Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-08
NEARLY ALL AMERICAN
CITIES GOING INTO DEBT
Practically Every One Spending More
Money Than Revenues
Bring In.
INTERESTING FIGURES GIVEN
Excess of Expenditures in the 2O4
Places Having Population Of More
Than 10000 in Fiscal Year Was
$33O,155,S15.
LSpecial DO The Times.Dispatch l

into debt by spending more money than
the revenues bring in, according to
figures OF the Bureau of the Census
made public to-day. The excess of
expenditures over revenues in the 2o4
cities having Il population Of more than
$4,000. during the fiscal year ending
July !. 1915. was s333,755.SI5. or s4.4S
per- capita
IN $50 Of these cities the Increase In
net Indebtedness due to excess of ex-
penditures, was Sl47.47O.25i or SEAS
per capita. IN the remaining forty
eight cities an excess of revenues over
expenditures was found. amounting to
s1.7l5,l39, or Sl.s2 per capita. The ag-
g"cgate population of these 20i cities
was estimated at 3l.1G0,000.
Til" 1cereSatc revenues of all the
cities during the year were s9io.3s5.3ll:
the aggregate expenditures for cur
REM governmental costs. including in
terest. SI3o.555.565 and the aggregate
OUTLAWS. S32o.5S5.561.
OF the total revenues, s641.272. o43. or
more than two thirds. represented re-
ce.pts from the various kinds of taxes.
The bulk of this amount, $50, S3o.S6l.
was derived from the general property
tax. made Up of taxes on real estate
and personal property. OF the re-
mainder the largest item. S3a.Go6.955.
was contributed by taxes on the Iiuuor
sratic; Sl2.741.765 was raised from
other business taxes: s1o.59S,62s was
derived from special property taxes:
S4,+02.375 came from license taxes
other ;han on business. and sl.792.35S
from poll taxes.
Next TO taxes. the largest source of
revenue was found in the earnings Of
public service enterprises, which
amounted to Sa6.55S.37a This sum was
somewhat more than double the amount
Of payments for expenses of public
service enterprises. which were S43.-
s22,5ll. thus leaving 4 net revenue
from this source amounting to S52.135.-
sos The bulk of the earnings of pub
lie service enterprises came from
water-sunply systems from which tho
receipts aggregated s1',465.50S.
Other sources of revenue were: spe-
cial assessments and special charges
nearly all of which were for OUTLAWS,
s7oSao.32l; subventions from Federal
state and county governments, grants.
donations. gifts and pension assess
ments, s3o.S34,91a; interest on sinking
funds, current deposits, investments.
etc, s2s,7l5,ola; earnings of general
depa r,ments, S22.547,20l; receipts from
highway privileges principally those
granted public service corporations).
$l5.o6e.31i; rent of investment proper
ties. Sl1,2s6.o54. and fines. forfetts and
escheats. s4.+49,36l.
For all the cities taken as a group.
the per capita receipts from property
taxes were ;1S72: from other taxes.
IlSS: from earnings Of public service
enterprises, $40; from special assess
ments and special charges for OUTLAWS.
So5e. and from all other sources COM
bined. s2.ol.
BOSTON HAS HIGHEST
PER CAPITA PROPERTY
The highest per capita property
taxes. S3i6,. are shown for Boston.
and the lowest, $3.50, for Portsmouth,
Va
The expenditures during the year for
governmental costs. which aggregated
$l,0So,l41,l26, were, in the order OF
their Importance: For expenses OF
general departments, $51S,2O6.lSs; for
OUTLAWS S329,5S5,56l, for interest on
Indebtedness. Sl2S,526,S5S, and for eS-
penses Of public service enterprises
(water supply systems, electric light
and power systems. docks. wharres.
landings. etcD, $+$,s22,5ll. The cN-
penses of general departments COM
prised payments for education SCHOOLS
and libraries), SlSl,59oii5; for pro-
lection TO person and property (prin-
cipally expenses for police and fire de-
partmen,s), Sl2T.5lO9Hl; for highways.
$65.50a,%S3; for general government"
lMayors and executive boards, Coun-
ellis and Boards of Aldermen, financial
Offices, courts. elections and mainte-
nance of general government build
ings), S654569S7. for sanitation Gre
fuse collection and disposal. sewers and
sewage disposal, etc), Si5,S36.9 900; for
charities. hospitals and corrections.
trees. etcD. S2l.3sS5a,: for conserva-
ton of health. lo.6S5.5G5 for pensions
and sratuities. slo,6ii,ao2. and for
other general and miscellaneous items.
SS.335.605.
The average per capita expenditures
for all governmental costs, including
interest and outlays, in the 204 cities.
were S34.65; and for all governmental
costs. including interest but eNclud-
ing OUTLAWS. the average per capita
payments were S2i0S The highest
figure shown under the latter head for
any one city is that FOR Boston, S40.72,
| and the lowest is that for Norristown.
| Pa. S6.53
For the entire 2O4 cities taken to-
Ccther. the payments for governmental
! costs, including interest ana OUTLAWS
exceeded the revenues by $l39.755.S15:
| bat Tie revenues exceeded the current
expenses and interest by $lS9.S29, 746
an amount considerably more than one
half as great as that of the total out
lays, which aggregated S32?. 5S5,a6l.
! In all but three cities the revenue
receipts exceeded the payments for cur
rent governmental expenses and inter-
est.
In st. Louis. the excess amounted to
S2l7.S13. or 80 cents per capita: and the
next largest was Washington, D. c., for
which il was S2.440399. or S6.S5 per
! capita. These two were the only cities
OF more than 800, 900 in which the reve-
nueS thus exceeded the total eXpendi-
lures for governmental costs. Among
the cities of 100000 TO 100000 the fol-
lowing showed excuses of revenues
over expenditures: Spokane and Tacoma,
Wa sh. Jersey City, n. j.; Dayton. Ohio:
Denver. Col: Birmingham. Ala. and
Atlanta. Ga.
The net Indebtedness funded and
| floating debt less assets In genera!
sinking funds) for the entire 204 cities
amounted to $2,355.149.392. or 1855 per
| ".