Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-04-24
NO|RlHDAk01AS
STANDING GIVEN
BULLETIN SOON 70 BE Is-
SUED WILL I'VE vALU.
ABLE INFORMATION.
INDEBTEDNESS INcREAsfD
Figures, However, Also Show
That Population Kept Grow
ing Rapidly.

washington, ID. T., April 23.-Pre-
liminary figures from the forthc0m-
ing bulletin pertaining to national
and state Indebtedness and funds
and investments have been given out
by Director wv. j. Harris, of the Bur-
eau Of the Census, Department Of
Commerce. The bulletin carries infor-
nation for the state of North Dakota,
as we'll as for the other states and the
United States. The data was COM
piled under the supervision of Mr..
John Lee Coulter, expert special
agent in 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 statistics are
available, and will also contain de-
tails for the year most nearly cor
responding to 1880, thus making 1t
possible to show the general move
ment during a period Of over 80 years
The bulletin will show the total debt
of the states, as we'll as many de-
tails, such as the various classes of
outstanding bonds and special debt
obligations to puOlic trust funds. 1t
will also show the floating debt and
it's component parts. Under Funds
and investments" will be shown sepa-
rately1 all the different funds, and in
each case cash and securities will be
shown. The population of The states
for each year under consideration
will be used, and the per capita debt
(less sinking-fund assets) will be
given.
Some Reports Missing.
An inspection Of the tables for
North Dakota in the bulletin soon to
be issued shows that only biennial re
ports were obtainaDle until 1904. No
separate territorial statistics
availale and North Dakota was not
admitted to statehood until 1889 on
s:quently We find NJ comparable data
for 1880.
The bonded Indebtedness of the
state increased from $500, 900 in 1890
to $1,151,OO0 in 1909, but fell to $751;
900 in 1912. No special debt obliga'
tons to public trust funds were re.
ported. The floating debt was small
and disappeared entirely, in 1904;
In the case Of funds and invest
mems the securities show constant
changes, increasing steadily until
1912, when the amount recorded was
$7,959,O0O. The cash shows marked
changes, reaching the maximum
amount Of $1,495, 900 in 1909 and fall
ing to $4,000 in 1912. The total
amount of funds and investments in
creased from. 500, 600 in 1890 to 49,
1873, 600 in 1912.
No sinking-fund assets, as such,
we're recorded until 1902; the amount
was small throughout the remainder
of the period, and the debt (less
sinking-fund assets) did not differ
materially from the total debt.
Although the debt of the state in
creased slightly during the period
from 1890 to 1912, the population in
creased sufficiently to reduce the per
indebtedness.
Figures Kept Increasing.
In 1890 the total debt of North Da-
kota tie the close Of the fiscal year,
October 20, was $715,OVO; in 1912 it
was 1870 70. The population of the
state increased from 1872, 1000 in 1890
to $4,000 in 1912, being sufficient to
the increased bond issues and
bring about a decrease in the per
capita debt. In 1890 the per capita
debt was 1913; in 1912 it had fallen
to $1.29.
In contrast with the state of North
Dakota, we find that, taking the en-
tire debt Qess sinking.fund assets)
for the 48 states, the average per cap
tia debt according to the latest re-
port is 1857 more than the per capita
debt for North Dakota.
At the present time ABOUT or per
cent of the total population of the
States will be found in the
state of North dakota, and 0.2 per
cent Of the total debt C,ess sinking
fund assets) is attributed to that
state.