The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-07-12
MANY CITIES HAVE
COMMISSION PLAN
Growth Of New Form of Munich
pal Government Shown by
Uncle Sans Figures.
FRANCES IN BETTER SHAPE
Revenues Provide For All Of Current
Expenses and Three-Fourths Of
cost of All Permanent
improvements.

Eighty-Iinc of the 2l3 American
cities of Ilorc than 10000 population,
or nearly II per cent of the cGitire
number, ase now operating under the
ComnisSioE form Of government.
These iiInres are brought out in IL
report complied by representatives of
Uncle SaMS census bureau on the
financial condition of all cities in the
country Lnviag n population of more
than 10000 in 1916. Many cities of
less than 10000 population, concern
ing which the census bureau does not
obtain St;.t,sticS, have also adopted
the commission plan.
The eiglty-nine large cities which
have commission governments are scat
tered throughout 81 states. in addition
to the District of Columbia, mnging
from MaSSG rhuscttS to Washington
and from South Carolina to Califor-
mia. SiS of them are in New England,
80 in other Northern states east Of
the Mississippi, l8 in Northern states
between the Mississippi and the Pa
citic Coast states, 10 in the Pacific
Coast states, Nnd % in the South.
The largest city ut present operat-
ing under the commission form Of gov
ernment is Buffalo, whose population
is estimated at about $4,000.
Expenditures Exceed Incomes.
In I'D Of the 2l3 cities covered by
the census bureau report, the excess
OF expenditures for governmental
costs, including interest and outlays
Tor permanent improvements, over rev.
enueS, during the fiscal year 1916,
amounted to $SG,013,32G. or $3.GS per
capita. III The remaining GA cities the
excess Of revenues over expenditures
was $12.%G2,25G, or $1.40 per capita.
Taking the entire 213 cities as
group, the excess of expenditures over
revenues announced to $751; ,OTO, or
S2.2S per capita. The net indebted
ness of these cities averaged S7G.G4
per capita--a figure nearly eight times
as great as the corresponding one for
the national government.
The aggregate population of these
2l3 cities was estimated ut 32,27O, 900,
or nearly 81 per cent of the total pop
ulatiOn Of the country. They range
in size from New York city, with s.
46S,0OO, to MadiS,4n, WIS.,, with 100,
One Of the mos noteworthy charac-
terlsticS of the social and industrial
life of the nation is the growth of ur-
ban at the expense of rural cOmnu-
mites. The eXteLt to which this has
occurred since the first census of the
United States was taken, in 1890, is
brought out in n striking manner by
the population of New York
then the only ciy of over 10000
N that year with the aggregate popu-
ation of the 213 cides which are esti-
mated to have had more than 10000
inhabitants each in the fiscal year
1916. New York, in the earlier year,
lOt long after the close Of the RevOlu-
ion, reported population of 33,13l,
)r only four-tifths of per cent of the
Otal for the country; whereas in the
iscal year 1916 the 213 cities covered
~ the bureaus report were estimated
o have Il combined population of more
han 32,0O0000, or nearly 81 per cent
If the total for the country. During
his period of about q century and a
quarter the population in cities or
Dver 10000 increased nearly thou
'andfold whereas that of the entire
country increased only about twenty
ivcfold. The population of New York
'ity alone in, the later year was l6J
ines as great rs in the earlier.
Revenues Near Billion.
The aggregate revenues of the 2l3 |
titles during the year amounted to /,
1894, 71O,24l; the aggregate eXpendi-
ureS for current governmental costs, |
including interest, to $3.50, ,742 ,643 and
he aggregate outlays for permanent
to $2S7, 1856
The expenditures during the year
or governmental costs in these 2l3 |
titles, which aggregated $1,06S, ,3O1 ,311, |
Uttered but slightly in amount from
he cost of conducting the federal gov
rnment
The average per capita expenditures !
or all governmental costs, including
interest uld Outlays, in the 213 cities
mounted to $3311, sum consider
bly, more than three times aS great |
s the per capita cost of conducting |
he federal government, $1O.36; and |
Dr all governmental costs, including
interest but excluding Outlays. the av- |
rage per cs:pita payments of the
titles were $24.2O
For the entire 213 cities taken to.
ether, the Payments for government
nj costs, including interest and out
gyS, exceeded the revenues by $73,-
91,O70, or $2.ES per capita; but the
evenues exceeded the current ex-
enses and interest by $213, 1861, ,59S. an
mount equal TO nearly three-fourths
f the total Outlays, which aggregated
2S1 ,55S, 1893. In other words the cities
+ over 10000, taken as q poup, are
aging, from their revenues, all their
urrent expenses and interest and
early three-fOurths of their Outlays.
his is considerably better showing
han was made by the 204 cities of
yer 10000 during the preceding year.