Newark post., 1914-04-15
Financial Status OF Delaware

forthcoming bulletin pertaining to
national and State Indebtedness
and funds and investments have
been given out by Director w. j.
Harris, of the Bureau of the Cen
sus, Department of Commerce. The
bulletin carries information for the
State Of Delaware as well as for the
other states and the United States.
The data were compiled under the
supervision of Mr.. John Lee Coul-
tre, expert special agent i'll charge
of the inquiry on Wealth, Debt and
| Taxation.
The bulletin, which will soon be
issued, will contain statistics for
each State for each year from 1890
to 1913, inclusive, as far as statis-
tics are available, and will also con-
tain details for the year most near
ly corresponding to 1880, thus
making it possible to show the gen
eral movement during a period of
over 80 years. The bulletin will
show the total debt Of the States as
well as many details, such as the
various classes Of outstanding
bonds and special debt obligations
to public trust funds. 1t will also
show the floating debt and its COM
ponent parts. Under " funds and
investments" will be shown sepa-
rateIy all the different funds, and
in each case cash and securities will
be shown. The population Of the
States for each year under cOnsid-
Grafton will be used, and the per
capita (less sinking fund assets
will be given.
An inspection Of the tables for
Delaware in the bulletin soon to be
issued shows comparatively small
change in the bonded Indebtedness
throughout the period covered In
1890 the amount outstanding was
$500, ,000; in 1912 it had been re-
duced to $3.50, 900. The special debt
obligations to public trust funds re-
mained unchanged until 1905,
when the fund was increased from
$240,000 to 1862, 900; no further
change was recorded during the
period.
In the case Of funds and invest
ments the securities show an in
crease from 81 ,234 900 in 1890 to
81, $4,000 in 1912, while the cash
reached the maximum amount,
1000, in 1908, afterwards de-
creasing to $4,000 in 1912. The
sinking fund assets were at no time
large, and in consequence there is
but small difference between the
total debt and the debt less sinking
fund assets.
In view Of the fact that the debt
has remained almost constant dur
ing this period of more than 30
years, while the population Of the
State has increased gradually, the
per capita debt Of the State has
gradually decreased.
In 1880 the total debt Of Della
ware at the close Of the fiscal year,
December 81, was $93O,00O; in 1891
it fell to $685., 900; by 1901 it had
increased to $4,000; and in 1912
it had increased to $4,000. The
population Of the State increased
from $4,000 in 1880 to 100000 in
1910, the increase serving to lower
the debt per capital from year to
year. In 1880 the debt per capita
amounted to $6.18; in 1891 it was
$4,O2; in 1901 it was $4.09; and in
1912 it had ben reduced to 1870.
In contrast with the State Of Del
aware we find that, taking the en-
tire debt (less sinking fund assets)
for the 48 states, the average per
capita, according to the latest re-
port, is 1882, or slightly less than
the per capita debt for Delaware.
On the other hand, whereas the per
capita debt for Delaware fell from
$61.1S in 1880 to 1910 in 1912, the
per capita debt when the total for
all States is considered fell only
from $5.4S to 1882 during the
same period.
At the present time about 2 per
cent Of the total population Of the
United States will be found in the
State of Delaware, and 2 per cent
of the total debt (less sinking fund
aSSetS) is attributed to that State