The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-05
CITY FINiyCES.
Receipts aud Expenditures of the
Iarxcr MunIcIpaIItIes.

To TUE EptroE oF THE SrN Sir: The
Bureau OF the Census has ompleted i'~ COM
piIAtion of the statistics for igos OF the iis
larges' cities in the tinted states. tho-e
With a population of ~ go or more. and finds
that their receipts Amounted 20 81 20 6ii.
go Of this sum taxes licenses and special
assessments accounted for $685.. 1lt. 80. while
tsnO gO5 az was borrowed money
Liquor licenses decreased from - 80 m
inoS 20 s7.I3I IN 1877. and aSain tn ~ - In
laos hut the receipts from iipuor licences
ana taxes ia Isl cities I'M rra-~d from $50.
$40 ss5 in 1895 To $40 .1l.2p IN igI7. and
again To SEQ. $50 iss in lp'> fees he ne higher
The decrease in licenses was not confined
70 any section Of the country but - appar-
en-, in every group 81 states except IN GER
tain Roxy Mount am Sta'e- n has been
most market IN the cities Of the south A.
lantic states In proportion 20 population
the largest number 81 licensed places -
shown for the cities Of r"NaS Nir' on-in ami
New York. and the smallest number for the
cities Of PenhsvlN ANA. MaSSa' hus~tt- aud
Nebraska
Receipts from the taNe~ on general prop
erty. tho chief item Of general revenue
made up for the cities 81 MlSsac hu-"tts
New York. Pennsylvania. ohio. Iowa
Louisiana. virginia ami Georria more than,
IS per cent Of the total
Liquor licenses and taNes formed ~ :
cities Of Ohio and 10 per cent IN the citIs~
81 california New NU"S ,ItN r-,e iNed
ehia D. Ssa $50 from t6ts so,rr's The "niv
other cities deriving more than 81 .O'-' .rsN
q year from liquor lt"en~e- were ~ Louis
Boston. Cleveland. san tran'i-'o and en-
Oklahoma city received more money
from special assessments than from taN"-
and other general revenues. and New York
city received tI0.O2a iaJ and chicago 81
las. Sp3 from his source Comparatively
low tax rates in Oklahoma CIV seattle
spokane, Tacoma. Oakland. superior. Jon
lin and Kansas city. Mo are accounted for
by large receipts from specis assessments
lar gely led IN receipts for water supply. toll
bridges. &c. The only other cities ~ l,N. an
o. 0pBo from thes sources IN ipps we're
Toe angeles. Jersey CIV and seattle
Current operation pcn-e-of the iss cities
Of education and protection Of life and prop
erty absorbed - per cent NJ this Of the
appropriations for edu"ation rs per cent
went directly for the maintenance Of tho
public schools The average per capita
espense for schools WAS o. 90. or more than
,S,ce ina, TSs ro' ,s wn.Gs S"S ?: :a for
Z sas 81? salt Lake city led n per capita
| for schools with . -. followed ~ newton.
Bosson. washington Newark. Y I Denver.
Springfield. Mass. each expended over %
, per capita for the same purpose For the
Southern cities the amounts we're very much
! smaller
. Al the Close oT the year ipps the rs
| ctties had cash balances Of tIps Usl .DO
! AGAINST 81 IS.tvp.Gn ~ tho beginning of the.
! wear. The cost Of administration for the
/ year Was s.os .SoI ,4I:. more than one fourth
I 81 which Was paid by New York ,itV Phns-
/ delphia was governed for less than one
/ fourth the cost OF governing New YORK
/ Boston . per capita Was the highest, 81 s.
! against s2t7i for New York and tsl ~ for
/ " sshinstor.
New woIk in the srouc q cities in zoos
cost t2TS 60 600 against t2lt O'O.uOD In 1907
nearly one third OF which. ssa ilpo go. was
! raid by New Work CITY. Ch"1go spent
Sis on on and Philadelphia stt, so Hn One
seventh Of the expenditure went for schools
I and other educational objects New York
spent more than slO.oD.0D for water ex-
/ tensions
/ The cities owed o.. US Oo on At Ihe Close
! Of IeOs an increase Of sIs5 81 ia iTft he wear
| New Works. share Of the debt H. tssa $50 'sD
! or 80 = per cent giving that city more than
seven times tho debt - any ut her city and
! more than half of tho total debt ~ the
/ ISenty- mine largest cn,.r ol tho country
/ $751; ~. against si.s a. for cincinnati tiIa a.
| for Boston. and 81 on down the line p--
/ troit has the smallest Ter capita debt of no
large cities those over IN .0DpI nam.lV
s?eO2 Much Of the increased 'ity deb' !
/ all over the country are due 10 public rev
enue prodncing enterprises OF ~" debt
81 New York city - . per cent j. uf rhrt
/ character
! The rate Of interest on city debts - rising
! In 1865 " averaged o. ~. against - - iT
/ ieD5 and o. ~ in 1874 Detroit paws the low.
! eet rate. taa5. Boston pays $50 PhiladeI
phiA. ta.1p. Los angeles. So san Fran
CISCO, ~ N Memphis. .. ~, and Jersey civ
and Indianapolis o.. 80 n hundred dOilars
| EyOa ANGELES, Gal July 20 H.