Milford chronicle., 1921-12-16
By EDWARD G. LOWRY
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES

WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
1 am indebted to the late DR.. E. B
Rosa, of the United States bureau o.
standards, whose analyses of govern
ment expenditures 1 have already
quoted in these articles, for the fol
lowing comprehensive survey of how
. the taxes you pay to the government
are appOrtiOned in expenditures. II
will give you the clearest and best idea
of where your money goes. For his
purpose Doctor Rosa took the actual
| appropriations for the fiscal year 1920
amounting to a total Of S5,6S6,OO5, FOG
as given in the regular supply bills and
three deficiency bills prior to May 1
1920. For convenience he divided the
purposes for which this money. was
spent into six groups as follows:
Group I.-ObligatiOns arising from
recent and previous wars, including
interest on the public debt, pensions
warrisk insurance. rehabilitation and
care Of soldiers, deficit in the opera.
tiOn Of railways, expenditures of the
shipping board, European food relief
and the bonus to government employ
ees to cover partially the increased
cost Of living due to the war, total
of $3.50, ,4S2, ,5SG.
Group U.-War and Navy depart.
ments-eXpenses somewhat above a
permanent peace-time basis-$1, ,424,,
1857.
Group IH.-Primary governmental
functions, including congress-, Prest
dent and White House staff, courts |
and penal establishments. departments |
of justice, state, TREASURY, interior
commerce, labor interstate commerce,
and other commissions, One-half the
District of Columbia, including all the
necessary functions of government
other than defense, except the com.
mercial activities of Group V and the
research, educational and develop
mental work of Group VI-$1S1, ,OS7,.
225.
Group IV.-Public works, including
rivers and harbOrs, public buildings
reclamation service, post roads, ma.
tiOnal parks and railway in Alaska
$16S, S,2O3,557.
Group V.-COmmercial or self-sup-
porting activities, including the post !
office, land Office, Panama canal and
housing corporation, which, taken to {
gether, earn their expenses. i
Group VI.-Research, educational {
and develOpmental, including the wide I
range of work of the Agricultural de, J
)artment, geological Survey, bureau of '
mines, coast and geodetic survey, bu. '
eau Of standards, bureau of fisheries, I
bureau of foreign and domestic COM =
nerce, bureau of labor statistics,
and children's bureaus, voca- n
iOnal education, colleges for agricul- ~
ure and mechanic arts, library of
ongress, Smithsonian institution and
he public health service-$57 ,O93, ,661.
Total groups l to VI-$5, 1886, ,OO5, ,7O6.
Summary. Per D
Cent in
roup = Expenditures di
arising from recent re
and previous wars. 49, 855, ,482, ,5S5.6 90 67S1 nj
roup II-War and Navy
departments .......... 1,424, ,138, ,67657 25O2 liz
roup III-Primary gov III
functions. 1S1, ,OS7 ,225.A 3.1s 81
roup IV-Public works 16S, ,2O3, ,557.46 297 M
roup VI-Research, ed fo
ucational and devel- he
............... S7,O9S 66O.Ss LO1 t' ne
Total 68s. .OO5 O5.s7 10000 I'll
The first two groups together MI
mount to 92.8 per cent of the total: AL AL
lblic works amounts to per cent, -. -
imary governmental functions 80 ~
r cent, and research, educational WI
d develOpmental work, 1 per cent vve
le population of the country being in
out 100000, the total budget is FIR
out fifty dollars a year per CAPITA a
which fifty cents a year per cap Ri
is expended for the wide range of boz
search, educational and develop pal
,ntal work included in Group VI. be-
That is, Of the fifty dollars year yea
: capita collected for all purposes, nee
lOllar and half a year per CAPITA UC Tol
ctOr Rosa went on to point out, DO
as spent for what is here called
mary functions Of government;
lrly as much more was put into pub
works, and fifty cents a year was \
back into research, educational del
developmental work, to promote Mrs
.ntific research, to increase produc- N
l and efficiency, to develop wealth, vlsl
promote the public health and to hln
serve our natural resources. That
a very small part of the total p,s', Due
dly enough to be regarded as "
den on the nation. bie
Indeed, one is led to wonder I.
,ther the total burden of taxation sch,
I'D not be lighter if the expendi- M
, for scientific and develOpmental and
k were increased; if, for example, will
we're one dollar a year per capita NJ
cad of fifty cents. In other words, daui
'11O,OO0,0O0 were expended annu- her
for this creative and productive L1cl
k, would it not be easier to collecr -
80, o,,-O q i'''i- i0i ''-o- busy
'oSeS tt
ne big money, of course, goes for chm
past, present and future, and at /
is where the saving must be made.