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Equity in School
Move In

Financing: The Courts

A Decade of Growth for Social Spending
Budget Surpluses for State and Local Gov­
ernments: U n d e rcu ttin g Uncle Sam's
Fiscal Stance?
The Fed in Print




IN THIS ISSUE . . .
Equity in School Financing: The Courts
Move In
. . . Changing attitudes and financial crises
of local governments have thrust the issue
of equitable school financing into the arena
of major social concerns, with the courts
defining and implementing the objectives.
A Decade of Growth for Social
. . . Social spending at all levels
ment has steadily increased, now
for a hefty slice of the national

Spending
of govern­
accounting
income.

Budget Surpluses for State and Local Gov­
ernments: Undercutting Uncle Sam's Fiscal
Stance?
. . . Recently state and local governments
have begun posting fatter and fatter sur­
pluses which are partially offsetting the ex­
pansive impact on the economy of Federal
deficit spending.

On our cover: The Capitol Building of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is located at State
and Third streets in Harrisburg. Designed by Joseph M. Houston of Philadelphia, it was com­
pleted in 1906 and dedicated on October 4 by President Theodore Roosevelt. An E-shaped gran­
ite structure of Italian Renaissance design, the Capitol is 520 feet long and 254 feet wide. Its
dome, towering to a height of 272 feet, is visible from almost every point in the city. (Photo
courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Property and Supplies.)

BUSINESS REVIEW is produced in the Department of Research. Ronald B. Williams is Art Director and Manager,
Graphic Services. The authors will be glad to receive comments on their articles.
Requests for additional copies should be addressed to Public Information, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101.



FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

Equity in School
Financing:
The Courts Move In
by
Anita A. Summers

Mankind has long sought equity. Every­
one— from King Solomon to President Nixon
— has been for it. The question which leads
to conflicting views is, what does it mean?
Whether income distribution, garbage col­
lection services or education is being con­
sidered, these questions need to be an­
swered: equity for whom? equity measured
by what? equity determined by whom?
School financing has been thrust into the
spotlight by changes in American values
and crises in municipal financing. To date,
most of the debate has been in the courts.
While the final judicial verdicts are not in
yet, changes in defining and implementing
equity in education are in the offing.

On March 21, 1973, the United States
Supreme Court, in a razor-thin 5 to 4 deci­
sion, upheld the constitutionality of the
present methods of school financing in
Texas. Writing for the majority, justice Lewis
F. Powell, jr. declared that "the considera­
tion and initiation of fundamental reforms
with respect to state taxation and education
are matters reserved for the legislative
processes of the various states. . . ."
The article presented here, written before
the Court ruling, highlights the underlying
issues leading up to this decision. Specifi­
cally, it deals with recent efforts to develop
more equitable methods of school financing
and the role that courts are playing in de­
fining and implementing equity in education.




EDUCATIONAL EQUITY COMES OF AGE
Social Self-Consciousness. Although a
major issue in the last century, equity in the
financing of education has again become a
3

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

receipts, coming mainly from property taxes,
has been sluggish—as income of city resi­
dents has climbed, property tax revenue has
not risen proportionately. Adding to the
revenue problem has been the erosion of
city tax bases, as families and firms have
headed for the suburbs.3 Accompanying
these developments, taxpayers have viewed
educators' requests for more funds with in­
creasing wariness. Improvements in skills
have been minor, student turbulence has
continued for years, and dropout rates have
remained high. Yet, educational expendi­
tures have soared. For nearly three decades
elementary and secondary school expendi­
tures have jumped significantly higher than
the 7 percent increase in expenditures on all
output in the United States (Gross National
Product). Per pupil expenditures have more
than doubled in the last 10 years.
The educators' views that funds are in­
adequate and local taxpayers' wariness and
reluctance to provide more funds mean that,
for large urban school districts, the financial
crisis is particularly acute. Those most con­
cerned over this general financial inade­
quacy are the ones who feel most
disadvantaged in the general educational
process. Hence, there has been a rash of
lawsuits across the country brought by par­
ents and children who feel that they are
being shortchanged in the parceling of edu­
cational funds.

live topic among lawyers, educators, poli­
ticians, and social scientists. And this is not
at all surprising. Two major developments—
one social, one economic— have converged,
inexorably, on education. During the past
25 years, Americans have moved through
a painful exploration of social concerns,
leading to a quest for more precise defini­
tions of rights. Racial discrimination, rights
of the poor, and women's liberation have
been drawn through the maze of courts,
legislatures, activist groups, and academia.
Economist Kenneth Boulding has called this
trend a movement from a period of per­
sonal self-consciousness (the era of Freud)
to a period of social self-consciousness.
These changing attitudes have also pushed a
child's right to be educated to the forefront
of items to receive a definition of equity.
Crisis in Municipal Finances. The condi­
tion of local finances— in particular, urban
finances— underscores the urgency of de­
fining equity in education as well. In many
large cities education revenues are inade­
quate to meet school needs. (Indeed, total
local revenues are viewed as inadequate to
meet municipal needs in many major
cities.)1 Center cities have certainly had in­
tense competition for their tax dollar. Their
high-cost population and old physical plant
have resulted in increasing demand for
noneducational services.2 But growth in tax

The Ultimate Objective. Because of
changing attitudes and financial crises of
local governments, the question of educa­
tional equity begs for definition, with the
courts playing a major role in the process.
Obviously, the child is the prime objective

1While most major cities have faced financial dif­
ficulties during the past years, state and local govern­
ments as a whole have not. For a discussion of the
aggregated budget posture of state and local govern­
ments, see Donald L. Raiff and Richard M. Young,
"Budget Surpluses for State and Local Governments:
Undercutting Uncle Sam's Fiscal Stance?" in this issue.
2 Center cities spend about a third of their revenue
on education, suburban areas about half. In the
Philadelphia area, in 1966-67, local taxes were 6.2
percent of personal income in Philadelphia, 4 per­
cent in the suburbs— but, $51 per capita went to
education in Philadelphia and $85 per capita in the
suburbs.



