The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-04-07
COST OF GOVERNMENT

y the University News Letter Prof. ;. n.
Hobbs, Jr., writes of the cost OF govern
nca in North Carolina and in the nation
Those paragraphs will supply interesting
aut -aluable information:
Ehc table which appears elsewhere IN this Is
la. f the News Letter ranks the states accord
.15- to the total cost of all government within
.ach state-state government, county govern
.nent, municipal and other local government for
-ho wear 1885. The data from a recent re-
ut compiled by the National Industrial Con-
'crence board showing the total of state and
zeal taxes collected for the year 1895. The data
lave been compiled from official sources.
In view of the fact that in some states, like
North Carolina, state government has come to
be relatively important, having absorbed many
functions formerly carried on by counties and
municipalities, while in other states local govern
ment still supplies the major services, 1t IS neces-
sary in order to have comparable data to COM
bine the total cost of all government within the
state. Comparisons showing the cost of state
government separately or local government sep
arately, may be meaningless in view of differ
ences in the relative cost of the state and local
governments in the various states.
As would probably be expected, New York
state ranks first in per capita cost of all govern
nent-state and local, the aggregate of taxes
collected for the year 1885 being $S5.s3 per
capita New York very we'll illustrates state
in which most of the cost of government IS
borne BY the local administrative units, such as
municipalities and counties. The total cost of
government in New York state in 1885 was ap-
proximately $1110,000,000. Of this amount
S24O, OOO, 900 was for state government and
ss7O, 900 was for local government. On a
per capita basis, state government cost Sls.6O
and local government cost S67.23.
Arkansas has the cheapest government on a
per capiat basis of all the states. The cost of
Ill government in Arkansas in 1895 was 1884,
$4,000 or S17.10 per capita. In the of
Arkansas almost exactly half of this amount was
spent by the state administration and the other
half by the counties and municipalities.
The total volume of taxes collected for state
and local government in North Carolina for the
year 1885 is reported at S92,74S, 900, or $23 90
per capita. State government is reported at
s5O,16S, 900, or S14.51 per capita, and all local
government, county and municipal, at $780,
900, or s942 per capita. North Carolina ranks
forty-third in total cost of all government within
Ale SLdOe ESuuCSO U = per GdplId OASIS. lne
states which spend less per capita on govern
ment are in descending order: Kentucky South
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas.
North Carolina is credited in estimates made by
the U. S. Census Bureau with ranking about
forty-frst, both in per capita wealth and in per
capita income. In view of the fact that taxes
have to be taken out of wealth and income, they
should bear some relationship to the wealth and
income of the respective states It is oate OBJ
vious that North Carohnians are not heavily
taxed. Our rank in the cost of government is
slightly lower than our rank in wealth and in
come. It may be that the burden of taxation is
not evenly distributed in terms of wealth and
income for the different classes of business but
insofar as the cost of all government is concern
ed, it is in line with the relative cost in other
states.