Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-10
Director Durand Of Census Bu-
reau Presents Sine In
teresting Statistics.
CITIES OF 10000 AND OVER
Jol,nstown, Pa. IIas Least Per Capita
Debt, Whlcl, Is s9.71, Willie New
York Has Largest ut ,$io3.os.


cities having II population OF 3oooo ana
over for 1905. Director Durand, of the
bureau Of tho census will present an
appendix showing tho principal classes
Of per capita payments and receipts
aud per capita net debt, on a revised
estimate BIZ population for 1908 nased
upon the3191O census return.
In the main body OF the report the
populatlnns for the cities covered had
necessarily to be estimated from the
figures shown by the censuses OF 1871
and 1900, and some subsequent state
censuscs., Now that the figures for
1910 are available. 1t is evident that
the populations Of the cities IN lsos
can be estimated with much srentef
degree OF nccuracy. For tnls reaso!l
the ner capita figures, based upon
such revised estimates as shown IN
The uppcndix, will be of greater value
for comparative purposes than those
shown In the body Of the report.
PER CAPITA DEBT.
The report explains that by net dept
IS meant the gross debt less sinking
fund assets on the revised estimate
than had been allowed for by the chr-
lier estimate of the bureau have re-
duced their per capita not debt. Ihus,
the.iper capita net debt for New York
city at the close of 1908 was Slb3.O2,
instead of s15774 as previously an.
nounccd for Detroit, $22.o5 instead OF.
s26O2: and for Sacramento, $2S.5S in
stead or s37.77. ).
Those cities that have grown less
rapidly than had been anticipated
have a correspondingly higher per
capita net debt on the revised esti-
mate. For example. tile revised per
capita, net debt for st. Joseph. Mo, Is
$685. instead of s22.s7, as previously
announced; for Butte. Mont. s29.46 in
Mo-, sle.67, instead of $3.50. Tile last
named city has been credited with
having had in 1905 the smallest per
capita net debt of any city In the
country of more than 10000 popula-
ton, but on the revised estimate that
honor falls to Johrstown. Pa, with a
debt of $9.I per capita.
.wsicrmemc otdeliEff HAOAOIOILY
On the revised estimate the cities of
over 100000 population in 1908 with
the highest per capita net debt were:
New York. S153.02; Cincinnati. S125.-
40: and Boston, s114.63. Those with
the lowest per capita net debt were:
Detroit, s22.95. and Milwaukee, SOL
6Sl
For cities of / 90, 900 to 400. 900 pop,l-
lation in 1908 those with the highest
per capita net debt were Cambridge,
Mass, sS1.53; Jersey City, s69.73;
Syracuse, S6S.66; and those with the
lowest were Indianapolis, s1S.32; and
Atlanta, S27.01.
or the cities of less than 1000
lott TON, In Wi IN
largest per capita net debt were Gall
weston, s11O.36: Portland. Me-, s107.-
49,: and Newton, Mass, S106.39: and
those with the smallest were Johns
town, Pa. $9.7l; Tcrre Haute, SELF;
and joplin, Mo-, Sl2.67.
PER CAPITA PAYMENTS FOR EN-
PENSES.
The report states that in general the
ordinary expenses of maintaining the
different departments of government
on Il per cupita basis are greater in
the larger cities than in the smaller,
though there are many exceptions.
Such per capita expenses for the
three largest cities of Rhode Island for
1908 were SlG.10 for Providence S14,-
20 for Pawtucket, and 0.13 for Woon-
socket; similar figures for Georgia are:
$1lf2 for Atlanta. S9.03 for Savan-
nah. and S774 for Macon.
-Of the cities of over 100000 popu-
lation those having tho largest per
capita payments for expenses were
Boston. s2S.50; Washington, s25,73;
and New York city. s24.99 Chicago
and philadelphia have nearly the same
per capita payments for expenses,
S1S,2S and $1S.3s, respectively; while
baltimore. Cleveland, Detroit, and
milwaukee, have per capita payments
varying from s15.21 to s15.a2.
By comparing the per capita en-
penses Of one city with those of
brought out in the report. For In
stance. 1t Is to be noted that such ex-
penses are generally higher in the
northern than IN the southern cities,
the reason therefor being in part that
( The county bears n larger part or tho
expenses of maintaining schools in
southern cities. But police protection
also costs less In many southern cities.
especially In those of the state of
Texas. while the per capita cost for
maintaining highways is also generally
less Doubtless generally smaller
daily wage in southern cities is an
tlmportant factor in this result.
& For tho 20 cities OF Massachusetts
covered by the renort tho per canita
expenses arc greatest for Boston,
SIS 90; Newton, s23.a2 Springfield,
slS.93, and Holyoke, 100: for the
remaining cities they range from
sl2.n7 for Lawrence to SlG.4l for Cam
bridge. On Its fire department Law
renee and So,ncrvillc spent each 81. IA
Per capita, while Hoyoke and Spring
field, cities Of Approximately the same
size, spent $40 and s2Os, respectively.
& NOTABLY Low PER CAPITA 4
CITIES.
The per capita expenses of the cities
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and
pittsburg excepted AFRO notably low