The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-07-22
EXPENSES Of
CITIES OVER
half BILLION
Amount Expended in ljpkeep Of
General Departments of
1875 Municipalities.

WASHINGTON, d. c., July %.
The total payment for expenses OF the
general departments OF the 1875 cities
having a population OF 10000 and over
in the report Of Financial Statistics OF
Cities for 1912, recently issued by Di-
rector William ]. Harris, Bureau OF
the Census, Department Of Commerce.
was $5GSt543,04S. The total per cap
ita payments for expenses other than
OF public service enterprises increased
from 1892 in 1902 to $l7.34 in 1912,
gain Of 1872 per cent. The per cap
ita payments for each year have
shown an Increase over those OF pre-
ceding year, except that those fur.
1903 were slightly less than those for
1908. The per capita payments for
l'expenses Of the general government,
including those for courts, have In
creased. quite uniformly during the
eleven-year period, as, have for che
most part those for the expenses Of
police and fire departments, for con-
servation Of health and sanitation.
which includes sewers, sewage dis
posal, and refuse disposal, and for
education.
The 1876 cities are divided into five
groups: Group l, cities having O pop
ulation Of $4,000 and over; group II,
cities having population Of 10000
to 100000; group III, cities having a
population of 100000 to 800 1000; group
~, cities having population Of so 900
TO 100000; and group v, cities having
a population of 10000 to 10000.
Per Capita Payments.
The per capita payments for gem
eral governmental expenses in cities
OF groups and ii are larger than
they otherwise would be because OF
the fact that New York, N. Y, Phila-
delphia, Pa. st. Louis, Mo-, Boston.
Mass, Baltimore, Nd, San Francisco.
Calf, New Orleans, La, and WASH
ington, D. C., exercise all the execu-
tive and judicial functions usually
possessed by counties. To secure
compatibility between the payments
for all general governmental func-
tons, including payments for court
expenses in these cities and in other
cities OF groups and II which exer-
else no county functions, certain per-
centages Of the payments for the ex-
penses OF county governments of the
other cities OF groups I and III are
combined with the city payments. The
combination OF county and city ex-
penses secures compatibility OF per
capita payments for court and other
general governmental expenses for all
OF the cities Of groups and II, but
those payments are not comparable
with similar payments Of other cities
with the exception Of Denver, Colo.
for which city the figures include per
capita payments for expensnes Of the
county as we'll as those Of the city.
For the 1876 cities, the total per
capita payment for general depart
lments, including general government.
police, fire, all other protection to per-
son an dproperty, conservation of
health, sanitation and promotion of
cleanliness, highways, charities, hos
pitfalls and corrections, education, rec
reation, miscellaneous and general. is
Sl7.S4; for the cities of group /, $21.24
group II, 1889; group III, S14.22;
group Nv, s12.06; 'group v, s11.69,
showing decrease in per capita pay
ments for the smaller cities,
Education Expenses eHayy.
The per capita payment for police
department for the 1876 cities is s2.04:
for the cities of group 1, s2.75; group.
II, S2.14; group III, S1.53; group ".
slips; group V, s1.O6. The per capita
police expenses increased from $1,S4l
in 1902 to s2.04 in 1919.
The per capita payment for fire de-
partment for the 1875 cities is Sd .62;
for the cities of group l. $1.5S; group
y, $2.o2; group III. s16S; group W,
SI50; group v, $1.3s. The per capita
FRO department expenses increased
from s1.s0 in 1902 to s1.62 in 1912.