Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-12-30
MILLIONS spent
BY Big CITIES
CENSUS FIGURES SHOW WHAT IT
COSTS TO RUN MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENTS.

Washington, D. c., Dec. 29.-If the
15S largest cities Of the United States
We're to merge themselves into one
great corporation, they would need a
working capital of $1,25O,00O,O0O, or
just about the equivalent of the cap
itai stock of the United States Steel
corporation turned into hard cash.
The census bureau has made an
elaborate investigation on what it
costs to run our municipalities; how
the money is spent, and who gets it.
The net amount spent on public works
and departments. or collected from
taxes or other sources of revenue,
composed about 5S per cent of the to-
tai transactions for 1907. The remain
ing AZ per cent was spent incidental
to the conduct of the city's business or
in transactions where the city acted
merely as a fiscal agent, as in the col
lection Of revenue for the state or
county.
Departments Cost Big Per Cent.
To maintain the departments of city
government takes 36 per cent of the
total cost. During 1907 the 158 cities
enumerated collected nearly S600,000,
600 in their own revenues and then
borrowed more than s400 100000 for
improvements. But an American as a
collective institution is far from a
bankrupt
During 1907, after paying all main
tenance and operation and interest up
on debt, the cities of the United States
had among them s122,0o0,O00 to push
work.
1t costs more than S93,000,00O in a
year to protect life and property; it
cost more than s37,O00,0OO for santa
ton and the preservation of health;
the leading item of 100000 900 Is for
education and for recreation we spend
least Of all, little more than $4,000
600.
1t costs s3s7 per capita in New
York to maintain the police force and
only 49 cents in Oshkosh Wis. 1t
costs S3.42 in Washington and only "A
cents in Lincoln, Neb.
Many Cities Own Water Plants.
1t costs only 40 cents per capita to
maintain the fire department in New
port, KY. and "A cents in Harrisburg,
Pa, but it costs 1852 in Atlantic City
The tendency of municipal owner
ship shows itself in some directions. OF
these 15S cities 116 own and operate
six of them own their own market
! places.
And, in summing up the costs OF
all the items of city government, II
! appears that interest upon borrowed
money makes almost as great show.
| ing per capita as any other item. II
averages $3.04 per capita and goes VI
| as the size Of the cities increase.
Clark SAYS Farmers are Fewer
The present high prices for farm
products have come to stay; the rura
| popula tion is playing out; the presen
census. If it classes the unincorporat
| ed villages at towns, Will show be
tween so and 65 per cent of population
living in towns" declared Chaml
Clark in the house yesterday. "At the
present rate in twenty years. the
| United States Will cease to be an ex
! porting nation, for agricultural pro
| ducts, except as to cotton.
"One OF the principal causes of tn,
] high prices of farm products Is thu
world movement of peonle toward TIL
/ towns and cities, while a few people il
towns and cities have gardens anc
raise chickens and occasionally pigs
practically the entire town and cit.
population are nonproducers of any
7 thing to eat, but are consumers only
For the first time Argentina las
! year beat us in exporting corn ant
/, Argentina and Brazil are now fighting
to take the frozen meat trade from
u.s.