Albuquerque morning journal., 1914-07-18
CAPITAL LEADS
OTHER CITIES IN
EXPENS|VENESS
Washington in a Class by Itself
When 1t Comes to per Cap
ta Cost of Maintaining the
Municipality.


Washington. July Washington
leads the cities of the country having
a population of between 900 900 and
500,0 in per capita municipal ex-
penses. with record Of $25,43,
against New Orleans, La, which pays
I$12.7g
Boston leads all of the 1875 cities
having a population of more than 30-
600, according to the report of the
financial statistics of cities for 1912,
which has just been issued by Director
William j. Harris, bureau of the CEN
sus Boston leads in per capita eX-
pense of general departments, paying
$2S.06, in per capita expense of po-
lice departments, paying S3.19; of
fire departments, paying S2.26, and for
education, paying $6.9S.
The total per capita payments for
expenses other than of public service
enterprises increased from Sl3.O2 in
1902 to $l734 in 1912, gain of
33.2 per cent.
Divided Into Five Groups.
The 1875 cities are divided into five
groups: Group |, cities having a pop
ulation of 500, 900 and over; group
III, cities having population of 300,-
WV W pV",NN'. SiOuD IL NilNS iitN
ing "a population of 100. 900 To 900, 600,
group ~, cities having a population
OF $4,000 to 100, 200, and group V,
cities having a population Of $4,000
to $4,000.
The per capita payments for gen
eral government expenses in cities OF
groups ana II are larger than they
otherwise would be because of the fact
IL In. 1tlt
Pa: st. Louis, Mo. Boston, Mass.
Baltimore, Nd, San Francisco. Calf;
New Orleans, La, and Washington,
ID. c.. exercise all the executive and
judicial functions usually possessed
by counties.
To secure compatibility between the
payments for all general governmental
functions including paVments for
court expenses in these cities and IN
other cities of groups | and III when
exercise no county functions, certain
percentages of the payments for the
expenses Of county governments OF
the other cities OF groups | and II are
combined with the city payments
The combination of county and city
expenses secures compatibility OF per
capita payments for court and other
general governmental expenses FOR
all of the cities of groups | and H. but
those payments are not comparable
with similar payments of other citles
with the exception of Denver, Colo,
for which city the figures Of the ta-
BILE include per capita payments lor
expenses of the county as well as
those of the city.
Smaller Cities Pay Less.
= n IT al Ef a.
ita payment for general departments,
including general government, police
fire, and all other protection to per-
son and property, conservation el
health sanitation and promotion OF
cleanliness, highways, charities, hos
pitals and corrections, education, rec
reation, miscellaneous and general is
sl734; for the cities of group J, WI
"a: group III, sf9.99 group III,
$1422 group ", $1206; group ',
$1109; showing a decrease in per
capita payments for the smaller cities.
The per capita payment for police
department for the 1876 cities is $2.o4'
for the cities of group /. $2.75; group
II. $2.14: group III, $1.53. group ~,
$1.2G; group V. s1.O6 The per cap
ita police expenses increased from
$1S4 in 1902 to $2.04 in 1917.
The per capita payment for IRE us-
partment for the 1875 cities is $l.e2;
for the cities of group !, s1.5Si group
II, $2.D2: group III, $1.6S; group ~
$3.50: group V, sl.5s. The per cap,
ita fire department expenses increased
from $3.50 in 1902, to s1.62 in lsiz.
The per capita payment for educa-
tion for the 1875 cities is s5.o2 fof me
cities Of group |, S5.55: group II,
$3.50: group III. S4.57; group ~
s4.29: group V, 50 "a. The per cap
ita expenses for education Increased
from $3.6l In 1902 to $5.0z in l9l2.