New Ulm review., 1922-01-18
4, -'~~- vi.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES

WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
am indebted to the late DR.. E. B.
Rosa, of the United States bureau of
standards, whose analyses of govern
ment expenditures I 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. 1t
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 $5,686, ,005,7c6,
as given in the regular supply bills and
three deficiency bills prior to May l,
! 1920. For convenience he divided the
purposes for which this money was
spent into six groups as follows: p
Group I.-Obligations arising from
recent and previous wars, including
interest on the public debt, pensions:
war-risk insurance, rehabilitation and
| care of soldiers, deficit in theIDpera-
tiOn Of railways, expenditures 5J0f the
shipping board, European food2 relief.
| and the bonus to government employ
ees to cover partially the increased
cost Of living due to the war, total.
of $3,S55, ,4S2,5S6. E
Group u.-War and Navy depart,
| ments-expenses somewhat above a
permanent peace-time basis 81 ,424,-
1857.
Group III.-Primary governmental
functions, including congress, Presi-
| 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 andSthe
research, educational and develop
mental work of Group VI-$1S1 ,OS7,-
225. f. So.
Group IV.-Public works, including
rivers and harbors, public buildings,
reclamation service, post roads, ma
tional parks and railway in Alaska
$16s, ,2O3, ,557. 8. -
! 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. .5s
Group VI.-Research, educational
and developmental, including the wide
range of work Of the Agricultural de-
partment, geological survey, bureau Of
mines, coast and geodetic survey, bu-
reau Of standards, bureau Of fisheries,
bureau Of foreign and domestic COM
| MERGE, bureau Of labor statistics,
| women's and ,children's bureaus, voca-
tionall education, colleges for agricul-
ture and mechanic arts,. library Of
con- ngress, Smithsonian institution and
the public health service -$57 ,093, ,661.
Total groups I; to NI--$$5, $3.50, ,005, ,706.
= as 4
: Summary. Per
r Cent
Group I - Expenditures =
| arising from recent 4
and previous wars. SO, ,S55 4S2, go 67.81
| Group II-War and Navy e
departments .......... 1,424, ,13s, s,s76.57 25.o2
! Group 1II-Prinary gov y
.{ernmental functions. ISL, ,225.41 3.19
Group. Iy-Public works 16S,2O3, 557.46 2.97
| Group VI-Research, ed t., -
| ucational and devel- ~
opmental .............. 81 1893, ,e6Os3 1.o1
Total S, ,sss oo5, ,7o5 e 100 90
The first two groups together,
amount to 92S per cent, of the total;
public works amounts to- 8 per cent,
primary governmental functions 3.2
per cent, and research, educational
and developmental work. per cent.
The population Of the country being
about 1lO,OOOOOO, the total budget is
about fifty dollars a year per capita,
Of which fifty cents year per cap
ita is expended for the wide range OF
research, educational and develop
mental work included in Group VI.
.That is, Of the fifty dollars a year
per capita collected for all purposes,
dollar and half a year per CAPITA -
Doctor Rosa went. on to point out,
twas spent for what is here, called
primary functions of government; ;
nearly as much more was put into pub
lie works, and fifty cents.a year was
put back into research, educational
and developmental work, to promote
scientific research, to increase produc-
tion and efficiency, to develop wealth,
to- promote the public health and to
conserve our natural resources. That
is, a very small part Of the total
hardly enough to be regarded as
| burden on the nation.
Indeed, one is led to wonder
whether the total burden of taxation
would not be lighter if the, expendi-
ture for scientific and deyelopme
work were increased; if, for example.
it were one dollar year per capita
instead of fifty cents. In other words,
If $11O,OOO,OO0 were expended annu-
ally for this creative and productive
work, would it not be easier to collect
the five and half billions for other
| purposes?" .
The big money, of course, goes for
war, past, present and future, and
that is where the saving must be made.
Thirty thousand persons are killed
or Injured in tho Tinted States every