or only s5.5 per cent of she value of the Improvements. Hence these cities, as a whole, paid for JAS per cent of their permanent improve ments from their annual revenues.
 Direct taxes levied upon property in general were the most important source of revenue of the minor cities. constituting 76.4 per cent of the total. Special property and business axes. such as bank taxes. mortgage taxes. etc, were reported principally by Mas- sachusetts and New York cities, and constituted 2.6 per cent of the total. Poll taxes were levied in f50 cities, but constituted less than 1 per cent of the aggregate revenue for the minor cit- ies. The cities of Massachusetts con tributed 3s.1 per cent to the total poll tax reported by the 369 cities. Liquor licenses brought in 7.6 per cent of the total revenues; other licenses and per- mits. per cent; and fines and forfeits, Is per cent Cities in the Southern States reported the largest collections. relatively, from licenses other than liquor licenses.
 The aggregate debt obligations of the 369 cities in 1903 was $155,267,244: and the debt less sinking fund assets, s14S.- s56,1s1, or $277s per capita. The larg- est debt per capita, $1o7.i5. was owed by Mt. Vernon, N. Y. Portsmouth. N. H., stood next. with per capita debr of $93.71; Wakefield. Mass. followed, with $s8.24; and New Rochelle. N. r.. with $S6.S3. Though these figures are aIarmingly high, they are not as ign as in the case of two of the great HIt- ies of the country. Boston in 1903 had a per capita debt of $14s.25, and New York, one of $143.42. Six cities rep rt- ed debts between $70 and $S0 per .ao- ita; eleven between $60 and $70; and sixteen between $50 and $50. Only one city, Morristown. N J.. was free from debt, and in the case of forty eight cities, the debt was less than $10 per capita.
 A copy of the bulletin may be obtain ed upon application to the Director of the Census.