For the United States local debt statistics by cities, States, and for the whole country were given in the Tenth and Eleventh Censuses (1850 and 18901. Beginning with 1599, the United States Department of Labor has devoted a large part of its September lIulletin, cad' year, to "Statistics of Cities," among which it includes bonded, floating, total, net, and per capita net fields, sinking funds, and legal bumming limits for cities of 30.000 population and upward. The bulletin for 1902 contained figures for the fiscal year preceding (19)0-01, 1901. and 1901-02, ae cording to local eonditions) for 137 cities. The per capita act debts (figured on estimated popu lations) range from $1.48 for San Francisco to $115.57 for Newton, .Nlass. The average is not given, in connection With the low debt of San Francisco, it should be noted that the water works and lighting plants are owned by a private company, and that in many respects the city is backward in public improvements. Newton, on the other hand, is a very progressive city. Se
lecting the largest city in each group of ten, the table billowing has been eompiled from the 1902 bullet in.
Of the 137 cities in the original list, 23 report no sinking fund, and an equal number report no debt limit. Providence, R. I., is allowed to con tract debts up to 30 per cent. of its assessed valuation and '6 inking fund combined, and Nor folk, Va.. may go as high as 20 per cent. of the assessed valuation. The lowest limit is per cent. of the assessed valuation.
BuimoGnAPHY. Adams, Public Debts (New York. 1890) ; Fairlie, Municipal Administration (New York, 1001) ; the works noted tinder DEBT. PUBLIC, and FINANCE; United States Census Re ports for 1880 and 189.0; September Bulletins, United States Department of Labor (beginning 1899) ; British Local Government Board Reports (annual) : and the semi-annual "States and City Supplement" to the Commercial and Finuneial Chronicle (New York). The latter contains ab stracts of constitutional and legislative provi sions regarding municipal debt limits.