The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-01-21

WHENE YOOk MCNE1 GO-3
| am indebted Ia The iatc III. Il. L..
Rosa, of tie United States bureau Of
standards, whose analyses of govern
ment expenditures | have already
quoted in these articles, for the fob
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 Il total of Sj.6S6. oO5, TO6,
as given in The regular supply bills and
three deficiency bills prior 20 May /,
1920. For convenience he divided the
purposes for which this money was
spent into six groups as follows:
Group I.-Obliga.ions arising from
recent and previous vars. including
interest on the public debt, pensions,
War-risk insurance. rehabilitation and
care of soldiers, deficit in the opera
ton of railways, expenditures of the
shipping board, European food relief
and the bonus to government employ
ees to cover partially the increased
of $3.50 S2,5S6.
Group II.-Waf and Navy depart
ments-expenses somewhat above "A
permanent %peace-time basis-S1,424,-
139,677.
Group III.--lrimary 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 thar defense, except the com
mercial activities of Group V and the
research, educational and develop
mental work of Group VI-$1S1, 0S7,-
225.
Group IV.-Public works, including
rivers and harbors, public buildings,
reclamation service, post roads, ma
tional parks and railway in Alaska
$16S, 203,557.
Group ".-Commercial or self-sup-
porting activities, including the post
office, land office, Panama canal and
housing corporation, which, taken to-
gether, earn their expenses.
Group VI.-Research, educational
and developmental. including the wide
range of work of the Agricu nnea1, de-
partment, geological surveyk
mines, coast and geodeticl
reau OF standards, GUTeau
bureau of foreign and donnc%
merce, bureau of labor statistics,
women's and children's bureaus, voca-
tional education, colleges for agricul-
ture and mechanic arts, library of
congress, Smithsonian institution and
the public health seryice-$57, 093, 661.
Total groups Ito VI-$5,6 CSC, 005, FOG.
Summary. Per
Cent
Group l. Expenditures
arising from recent
and previous wars. 81, S55, 4S2. esq., 67,Sl
Group II-War and Navy
departments .......... 1,424, 13S, 1861 3.02
Group I1I-Primary gov
ernmental functions. 1S1.0S7 ,225.41 3.19
Group IV-Public works 16S, 203, 557.46 29
Group VI-Research, ed
ucatlonal and deVel-
opmental ............... 67.o9S, 660.9S 1.Ol
Total ............... IS, $50, O05, 7O5.9 81 10000
The first two groups together
mount to 92.8 per cent of the total;
public works amounts to 3 per cent,
primary governmental functions 81
per cent, and research, educational
and developmental work, / per cent.
The population of the country being
about 11O,000,0 00, the total budget is
about fifty dollars u year per capita,
of which fifty cents a year per cap
tia 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,
a dollar and a half a year per capita
Doctor Rosa went On to point out,
'was 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 Ddtk lilO ItStdi'hf ttutttAOiih'
and developmental work, to promote
scientific research, TO increase produc-
ton 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 a
burden on the nation.
%'Indeed, one is led 10 wonder
whether the total burden of taxation
would not be lighter if the expendl-
ture for scientific and deyelopmental
work were increased; If, for example.
1t were one dollar a year per capita
Instead of fifty cents. In other words.
If S110,000.000 were expended annu-
ally for this creative and productive
work, would it not be easier to cOlleci
the FIVE and a half billions for other
purposes7"
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
a ~ tpt,,ro1 In tho Itnitpd Stotoc .vnrv