3
Center city family incomes are more than $2,000
less than suburban family incomes. Suburban retail
sales in the 37 largest SMSAs increased 106 percent
between 1958 and 1967; center city sales increased
by only 13 percent.
4

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

They worked out an approach known as
"fiscal neutrality," which side-stepped the
issue of equity in output (educational qual­
ity) by focusing on the issue of equity in
dollar availability.4 They argued that edu­
cational funding should be unbiased in the
sense that equal tax effort (equal millage
on the value of property) should raise equal
dollars per child. While almost all states
have some form of "equalization" standards,
unequal amounts per pupil still are raised
from equal millage because property values
vary so widely (Hawaii being the exception).
The landmark decision of Serrano v. Priest
in California was the first in a series of cases
successfully argued using this principle of
fiscal neutrality. Schoolchildren and their
taxpaying parents from a number of Los An­
geles County school districts sued a number
of county and state officials on the grounds
that the method of financing education in
the state of California violated the equal
protection clauses of the state and U. S. con­
stitutions. They contended that the statemandated tax structure resulted in their
paying higher tax rates to receive the same
or less revenue for education as those in
other school districts in the state. The out­
come, they argued, was lower educational
quality despite high tax efforts for many
school districts. On August 30, 1971, the
California Supreme Court ruled that:

of the educational process. How is equity
best defined for the child? The courts,
through constitutional interpretation, may
be better equipped to define the objective
in a less demanding way by requiring equity
for the taxpayer. The legislatures, by re­
sponding to their constituencies, may be
better equipped to respond to the more
demanding statement of the objective—
that is, equity for the child. In either case,
providing all children in a specific jurisdic­
tion with an equal learning opportunity is
the ultimate objective.
EQUITY— FOR THE TAXPAYER OR
THE CHILD?
There are two sides to an education
budget— revenues and expenditures. De­
bates about equity in school financing fre­
quently move around loosely between the
two sides. If equity for the child (or the
school or the school district) is the goal,
then the expenditure side is emphasized,
and the question is whether or not public
education funds are being spent "fairly."
Court cases with this leaning emphasize the
inferior education received by children of
the poor or children in minority groups. If
equity for the taxpayer is the objective, then
revenue is stressed, and the question is
whether or not public education funds are
being raised "fairly." Court cases with this
leaning emphasize the relatively low amount
of funds raised in poorer areas with equal
tax effort. Clearly, the child and the tax­
payer are not entirely different entities—the
taxpayer is often the parent of the pupil.
But, when measuring the degree of equity,
it is useful to emphasize the different hats
they are wearing. And taxpayer equity is
easier to measure than pupil equity.

W e have determ ined that this funding
schem e invidiously discrim inates against the
poor because it makes the quality of a child's
education a function of the w ealth of his par­
ents and neighbors. Recognizing as w e must
that the right to an education in our public
schools is a fundam ental interest w hich can­
not be conditioned on w ealth, w e can dis­
cern no com pelling state purpose neces­
sitating the present method of financing.

Equity for the Taxpayer in the Courts.
Three lawyers specializing in the area of
school finance reform were quick to recog­
nize the relative manageability of a taxpayer
equity standard in the eyes of the courts.



*]. E. Coons, W. H. Clune, and S. D. Sugarman,
"Educational Opportunity: A Workable Test for State
Financial Structures," California Law Review 57 (1969):
305.
5

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

available to be spent on education with the
same tax effort on the part of the school
district (see Box for details of several pro­
posals aimed at meeting the fiscal neu­
trality standard).

W e have concluded, therefore, that such a
system cannot withstand constitutional chal­
lenge and must fall before the equal pro­
tection clause.

The post-Serrano period has seen a steady
flow of successfully and similarly argued
cases in a number of states. In Minnesota
the "fiscal neutrality" argument was used
with success. The United States District
Court found that the state had organized a
tax system which resulted in less education
revenue for some school districts. The state
legislature revised its school aid formula,
and the plaintiffs withdrew their case. Simi­
lar decisions were reached in cases in New
Jersey, Arizona, Kansas, and Michigan in
1972.
The case receiving the greatest attention
now is one originating in Texas and argued
before the United States Supreme Court on
October 12, 1972. A group of Americans
of Mexican descent (children and their taxpaying parents) originally sued the Texas
State Board of Education, San Antonio
School Districts and others. The United
States District Court, in December 1971,
declared the Texas educational financing
system unconstitutional and ordered it cor­
rected by the 1973-74 school year. An
appeal was brought to the Supreme Court
and a ruling is anticipated this spring.
Press coverage to the contrary, local prop­
erty taxes have not been declared uncon­
stitutional, and the level of educational
spending in any school district has not been
mandated. What has been strongly affirmed
(with one exception noted below) is the
concept of fiscal neutrality. The definition
of equity in education mandated by the
courts is taxpayer-oriented. It measures edu­
cation in terms of dollars available to spend
and defines equity in terms of equal dollars
per child from equal tax rates. It skips over
the question of whether a difference in edu­
cational expenditures results in a difference
in educational quality. It says, simply, that
each child should have an equal amount



