32 THE FISCAL PROBLEM IN MISSOURI 
Expenditures for Other Functions 
Only scattered information is available concerning the 
local expenditures other than for schools and roads.! Figures 
for debt retirements are compiled annually by the Commer- 
cial and Financial Chronicle and are issued in a publication 
entitled State and Municipal Compendium. According to 
this publication, the local governments in Missouri paid off 
bonded debt obligations during 1928 in the amount of 
$7,832,810.2 This figure comprises one of the two component 
parts forming a total commonly designated as debt service. 
The other part, interest, is difficult to estimate, as the debt 
obligations of certain local governments bear rates of interest 
that vary considerably. It is believed that total interest 
payments of all local governments in Missouri amounted to 
approximately $7.9 million in the fiscal year ended in 1928. 
This estimate was obtained? by using the interest payments 
of the four large cities for that year and adding an estimated 
amount for other local governments. Adding this estimate 
to the previous total for debt redemption, the total for debt 
service becomes $15.7 million. 
The gross total of local expenditures for the fiscal year 
ended in 1928 has been estimated as $163.6 million. The 
total for the functions that have been considered amounted 
to approximately $96.9 million in that year. This amount, 
however, involves certain duplications, only $2.0 million 
of which can be eliminated. The total as given, when re- 
duced by that amount, becomes $94.9 million. Deducting 
the last amount from the gross total of $163.6 million leaves 
a remainder of $68.7 million to be attributed to other govern- 
mental functions.® Of the latter amount, $48.9 million are 
attributable to the four cities over 30,000, and it would 
therefore appear that only $19.8 million were expended by 
other local governments for the remaining functions. The 
figure of $19.8 million, however, should be regarded as a 
1 This statement does not apply to the data for cities over 30,000. 
? State and Municipal Compendium, June 28, 1929, p. 15. 
3 For complete details of basis of estimating, see Appendix B. 
4 See Appendix B for explanation of duplications. 
$ General government, protection, social welfare, public utilities, and miscel- 
laneous.