The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-08-04
MILLIONS SPENT FOR
CURRENT CITY EXPENSES
Report Of Census Bureau for 1905
Show. $4o5, 100000 Spent in
Towns over $4,000. -.

Washington. D. c., Aug. a.. 1910
About $4O5, 900, 900 were spent in
1908 in maintaining and operating
the city departments of the 15s
largest cities in the United States
having an estimated population ,ot
80, 900 or more in 1908, whose fnan.
cial statistics for that year have
been collected by the Census Bureau
and are analytically. presented in its
annual report on the statistics OF
cities. for the year 1908. !.
In his letter of transmittal,< to
Secretary Nagel of the Department
of Commerce and Labor, Director
Durand of the Census Bureau states
that the report was prepared under
the supervision of DR.. LeGrand
Powers. chief statistician for agri.
culture, with the assistance of Divi.
sion Chief Mailing, of the census
division of statistics of cities.
The maintenance of schools repre-.
sents 95 per cent of the tota! ex.
penses of cities for education" and
cost more than any other municipal
function, while the protection of life
and property by the police, fire, and
associated departments was second
in cost. These two functions OF
education and protection of life and
property cost S. per cent of about
$4O5, 100000. which was the total
expense of maintaining and opera.
ting city departments. For the
whole group of cities the average per
capita expense for schools was $40;
for police departmental, S2.25; and
for fire departments, SLIP. These
per capita averages vary greatly
among the several cities. Salt Lake
City expended $sslssper capita for
schools; Newton, Mass. 49,. and
New York, Boston, Washington,
Newark, Denver, Springfield, Mass,
and Sacramento each expended over
Sc for the same purpose, while
Montgomery expended only $1.63;
Charleston, $1.81; Norfolk, $2.15;
St. Joseph, $2.17; Memphis, $2.l9;
Knoxville, 1928; and Manchester
and Galveston, each 1924.
Per Capita Cost Increases.
The increase costs of maintaining
the government departments OF
cities in recent years is illustrated
by the the fact that in 147 cities
of over 10000 population in 1902 it
was 1886 per capita, while for the
same cities in 1908 it was 1861.
The costs of maintaining the
police department during the same
interval for the same cities have risen
steadily from $40 to 1926 per
per capita; the fire department, from
1888 to SLIP; health conservation
from $0.22 to $3.50; sanitation, from
S0.91 to $1.3S; highways, from $1.72
to $1.83; and schools, from $3.50 tc
$4.7O. " >
The financial transactions of these
158 largest cities involved the
receipt and expenditure of more
than one and a quarter billions Of
dollars, the payments amounting t
$1,284,OOO.O0O and the receipts t
81, $50, 100000 The excess of the
receipts over the payments was due
to large loans by the cities during
the year and is reflected in cash or
hand at the close of the year, $198,
900, 900, as compared with $145, 900,
600 on hand at the beginning of tn,
year. T.. -
| Gross payments and receipts ar,
divided into municipal payments
and receipts and agency" payment
and receipts, the latter forming onl,
81 per cent of the payments and 81
per cent of the receipts, and con
sistine of transactions in which tn
city acts as fiscal agent in collecting
revenue for the state or county or a
trustee for private parties.
The Division of PAYMENTS.