Equity for the Child. Impressive as these
equalizing recommendations and decisions
may be, the lack of concentration on equity
for the child is deplored by many. A strik­
ing feature of the 50-odd recent court cases
involving school finance reform is that no
case stands which has ruled in favor of re­
quiring equal educational quality for the
children in different school districts in a
state.5
In 1954, the U. S. Supreme Court in the
famous Brown case, in which racial segre­
gation was the central issue, ruled:
Today, education is perhaps the most im ­
portant function of state and local govern­
ments . . . Such an opportunity, w here
the state has undertaken to provide it, is a
right w hich must be made available to all
on equal terms.

Not until February 1968, however, was
this basic philosophy related to school fi­
nance reform. Poor children in Detroit
complained that they were receiving a qual­
ity of education inferior to that in the more
affluent suburbs, and demanded correction
through reforms in educational finance. In
June 1968, a few months later, a similar com­
plaint landed in the courts in Illinois. Stu­
dents and parents argued that a school
finance system that did not educationally
compensate the disadvantaged— a system
that did not allocate money according to
"educational needs"— was unconstitutional.
nJudge J. Skelley Wright did rule in Hobson v.
Hansen in 1971, in Washington, D. C., that per pupil
expenditures on teachers' salaries and benefits in the
D. C. schools should not deviate more than 5 per­
cent from the mean, that this covers “ only inputs
which do have a direct bearing on the quality of a
child's education," and this is a “ judicially manage­
able standard."
6

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

MEETING THE FISCAL NEUTRALITY STANDARD
One group of proposed schemes involves moving toward more centralized fi­
nancing of education. The state would raise all funds for education and dispense
them uniformly throughout its districts. This concept meets the only requirement
of Serrano, the requirement of fiscal neutrality (different school districts receive
money in a way which is divorced from wealth). Moreover, it permits some leeway
in dispensing funds. For example, equal expenditures per pupil with corrections for
cost differentials (teachers' salaries, books) over the state would be consistent with
the concept of fiscal neutrality, as would equal per pupil expenditures with correc­
tions for cost differentials related to student needs.
Another proposal known as "power equalizing" has evolved. This scheme is con­
sistent with the present decentralized form of education and fuses egalitarian and
libertarian views. One version includes (1) a flat grant per child to be provided by
the state to insure a basic adequate amount of spending, (2) a categorical grant to
respond to specific needs (for example, transportation, municipal overburden, un­
derachieving students), and (3) a local tax source. Local school districts would raise
money as they see fit (with the taxes allowed to them in their respective state con­
stitutions), with one proviso. Districts which raise less than the average amount raised
in the state from any given tax rate would receive the difference from the state. The
state would obtain these funds from the districts which raise more than the average
amount. Thus, for each 1 percent a district taxes itself, it will raise an amount of
money per pupil to be spent on education equal to that of every other district in
the state. This scheme meets the fiscal neutrality mandate and, indeed, exceeds it
(consideration of the needs of different types of students and school districts, as re­
flected in the flat and categorical grants, is not part of the ruling).*
Thus, the "power equalizing" plan appears to satisfy the courts, keeps many as­
pects of local taxation intact, leaves school administration to local districts, and
allows individual districts to spend more on education if they so choose.**
* A simple power-equalizing scheme has been applied to school districts in Pennsylvania to illus­
trate what the impact might be (see Appendix). The hypothetical plan assumes that present state
and Federal aid would be the flat grant and categorical aid components.
** All the ramifications of such a plan are not known, of course. It is possible, for example, that rich
districts, finding their greater-than-average capacity to produce tax revenues for education used for.
others, would opt for more of other public services, and send their children to private schools—
thereby reducing the tax revenue to be redistributed.




7

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

The next year, students and taxpayers in
Virginia sued their state's public school and
finance officials, charging the state with not
fulfilling its obligations, because per pupil
expenditures varied widely over the school
districts in the state. None of these cases
brought about changes in educational fi­
nancing procedures. The courts referred to
the absence of a "judicially manageable
standard " and the confusing guidance of an
educational needs criterion. Following these
rulings, many other cases were dismissed
and many were voluntarily withdrawn.
Only when those who complained of in­
equity moved from the issue of equal edu­
cational quality to the issue of taxpayer




equity did the courts begin to render affirma­
tive decisions. The difficulties the courts
faced in developing manageable criteria for
determining what constitutes equal educa­
tional quality are the same that educators
face when evaluating various educational
programs: What quantitative measures
should be employed in determining
whether programs have achieved their
objectives?
WANTED: STANDARDS FOR EQUITY
IN EDUCATIONAL QUALITY
Equal per pupil expenditure makes things
equal, but in many cases not fair. The edu-

8

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

Until such issues are better specified,
schemes for school finance reform which
detail allotments might be better imple­
mented through flexible arrangements which
allow for additions and retractions for spe­
cific educational requirements. In the ab­
sence of detailed attention to these needs,
large cities may emerge the losers. For
example, Philadelphia, under one simple
formula, would be less well off (see Appen­
dix). A more sensitive indicator of needs,
however, would produce a result more
helpful to center cities. In short, if educa­
tional policymakers are to achieve the
ultimate objective of an equal learning op­
portunity for all children, they must develop
manageable standards for assessing educa­
tional quality.

cation of a physically handicapped child
must cost more than that of a normal child.
His educational demands are greater if the
same achievements are desired. Currently,
most financing schemes allot extra funds for
such a child. And the costs and results are
readily ascertainable. The more subtle ques­
tion arises with the less visible handicaps
related to poverty or race.
Should heavier allotments be made to
overcome these socioeconomic differences?
To answer yes, one needs to have much
more in the argument than "help the dis­
advantaged." If more is spent for such a
child, is he, in fact, helped in his school
achievements? The much-publicized Cole­
man Report concluded that "when schools
with economically and racially similar stu­
dents were compared, differences in school
policies and resources were rarely associated
with pedagogically significant or statistically
reliable differences in verbal achievement."6
Does that mean that money doesn't matter—
that spending more on the disadvantaged
won't help, because socioeconomic and
genetic characteristics matter most? Perhaps.
But the issue is certainly not a settled one.7

WHAT NEXT?
Now, it is education— not housing, wel­
fare or job training— whose equity charac­
teristics are under fire. The courts, in
particular, have been called upon to define
the standards.
What has clearly emerged is a general
acceptance in many states of a minimal
standard of equity to be enforced by the
courts. That is, within the state, equal tax
rates must generate equal dollars for educa­
tion. If the U. S. Supreme Court upholds this
position, plans for implementing it in states
where cases have already been decided will
move along rapidly. In other states, litigation
will surely develop. If the Court does not
uphold the position, the issue will have been
tossed back to the states for examination
within the frameworks of their constitutions.
The results will be slower— and, of course,
less uniform.
Beyond this minimal standard, develop­
ments are more likely to be seen in state
legislatures than in the courts— and prefer­
ably so. The legislature, in the development
of state support formulas, already has con­
siderable experience in defining equity in

“ James S. Coleman, Ernest Q. Campbell, Carol J.
Holson, James McPartland, Alexander M. Mood,
Frederic D. Weinfeld, and Robert L. York, Equality of
Educational Opportunity, 2 vols. (Washington: Gov­
ernment Printing Office, 1966).
7 The Department of Research of the Federal Reserve
Bank of Philadelphia, as part of its continuing interest
in the economic problems of Philadelphia's public
sector, is conducting a study of resource inputs and
achievement outputs of Philadelphia public school
students. The effects of various school inputs (exam­
ples are teacher quality and equipment), socioeco­
nomic inputs (examples are family income and race),
and school climate inputs (examples are the number
of disruptive incidents and the proportion of low
achievers) are being analyzed in relation to changes
in pupil achievement over a period of years. Inputs
important to low achievers will be sorted out from
inputs important to high achievers. Similarly, sort­
ing will be done by race and by income levels.



9

BUSINESS REVIEW

MARCH 1973

terms of meeting the educational needs of
different categories of students. The search
for more accurate answers to the question
of the role of educational resources in edu­
cating the disadvantaged is proceeding, but
still has some distance to go before yielding
a useful judicial yardstick.8
The one certainty is that change in the area
of school financing is inevitable. Even if radi­
cally different schemes are not implemented,
the objective of educational equity will get
a new look. The role of the property tax in
school financing will probably diminish, as
new taxes are examined. If nothing else,
the property tax system is likely to be over­
hauled. Improved equalization procedures,
and new computer techniques for keeping
the tax revenue moving with property values
will be implemented more rapidly as a con­
sequence of the energetic search for educa­




10

tional equity. Moreover, this search, along
with the fiscal crises of many urban schools,
creates a compelling pressure to seek out
the effective use of limited educational in­
puts. When funds are scarce, the question
of who should get how much sharpens and
the answer becomes visible in its impact.
During this period of reexamination and
change, the schools are expected to continue
to operate. For the urban schools the task
of operating is staggering. Not only must
they await further judicial opinions, but
they must also deal with taxpayers that are
in cre a sin g ly re lu cta n t to give m ore to
education.
8Thus, in one suit in Illinois, the court said,
. .
there are no 'discoverable and manageable standards'
by which a court can determine when the constitu­
tion is satisfied and when it is violated."

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

APPENDIX
WHAT ONE EQUALIZING METHOD
W O U LD D O IN PENNSYLVANIA
In the table below a few school districts were selected, somewhat arbitrarily, to
illustrate what the current (1971-72) range of per pupil expenditures is, what the
current local tax effort is for education, and what changes in school district expen­
ditures could occur if a simple, hypothetical, and equalizing method were adopted:
(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)*

(9)*

(2)-(3)-(4)

(6)x$26.58 (8)+(3)+(4)

Local
Local Tax Local Tax
Revenue
Effort
Revenue
Per
For
Per Mill
Pupil
Education Per Pupil

Local Tax Total Tax
Revenue Revenue
Per
Per
Pupil
Pupil
Using
Using
Equal­
Equal­
izing
izing
Formula Formula

Central Fulton

Clearfield Area
Lebanon
Stroudsburg Area
N esham iny
Yo rk
Radnor
Low er M erion
Philadelphia
Average of
139 Reporting
Districts

State
Aid
Per
Pupil

Federal
Aid
Per
Pupil

($)

Administrative
Unit

Total
Revenue
Per
Pupil
623
766
859
901
985
1131
1275
1329
1347

($)
417
500
362
252
432
508
91
110
531

($)
18
22
26
17
6
7
0
1
15

($)
188
244
471
632
547
616
1184
1218
801

899

372

9.4

712

(M ills)
50.9
24.0
28.5
22.7
33.1
31.4
32.3
19.7
22.2

($)
3.69
10.17
16.53
27.84
16.52
19.62
36.66
61.83
36.08

27.0

26.58

($)
1353
638
758
604
880
835
859
524
591

($)
1788
1160
1146
872
1318
1350
950
635
1136

* Calculations are available, on request, for the remaining 130 reporting school districts.
Source of data, Columns (1)-(6): Economic Aspects of Public Education in Pennsylvania, 1971-72, Graduate
School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.

(1) These are a selected group of school districts from the 139 reporting units, il­
lustrating a wide range of expenditures.
(2) Total revenue per pupil is equal to the amounts spent on operating expendi­
tures, capital equipment, and transportation. Excluded are bond proceeds. Pupils
are weighted by grade: K = 0.5, 1-6 = 1.0, 7-12 = 1.1 and only those on the
active rolls are included.




11

BUSINESS REVIEW

MARCH 1973

(3) State aid includes foundation support, designed to provide minimum support and
to equalize somewhat, and specific allocations for school construction, health
services, etc.
(4) Federal aid, largely Title I funds.
(5) Local revenue per pupil equal total revenue less state and Federal aid.
(6) Local tax effort is measured by the ratio of all tax revenues used for education
to the total market value of real property, expressed in dollars per thousand
(mills). No correction has been made for unequalized assessments.
(7) Local tax revenue for education is calculated on a per pupil per mill basis.
(8) The mean raised per mill per pupil for all communities, $26.58, is multiplied by
the current, local tax effort to obtain the hypothetical local revenue per pupil.
(9) The amount raised locally under the hypothetical plan is added to Federal and
local aid to obtain the hypothetical total revenue per pupil.
What can be seen from the table? Total revenues per pupil (column 2), with the
present form of equalizing, vary widely. Philadelphia has the highest of the report­
ing districts and Central Fulton, one of the lowest, has less than half the per pupil
expenditures. Variations in needs (transportation, costs, socioeconomic) not incor­
porated in present equalization methods account for some of this spread. Varia­
tions in effort and wealth account for the rest.
Locally raised revenues (column 5) vary even more widely. In the small sample
in the table, Lower Merion is six times Central Fulton. Two factors, effort and wealth
(as measured by property values) are involved in this result.
Local tax effort (column 6) varies widely. The community poorest in property
value of this sample shows the greatest effort (Central Fulton), and the community
richest in property value shows the least effort (Lower Merion).
Communities show a large spread in taxed property value. Because property values
vary so widely, the amounts of revenue raised per mill per pupil (column 7)— that is,
what the same tax effort produces per pupil—varies widely. One mill raises $3.69
per pupil in Central Fulton, and $61.83 in Lower Merion.
If the revenue from a mill were the same (equal to the present average) for all
school districts, low per pupil spenders would receive more, and high per pupil spend­
ers would receive less (column 8). This hypothetical plan would leave each com­
munity expending its present tax effort. Essentially, a redistribution of school revenue
would occur from high property value districts to low property value districts. This
can be seen by comparing columns 8 and 5.
When the present equalizing state and Federal aid are added on to the equalized
local tax revenue per mill, the total tax revenue for schools is larger for school districts
with higher tax effort (column 9). Thus, Central Fulton would, in this hypo­
thetical plan, have the largest amount (and the largest increase in amount) per pupil
available to spend. This can be seen by comparing columns 9 and 2. It would bene­
fit greatly from the fact that, without the plan it was able to raise only $3.69 per pupil
per mill— much less than the average for the reporting districts in the state of $26.58.
And, in addition, it would be rewarded for its very large tax effort— 50.9 mills, com­




12

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

pared with the 27.0 average for the state. Lower Merion, on the other hand, would
have much less available to it. It would lose on two accounts—from the fact that it
could raise $61.83 per pupil per mill (much higher than the $26.58 state average),
and from the relatively low tax effort of 19.7 mills (much lower than the 27.0 state
average). Philadelphia would emerge somewhat worse off— it is able to raise some­
what more than the average per pupil per mill, but its tax effort is less than the
average.
Clearly, many factors have not been incorporated in this hypothetical plan. Many
would advocate much more weight being given to those with socioeconomic disad­
vantages than is now incorporated in the equalizing aid. And many would want to
allow for the municipal overburden of cities. Both of these would result in a very
different revenue availability for Philadelphia.




13

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

A Decade of Growth
For Social Spending




by robert ritchie

14

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

i

CHART 1
DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS PUBLIC SPENDING UPPED THE SHARE OF NATIONAL
INCOME FUNNELED THROUGH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL BUDGETS
Percent of National Income

50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TOTAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES

30

-----------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES

20 -----------------------------------------------

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES

1962
Source:

.

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

U. S. Department of Commerce, Survey of Current Business

I . 3 '• f : f




'

I

|

.

••

..■

5

15

■■A * J ...

.

'

.

BUSINESS REVIEW

MARCH 1973

CHART 2
MOREOVER, UNCLE SAM BEGAN SPENDING MORE ON DOMESTIC SOCIAL
PROGRAMS* THAN ON NATIONAL DEFENSE
*
Millions of Dollars

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

* Domestic social programs include expenditures on education, health, labor, welfare, veterans
benefits and services, commerce, transportation, housing, and natural resources. Other expen­
ditures include spending on space research and technology, general government, international
affairs and finance, and agriculture. Federal expenditures are larger than attributed in Chart 1
because of Federal grants-in-aid.




16

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

CHART 3
AND, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, WHICH USUALLY DEVOTE MOST OF THEIR
BUDGETS TO SOCIAL PROGRAMS, INCREASED TH ESE EXPENDITURES CONSIDERABLY.
Millions of Dollars

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES
140

120
100
80
60
40

OTHER EXPENDITURES
20

0
1962

1963




1964

1965

1966

17

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

BUSINESS REVIEW

MARCH 1973

AS A RESULT, GOVERNMENTS’ SOCIAL SPENDING ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN A
QUARTER OF THE NATIONAL INCOME.
Percent of National Income

15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | t t »»»i n l t

STATE AND LOCAL SOCIAL EXPENDITURES
5' ;--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- l i f

I____ I ____I ___ l_____I ____I ___ I ___ I____ I____ I__ l
_
_
_
_
_

0

1962
1

fe

?|

1963

1964

■

s'
:




:

:

1965
,

* I Ul

1966
;

1967
r

‘

18

■

■

1968
*

i

1969
•

... £ :

■

■

1970
■

1971
■

!.a ;J

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

Budget Surpluses for
State and Local
Governments:
Undercutting Uncle
Sam's Fiscal Stance?
by
Donald L Raiff and
Richard M. Young
group, have switched from "balanced" budg­
ets to ones with unprecedented surpluses.1
And another surplus is in the cards for '73.
Because of this state and local surplus for
'73, the Federal deficit projection substan­
tially overstates the stimulative impact of the
public sector on the economy. Thus, rather
than catapulting the economy into an over­
heated boom, the total fiscal stance of the
public sector may be a tempering influence
on economic expansion in 1973 and 1974.

Each year since 1969 the Federal Govern­
ment has run budgetary deficits larger than
any since the end of World War II. Although
deficits and surpluses are not the only chan­
nels through which governments' budgets
affect the economy, they are the biggest
attention-getters (see Box). The reason for
this is that a big deficit typically signifies a
boost to economic expansion, sometimes
too hefty a boost. The concern expressed
in some quarters is that Uncle Sam's deficit
for 1973 will push an already expanding
economy into a runaway boom accompanied
by a rising rate of inflation.
While national attention has centered on
the Federal red ink, relatively little notice
has been taken of the new fiscal position
of state and local budgets. In the last few
years state and local governments, as a



1The surplus is on a National Income Account
basis as published by the U. S. Department of Com­
merce in its Survey of Current Business. The aggre­
gation is over all state and local governments, both
their regular budgets and the social insurance funds
which they control (see footnote 2).
19

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

MORE TO A BUDGET THAN SURPLUSES AND DEFICITS
Surpluses and deficits are probably the most widely discussed aspect of govern­
ment budgets when it comes to assessing the economic outlook for the nation. The
reason for this is that a deficit typically has an expansionary effect on the economy,
and a surplus a contractionary one. But there is more to understanding a budget's
effect on the national economy than being aware of its surplus or deficit position.
Three sometimes elusive aspects— a budget's level, its composition, and its financ­
ing— also have important effects on output, employment, and inflation.
Budget Level. Aside from a surplus or deficit, the importance of the level of the
budget is a result of the balanced-budget multiplier— a concept familiar to every stu­
dent of introductory economics. The Federal Government stimulates the economy
when it moves from a given surplus or deficit to a budget having higher expenditures
and taxes but the same surplus or deficit. This effect is generated because Washing­
ton spends all additional revenues while John Q. Taxpayer would have saved part
of his incremental disposable income had there been no tax increase.* Rapid in­
creases in taxing and spending by state and local governments since 1945 presum­
ably added to national income by an amount equaling the balanced-budget multiplier
times the size of any equal increase in taxes and expenditures. In lieu of this effect,
Uncle Sam would have found it necessary to reshape his fiscal posture to achieve
the employment and growth levels of postwar years.
Budget Composition. Revamped taxes and expenditures can also greatly affect a
budget's impact on the economy. One expenditure may generate a feedback through
the capital goods market, while another may not. For example, a billion dollar in­
crease in spending on tanks will not affect GNP the same as a billion spent on city
parks. One tax payment may be deductible in computing a second tax, so equal re­
ductions in payments of the two taxes have much different impacts on the income
left in the hands of the taxpayer. For example, a reduction in the city wage tax will
not affect employment in the same way as an equal reduction in the Federal income
tax.
Budget Financing. If a government budget is not balanced, important feedbacks
could result from using surplus funds or raising funds to cover the deficit. For exam­
ple, to cover a deficit, government must compete with other potential borrowers for
funds, thus forcing up interest rates on these competing securities. The higher in­
terest rates will feed back through interest-sensitive demands in the economy. A
secondary response would even involve monetary policy if it were aimed at con­
trolling these interest rates.
In short, a budget is an intricate affair, and its effects, like its level and make-up,
are not so easy to pigeonhole.

* This is a simplistic view of the stimulative impact of such a move. It ignores both the possibility
of a desire on the part of some governmental units to build up surpluses and the possibility that con­
sumers may value certain government expenditures as income.



20

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

usual, with outgo nearly matching income.
Then, almost overnight, state houses and
city halls found themselves with mounting
surpluses. Two important trends set in si­
multaneously during the mid-1960s to help
swell state and local coffers— a pickup in
the growth of revenues and a moderation

SUDDEN SURPLUSES FOR STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
From 1950 to
position for state
about a quarter
(see Chart 1).2

1969 the average budget
and local governments was
of a billion dollar deficit
It was largely business as

2This position was the result of offsetting surpluses
in social insurance funds and deficits in general
revenue funds. Since 1950, social insurance funds
have maintained growing surpluses while genera!
revenue funds have run deficits, leaving the sector in
a net position near a balanced budget. The recent
sector surplus is a result of surpluses in both social
insurance funds and general funds. Any movement
back to a balanced budget for the total sector could
involve both social insurance funds and general reve­
nue funds. A likely approach to balancing the budget
would be the return of general revenue funds to a
deficit position with surpluses maintained in social
insurance funds.



in the rate of growth of expenditures (see
Chart 2).
Several developments have accounted for
the increased rate of growth of state and
local revenues during the last five years.
New sources of revenue have been tapped.
Rates on existing taxes have jumped con­
siderably, particularly those on sales and in­
come. More funds have been squeezed from
nontaxable sources such as increased fees at
public hospitals and hiked tuitions at public
21

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

As a result of this budgetary switch, state
and local coffers posted a surplus of $3 bil­
lion in 70, nearly $5 billion in 71, and over
$12 billion in 72. While easing the strain
on many budget officials at the state and
local levels, these surpluses can pose prob-,
lems for those trying to gauge the impact
of public spending and taxing on the econ­
omy. Surpluses can and do provoke miscal­
culations in Federal budget projections.
Moreover, they blunt the stimulative impact
of large Federal deficits on the economy.

CHART 2
WHILE BOTH REVENUES AND EXPENDI­
TURES HAVE GROWN RAPIDLY AT THE
STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL, REVENUE
GROWTH RATES SINCE '69 HAVE RE­
MAINED ABOVE EXPENDITURE GROWTH
RATES

Percent Change In:

—

0

STATE AND LOCAL
REVENUES
STATE AND LOCAL
EXPENDITURES

CLOUDING THE FISCAL PICTURE
State and local budgets interact with those
at the Federal level in many ways. The most
obvious are the direct transfers from the
Federal Government which turn up as ex­
penditures for it and revenues for states and
localities. Not so obvious but more relevant
for evaluating the impact of the public sector
on the economy is the effect of state and
local tax and expenditure decisions on
Federal tax revenues.
It's theoretically possible for the Federal
Government to take into account the budget
position at the state and local level when
designing its own fiscal stance. To do this
requires forecasting the revenues and ex­
penditures for the state and local sector.
Since historically the state and local level
has come up with a "balanced" budget,
one forecasting method might be to project
expenditures then assume taxes would be
adjusted so that revenues would match
them. If this method were used and state
and local tax collections generated surpluses
rather than balanced budgets, Federal tax
collections would be lower than expected.
Thus, projections of the Federal budget
posture would miss the mark.
An immediate reduction in Federal tax
collections would result from increases in
state and local taxes because many of these
tax payments are deductible for purposes of
calculating Federal taxes. If the unexpected
state and local tax revenues were offset by

l I I I I I I l I I I I I I I l I I 1.1 l i-J
1950

Source:

’55

’60

’65

’70

U. S. Department of Commerce,
Survey of Current Business

educational facilities. General revenue shar­
ing, too, has spurred the recent growth of
revenues from the Federal Government (see
Chart 3).
The slowdown in the growth rate of
expenditures can be traced largely to a slow­
down in construction activity. School con­
struction, for example, has declined every
year since '68. This decline can be traced
to a number of factors— changing demo­
graphic patterns and the corresponding re­
duced demand for expanded facilities, voter
rejection of school bond issues, and a period
of relatively high interest rates which de­
terred all forms of building activity by
governments.



