The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1941-03-20
Taxes and Spending

was called to the fact that all the
money collected this year by the
government for personal income
taxes will be required to pay the
interest on our national debt, and
is greater than was the sum re-
quired to operate the government
back in 1917.
This generation speaks as glibly
Of billions as the World War crowd
talked Of millions. It is estimated
that about II thousand million dol
lars will be required to run the
government during the current
year and that amount will be up
ped to 81 thousand million dollars
next year. The national debt Is
rapidly approaching the IS thous-
and million dollar limit fixed by
Congress several weeks ago and 1t
won't be long before we will have
a national debt Of rs thousand mil
lion dollars, which some anony-
nous banker told the President
some years back we could safely
carry.
I have seen many explanations
as to just how large a sum one
billion dollars really is. The other
day a friend brought in a magazine
article from the publication en-
weston America" that presents the
picture in an understandable man
ner. The article is incorporated
herewith:
How Much is One Billion Dollars?
Here's a simple and homely IL
1ustration of what one billion dol
lars amounts to:
Suppose we take an imaginary
boy, aged Is years, and assign to
him the task Of counting one bill
lion dollars in one-dollar bills.
eff he's unusually alert and tire
ess, he might manage to count
about 100 one-dollar bills a min
ute. (Try 1t and see).
WED have to be sure our young
man was strong and preserving, for
we propose to work him eight
hours a day and five days a week
until the task of counting one bill
lion dollars is completed. After he
finishes this job you might think
he would be able to qualify for a
position in a bank, or at the U. s.
Treasury, or even at some Of the
race tracks where they handle
more money than you'd imagine.
Well, wait and see whether our
dollar-bill-counter would be apt to
get such q job.
"But to get back to the counting
work.
Counts $4,000 Every Day
IF he counts 100 one-dollar bills
a minute, he will reel off $4,000 an
hour. That's a tough pace, but
well have to keep the young mans
nose to the grindstone, so to speak,
or well never get through.
Hes working eight hours day,
remember. That will account for
$4,000 by the end Of the first day.
NOW we're getting started. BY
the end Of the first week, our young
man has counted $4,000, and he
thinks he is making dent in the
pile Of one billion one-dollar bills.
Poor boy!
working steadily, with no vaca-
ton, and only five days off for
holidays, this youth finds that at
the end of the first year he has
counted $12,240.O00.
when he reaches his 21st birth
day, his talley shows that he has
counted $73,440,0O0. Six years Of
<,kooJxr xryorIr o~H ofiI1 n I,,rro ,>i1a
of one-dollar bills in front Of him.
Forty Years To Count One-Haf
Billion
CAS- the years roll by, the pile
gradually grows smaller, but by
the time both piles are equal in
size-the counted pile and uncount-
ed heap of one-dollar bills-the man
counting then has passed his 55th
birthday. Well, no use stopping
now; he's half through!
80 he continues to count. The
years pass in monotonous success
sion. He never realized that count
ing one billion dollars was going
to occupy his entire life. But here
he is, an old man. He'll see it
through, however-if he lives long
enough.
AT last the job is done. A be-
wiskered old man has completed
his life's work. He's past SO years
old and he's just counted one bill
lion one-dollar bills. He was is
years old when he started. It's
hard to realize, isn't it,"
May 1 observe at this point that
it would require about 70 lifetimes
to count the money Mr.. Roosevelt
has spent since he became Presi-
dent and we would use an addi-
tional 80 to count the money that
will be spent within the next two
years.
Unemployment Registration
Federal Security Administrator
McNutt has announced the open
ing Of an intensive one-month drive
to register the nations potential
defense workers at State employ
ment offices beginning March 18th.
Coincidental with the announce
ment, OPM (Office Of Production
Management Associate Director
General Hillman addressed an ap-
peal to every unemployed worker
in the country" to register, and
OPM Director Knudsen issued a
statement that "all employers are
urged to use public employment Of
fices for the recruitment of work.
ers."
All unemployed men and women
who are able to work are being
acIraI - roorsekar 90