The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-06-07
Costs $4,000, 900 Day
To Run u. S. Government

revenue yield, together with the iacs
| that. being a semi-luxury, the cost VI
the duty is paid by different classes Oh
people more exactly than almost any
other according to their ability 10
/ pay, that has caused every clVlilleu
! country in the world to levy an I'M
port duty on sugar.
Next to sugar as a source OF re'e-
| nue. come the various manufacturers
| of cotton which together bring IN SS4,-
| 100000 year. Wool and wooIen
manufacturers pay about $4,000, 10000
| annually, raw and manufactured npres
return s24oOO,UOO while the iron and
steel duties, in spite of the prominent
| part they play in tariff discussion,
bring into the treasury only ABOUT
5000, 900. The remainder of the
customs revenue is made up from
very large number of separate commo-
dities each yielding relatively sinaiI
amounts.
On the debit side the largest share
of Uncle Sans outgo is represented
by the expenses of the various execu-
tive departments which amounted 70
$3.50 100000 last year. OF these Varl-
Gus branches of the national admins
tration the department OF the interior
with disbursements of $2fS,00,000 was
the most expensive to maintain, but
this was because OF its enormous
yearly payment If $175,0O0,000 to meet
the pension roll. The postoff1ce de-
partment with its outlay of $262,0O0,-
900 Is not counted in this comparison
because most of it's expenditure Is re-
turned in the form of postal receipts.
Next to the department of the IN
terror, the war department takes rank
as spender Of millions with yearly
outgo of $162,OO0,000 By no means
all of this is spent upon the army TOT
the war department has charge OF
many other activities. On the single
item Of improvements to rivers ane
harbors, which comes under its juris-
diction, the amount expended last
year amounted to $40,OOO,O0O. me
navy department required $134 100000
for its operation last year, but only
$29,O0O,OO0 of this was spent upon ad-
ditions to the fighting strength Of the
navy The department of state Is
the cheapest to run of all the impor-
tant lines of executive operation, cost
ing only $5,000,0O0 year.
Compared to the executive branch
of the government. congress, though
appropriating all the money, is reia-
lively an inexpensive body Its year
ly cost is only $13.000,0O0 and of this
$5,50O,O0O is required for printing,
large part of which undoubtedly could
be dispensed with to the advantage OF
the country. The cheapest of the
three supposedly coordinate branches
of the government, however. is the
judicial on which only 100000 a
year is expended.
PAY as you go" always has been
the policy Of the American govern
ment in times of peace, and to this
end the attempt is made to balance in
come and expenditure as nearly as
possible. At the present time, how
ever, it is practically certain that
Uncle Sam will end the current fiscal
year on June 80 with large deficit
confronting him. Just how large this
will be is impossible to predict accur-
ately because of uncertainty as to
how much the income and corporation
taxes will bring in during the next
month, but with only $15,O00.000 on
hand at present and receipts from i'm
ports far below expectations, the def
cit at the end of the year can hardly
fall below $3O,O00,000 and may amount
to twice that sum. This does not
mean that the treasury will be out OF
funds for the balance In the general
fund at the end of the last fiscal year
was over s160,00O,000, so that even
with deficit much greater than Is ex-
pected the government would enter
the next financial year with 100000
600 or more on hand. AS soon as con-
gress meets in December, however,
attention undoubtedly will be given to
the situation, and by changes in tariff
rates or through other measures addi-
tional revenue will be provided. Mean
while should foreign complications
prove unexpectedly serious. the secre-
tary of the treasury has authority at
any time to issue s240,o00,000 of bonds
to which the American people would
quickly subscribe.
- n TA