Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-31
Mistellaneuns &eaaiua.
UNCLE SANS BIG DOLLAR.
What the Government Costs and How
the Money Is Spent,

the Money Is Spent.
Did you know that last year the
military expenses of this government,
past, present and future-including
pensions on the public debt-amounted
to $40 for yourself and s23.5O for your
family, provided it has five members?
At least that Is what your share of
these expenses would have been If they
had been apportioned according to
population.
But as no Federal tax collector ever
called on you, the chances are that you
have no idea what the government is
costing or how it Is spending it's mon
ey.
The expenses Of the United States
government for the year that ended
June 80, 1910, were pretty close to
$700,0O0,O00. AS there were 100000
persons in the country at that time, the
cost of the government was about $3.50
apiece, or $3.50 for a family of five.
Something less than half of the rev.
enue for this expenditure came from
customs for internal revenue duties
and the corporation tax. 1t is impos-
sible to figure how much each family
actually pays Of these indirect taxes.
But suppose the total expenditures
were apportioned to duties and the
bulk Of the remainder each group of
five persons, it is interesting to see
what share of the $3.50 would go to
the various objects.
The largest single expenditure is for
pensions. Twenty three cents Of every
dollar spent by the government goes
for this purpose. This Is $3.50 for ev-
cry family. The army comes next
with 1S3 cents out Of every dollar, or
s7.03 to the family. Next comes the
navy with IS cents out of every dollar,
or $6.75 to the family. Most of the
penditures and this adds three cents to
the dollar, or nearly s1.15 more, making
the military expenditures of the gov
ernment nearly 63 cents out of every
dollar, or s23.50 out of the $3.50 which
the average family pays.
To rivers and harbors the govern
ment contributed last year cents for
every dollar it spent, or $1.60 for each
family. Another great commercial i'm
provement, the Panama canal, took 5
cents out of the governments dollar
last year, or $1.S7 a family. The de-
partment of agriculture Is one of the
great institutions of the government,
conducting, as it does, important ex-
Deriments for the farmers and SUPER
vising the weather bureau, the forest
service and the food standards. 1t got
not quite two and half cents, or 80
cents for family.
It cost a little less than two cents
out of every dollar spent to make the
laws, and less than tenth of cent to
supervise their execution from the
White House and the civil service COM
mission-an expense Of 10 cents fam
lily in the one case and q cents in the
other. The foreign relations Of the
government absorb less than cent out
Of the dollar, or 26 cents for family
The cost Of collecting the customs du-
ties Is II cents out Of the dollar, or Sc
cents to the family.
The life saving service and the care
of the public health take less than a
third Of cent each from Uncle Sans
dollar, amounting to about II cents for
the family. About q cents-92 cents to
the family. About % cents-92 cents
to the family-went to the public
buildings last year. Other work con-
Quoted by the treasury department was
accountable for four more cents of the
dollar, or $1.60 for the family.
The expenses Of the interior depart
ment took three cents from the dollar,
or Sill for the family. About II cents
more-52 cents for the family-was
needed to make up the postoffice deficit.
The taking Of the census took little
less than a cent Of the dollar, as did
the care of lighthouses, or rs cents each
for every family. In addition the de-
partment of commerce and labor used
another cent Of the dollar, or 81 cents
from the family.
It took II cents Of the 81 to provide
the machinery for the administration
Of Justice which was SO cents to the
family. The interstate commerce COM
mission used Ito cent, or not quite 4
cents to the family. The District Of
Columbia cost the taxpayers Of the ma
ton nearly cents out Of the 81, or
81 cents for each family. Miscellaneous
expenses account for the remaining AZ
cents of the 81, or $1.79 for the family.
To recapitulate the uses to which the
government puts every dollar spent: