Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-06-29
CITIES MORE THRIFTY,
GOVERNMENT REPORTS

Is nearly eight times the debt @. the
federal government.
THIS statement is made in n com
prehensjve financial report on Amer.
lean cities issued today by the bureau
of census of the department of COM
merce. which adds. however, that
cities are not living beyond their in
comes quite as much as in the past.
Other significant facts brought out
in the announcement are:
l) One hundred and forty.nine
American cities spent $S6,O13,326
t$3.6S per capita) not covered by mum
icipal revenues during the fiscal year
1916
t2) Sixty-four cities had $I2,422.-
35G (Sl.40 per capita) in excess of
expenditures at the end of the year.
(3> Taking all cities OF more than
10000 as group. excess expenditures
over revenues amounted to $73,59l.-
07O or $2.2S per capita.
ca Eighty.nine cities, or nearly ~
per cent OF the total number, have
the commission form of government.
The aggregate population of the
2l3 cities investigated by the census
bureau was estimated at 32.27O,OOO or
nearly - per cent of the total popu,
lation OF the country.
Between 1890 and 1916 the popula
ton in cities OF over 10000 increased
nearly a thousandfold. whereas that
OF the entire country increased only
about twenty-fiyefold. The population
OF New York City alone in the latter
year was 165 times as great as in the
earlier.
| The aggregate revenues of the 81;
cities during the year amounted tc
$994.7l0,241; the aggregate expendi
lures for current governmental costs
including interest, TO $7SO.742.643; and
the aggregate outlays, to $287,558, ,66S
OF the total revenues. $685., ,lO6, 1895
or nealy 20 per cent. represented
receipts from the various kinds oi
taxes. The bulk of the amount
| S623, ,3000.S05. was derived from the
general property tax" made up oi
taxes on real and personal property
! or the remainder. the largest item
S3S, 1924, 4,542, was contributed by taxes
on the liquor traffic.
Next 10 taxes. the largest source OF
revenue was found IN the earnings
of public service enterprises, which
amounted to 99.797,175. This sum
was considerably more than double
the amount of payments for expenses
uf public service enterprises, $44, ,636,'
OO7. thus leaving a net revenue from
this source of $55,161,1 ,16S.
Another important source of rev,
cnue consisted of special assessments
and special charges-the bulk OF
which were for outlays- aggregating
s74,OO9,766.
For all the cities taken as a groui
the pc capita receipts from property
taxes amounted to $l9.74: from other
taxes, $50: from earnings of public
service enterprises. 5000; from spe
cial assessments and special charges
for outlays. 1929, and from all other
sources combined, S3.9l.
The highest per capital property
taxes, s4S.94, are shown for Brook
line, Mass, and the lowest, s5.2S, fol
Portsmouth, Va.
. The expenditures during the yea
, for governmental costs in these II:
cities, which aggregated $1.06S, ,30l .311
; differed but slightly in amount from
the cost of conducting the fedora
government. These expenditures, ir
) the order OF their Importance, were
Oegivlative, executive and judicial es
Establishments, schools. police and fire
departments, sanitation. etc), S603,
s O6O.O76: for outlays, S2S7 .55S,66S; 70,
{ interest on Indebtedness. $133. $50
and for expenses of public service
enterprises (water supply systems
electric light and power systems
I docks. wharvcs, landings, ctc), 50,
{ 636,OO7.
The average per capita expenditure
Z for all governmental costs, includin
|; interest and outlays, in the 2l3 citie
s amounted to $33ll, n sum considc,
Z ably more than three times as grca
2 az the percapita cost of conduCtin
3 the federal government. sl0.36; an
4 for all governmental costs, includin
7 interest but excluding outlays. the a
3 crage per capita payments Of the citit
i were S2i20.
4 For the entire 2l3 cities taken L
; gcthcr, the payments for goycrnme
i tai costs, including interest and on
z lays, exceeded the revenues by 81;