The Colorado statesman., 1917-09-08
Not Even Meeting Current Ex-
penses and Interest, Gen.
= sus Figures Show.
OTHERS HAVE Big REVENUES
In % commonweaIths Receipts Ex-
ceed Expenditures, Including Even
Outlays for Public I'm
provements.


total expenses for governmental cost,
interest on Indebtedness, and outlays
for permanent improvements; and of
this number IL are not even meeting
their current expenses and interest. In
% states, however, the revenues eX-
ceed the total expenditures for cur
rent expenses, interest, and outlays.
These and other important facts are
brought out in a report issued by
2 Uncle Sans census bureau.
The aggregate revenues of all the
states during the year were S466,946,-
74S; the aggregate expenditures for
current governmental costs, includ-
ing interest on Indebtedness, $425,-
071,093; and the aggregate outlays
for permanent improvements, $685.
063, ,206. The first two of these items
represent increases of IL per cent and
6.3 per cent, respectively, as COM
pared with the corresponding figures
for the preceding fiscal year; but
the outlays show a decrease of 10.6
per cent.
OF the total revenues $3.50, ,96S, ,553,
or about 7S per cent, represents re-
ceipts from various kinds of taxes,
nearly half of this amount, $176, 1922
S93, was derived from the general
property tax, made up of taxes on real
estate and personal property. OF the
remainder, the largest item, $SS,137,-
260, was contributed by special prop
erty and other special taxes; $751;
S29,6S7 was raised from business
taxes other than on the liquor traffic;
19,262, 1893 came from the liquor traf-
fic; S19365, 400 was derived from Ii
.cense taxes other than on business;
and $2,270,321 from poll taxes.
Half Billion in Expenditures.
The expenditures during the year
for governmental costs, which aggre-
gate 500, ,299, were, in the order
of their importance: For expenses of
general departments, S404, ,236, ,243; for
outlays, $50, ,063, ,206; for interest on in
debtedness, $19. .253, ,566; for expenses
of public service enterprises (rail-
roads, toll bridges, ferries, canals,
docks, and wharves, ETC., maintained
by 13 states only, $1,5S1,2S4.
The relative lightness of the state
tax burden is brought out clearly by
comparison of state and municipal tax
alton and governmental costs. For
the 213 American cities of over 3d.
900 population, the average per capita
expenditures for all governmental
costs, including interest and outlays,
during the fiscal year 1916, amount
ed to S3311, whereas the per capita
governmental cost expenditures for the
states averaged only $50. For the
cities the average per capita eXpendi-
lures for governmental costs, includ-
ing interest but excluding outlays, were
S24.20; and for the states, S4.25. For
the cities the average per capita re-
ceipts from property taxes were
S19.74; for the state, $3.50.
For the 4S states taken together,
!the payments for governmental costs,
including interest and outlays, exceed
ed the revenues by S43, 1877 ,551 but the
+. revenues exceeded the current ex-
penses and interest by SAL ,S75,655, an
amount nearly half as great as the
total outlays, which aggregated $780,
063, ,206.
Surplus in % States.
In all but IL of the states the rev.
enue receipts exceeded the payments
for current governmental expenses
and interest, and in % the revenues
exceeded the total expenditures for
governmental costs, including interest
and outlays. These % states were
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Indiana,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kan
sas, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia,
Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mon
tana, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada,
Washington and Oregon.
The greatest excess of total govern
mental cost payments over revenues
shown for any one state, $35,349,717.
Is that for New York; the second
largest excess, S5.727,5 SIT, appears for
California; and the third largest, $4,-
509,545, for Illinois.
The total outlays for permanent i'm
provements aggregated $S5,099,0SS. OF
this amount S33 ,0S7, 40, or nearly two
fifths, was spent for the construction
of new roads and the permanent i'm
provement-such as macadamizing or
paving-of existing ones. The great
est outlays for roads in individual
states were reported for New York,
S10,742,913; California, $7,706376, and
Maryland, S3,563697. Only 81 states
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, Louis
lana, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico,
Arizona, Utah, Washington, Oregon
and California-expended money di-
rectly on the construction and i'm
provement of roads during the fiscal
year but number of the other states
apportioned sums by counties, mu-
picinalities etc which were spent in