The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-05-16
D MAY is, 1913.
THE COST OF GOVERNMENT.

y Yl0n is gwen Ol lhS Nc1S
: ment. 1t appears that Tor the hFs'
seventy years of its existence inc gov
of the United States cost l's
9 people approximately $500 each per
annun1. The wars with Great Britain
= and Mexico caused slight increases
t but after these the cost dropped bach
IN about he old figure. h civil war
swelled the per capita cost to $a''-'
{ in 1865, and while there was a RAPID
e decrease after the war until about
= 1875, the figures have never reached
S less than twice the cost of the years
+ preceding the war. Since 1880 there
! has been n gradual, but steady IN
crease. The per capita cost mas LOT
some little time been around $40 per
:. year.
!. Some interesting comparisons are
n made Of the things which our modern
+ government is called on TO undertake
a which were not included in the duties
Of the earlier period. and which nat
urally increase the cost. OF these and
:, of the comparative cost of government
i In the principal nations of the world
: the circular says:
1.-THE men who for the first seventy
wears of our history kept the average
annual cost of government down about
q per capita had no such problems to
handle as have confronted legislators
and administrators in the last half
century. In 1865 there were 20,55O
oostofices in the United States. Today
d there are more than $4,000. In 1865
there were 419 m~oney-order OFFICES
in operation, and they did a business
Of $%1.36o,122. In 1911 there were
61,sO9 money-order offices and their
transactions amounted to $6S7,7l5,-
644. In 1865, So cities Of the United
States had free mail delivery, EN-
Moving 6s5 carriers. In 1911 the serv-
Zee was established in 1874 cities,
employing 2s.16s carriers and involv-
ing an expense Of almost $33,0OO'00o
q year. Rural free delivery was not
established until 1897 when 80 car
rters were put on the road. travelling
1913 miles. That service cost $14,-
$40. In 1911 there were 41,559 rural
carriers. The mileage of their routes
was 1.o15.023 and the cost of the serv-
Zee was $37.12s.s12. In 1867 the per
capita consumption of sugar was 1917
pounds. and it's cost was over 13 cents
q pound. In 1910 the per capita con-
sumption had increased to 1890
pounds and the cost a decreased to
& cents a pound. The highest pro-
duction of cotton before the war was
6.3S7,O52 bales in 1859. In 1910 1t
was 11.965.962 bales. In 1860 the
farms and farm property of the Uni
ted states were valued at a little under
eight billion dollars. In 1910 they
were s1,556.947,430. In 1860 the total
exports We're $~333.576,o57. In 1910
they were $1.744.ss4.72o and a year
later they had grown to more than
two billions. All these increases in the
activities of the people have neces-
CARLY involved increases in govern
mental activities corresponding tc
those shown in the %postofice depart.
ment. And therein lies the legitimate
reason for most of the increase in the
cost Of government. But there can be
x NJ lGSltllIldlC IGdSOu 1o1 IN SoiitlA1oCS
maintenance Of the archaic and un.
businesslike methods Of governmental
administration which involve every
year the waste OF millions Of dollars
From the beginning Of our govern.
ment there a never been any definite
program in regard to national finances
and expenditures. The annual appro,
priations on account Of wars. past an6
future-for the war and navy depart,
mnets and pensions-exceed $500, 600.
600, but we have never had a compre.
hepsive or consistent military policy
The nation spends every year many
million dollars for public improve.
ments and welfare work. but there
has new been any we'll defined pur.
pose to guide this expenditure. Ameri.
can business administration prides 1t.
self upon its efficiency and it's eco.
nomy. American governmental ad.
ministration has neither. except in in.
dividual instances. So completely doe,
the United States government lack
system in iz financial transactions
that 1t is now impossible for the pres
ident to secure full and reliable infor-
formation from the different admins.
trative departments concerning their
operations and expenditures. Under
these circumstances congress, which
makey the appropriations, is bound to
procssd absolutely in the dark. And
that II does 30 Is shown by the fact
that Q recent investigation disclosed,
from incomplete and unverihed re-
ports. the astonishing information that
congress had mortgaged the future by
authorizing contracts a~ggregating ap-
proximately $170.o0o.000. with no sign
st Of provision for revenues to meet
II The appropriations which coming con-
SresDes must make to fulfill these en-
4 Oagements. This IL not the mere ef-
I1ect Of careless. happy-go-lucky meth
ia. Il IL an utter absence Of method.
study Of the 70 capita cost Of
government In other countries. how
J0ves. shows that extravagant and slip
$500 - are American government