22

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

CHART 3
FEDERAL GRANTS-IN-AID TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
HAVE DOUBLED SINCE 1968
Billions of Dollars
50

FEDERAL AID TO
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
45
40
35
30
25

20
15
10

5

0
(FY) 1960 ’61

’62

’63

’64

’65

’66

’67

’68

’69

’70

’71

’72* '73*

* Estimated
Source:

Office of Management and Budget

an equal drop in Federal tax revenues (with
expenditures holding the line), then the
story would end here. But in general the
offset is not complete, leaving total



government tax receipts initially higher.
Thus, there is some contractionary effect on
the economy. Incomes would be reduced
from what they otherwise would have been,
23

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

split between the Federal and the total gov­
ernment position that reached some $12.7
billion in 1972. That means analysts who re­
lied on the Federal deficit in '72 as an indi­
cator of fiscal stimulus to the economy
substantially overestimated the expansive
impact of the public sector. The total gov­
ernment deficit-—the one that counts in
terms of heating up the economy—was $12.7
billion less than the Federal deficit because
of surpluses at the state and local level.

and tax revenues would begin to slip. Since
the Federal Government relies more heavily
on income taxes, its revenue loss would be
proportionately greater.
Moreover, this sequence— kicked off by
underestimated state and local revenues—
may also lead actual Federal expenditures to
exceed those projected in the budget. As
the economy reacts to contractionary pres­
sure from a state and local surplus, for
example, more people become eligible for
unemployment benefits and other income
maintenance programs.
An unexpected surplus at the state and
local level complicates the problem of pro­
jecting the Federal budgetary position. Also,
because of errors introduced into the pro­
jection by the interaction of two budget
sectors, it is much more difficult to assess
the overall fiscal stance of the public sector.

MORE SURPLUSES?
While hindsight is 20/20, projecting the
future impact of the total government sector
on the national economy is fraught with
uncertainties (see Appendix). The first prob­
lem is pinning down the behavior of states
and localities. It may be true that the cur­
rent surpluses reflect a change in the tra­
ditional behavior of this sector and that they
can be expected to continue at the cur­
rent levels. However, the surpluses may
be the result of a failure to anticipate
correctly the course of revenues or expendi­
tures. In this case, surplus-laden govern­
ments might attempt to return to a balanced
budget position. The likelihood of this hap­
pening seems higher than continuation of
the growth of surpluses. For example, a
recent survey of governors and state legis­
lative leaders found almost half the states
weighing the possibility of tax reductions.3
But changing tax legislation and expendi­
ture plans takes time. Hence, it's a good bet
that state and local surpluses are going to
be with us in '73, even if their elimination
is sought. And these large surpluses
would mean that the Federal deficit
again overstates the public sector's boost
to economic expansion. The contractionary
effect of the large surpluses would offset a

BLUNTING THE FEDERAL DEFICIT
Although often overlooked, the effects of
government spending and taxing decisions
on the economy depend on the total of all
government units. Traditionally, however,
most analysts refer only to Federal budget
statistics rather than a summation over all
levels of government. One reason for this
approach is that historically state and local
governments have seldom strayed far from
a balanced budget position. Thus, the total
government deficit (or surplus) position ap­
proximated the Federal deficit (or surplus).
Hence, in terms of the impact of the deficit
(or surplus) no great error was made in con­
centrating on the Federal sector rather than
the total government budget.
Surpluses chalked up at lower levels of
government over the past three years made
the Federal deficit a poor indicator of the
public sector's overall fiscal stance. As Chart
4 shows, the Federal budget position was a
close approximation of the total government
surplus or deficit through 1969. Beginning in
1970, state and local surpluses generated a



3 New York Times, February 27, 1973, p. 14.
24

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

CHART 4
THE NEAR BALANCING OF STATE AND LOCAL BUDGETS BEFORE
1970 MEANT THAT THE FEDERAL BUDGET POSITION WAS A
CLOSE APPROXIMATION OF THE TOTAL GOVERNMENT SURPLUS
OR DEFICIT
Billions of Dollars
........
20

TOTAL GOVERNMENT

................... FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
■

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

15 ----------------------------------------------------------------

1950

Source:

1955

1960

1965

small. Indeed, it could be small enough to
serve as a brake on economic expansion in
73 and 74, rather than contribute to an
overheated boom as some have suggested.

substantial portion of the stimulative effect
of the Federal deficit as was the case in 72.
Thus, the total fiscal impact of the public
sector on the economy could be relatively




1970

U. S. Department of Commerce, Survey of C urrent Business

25

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

APPENDIX
STATE AND LOCAL BUDGETS, THE FEDERAL DEFICIT, AND
THE NATIONAL ECONOM Y
Tables 1-3 contain estimates of the effects of alternative courses for state and
local budgets on the Federal deficit, Gross National Product (GNP), the implicit
Price Deflator for Gross National Product (IPD), and the unemployment rate (U).*
Table 1 is a projection based on the assumption that state and local governments
continue to behave as they have in the recent past. This results in surpluses in their
budgets of $12.5 billion in 1973 and of $9.1 in 1974. These surpluses offset a large
portion of the Federal deficit for this period so that in total the government deficit
position is only slightly greater than $7 billion in 1973 and drops to less than $2 billion
in 1974. Despite the contractionary impact of the state and local budget posi­
tion, the unemployment rate declines in both 1973 and 1974, inflation as measured
by the Implicit Price Deflator rises, and nominal GNP continues to grow at a rapid
clip.
TABLE 1
SURPLUSES CONTINUE
1972

1973

1974

162.7
175.4
12.7

179.8
192.3
12.5

201.7
210.8
9.1

246.7
228.7
-1 8 .0

270.2
250.4
— 19.8

281.9
271.1
—10.8

—5.3
1151.9
(9.7)
145.9
(3.0)
5.6

State and Local Budgets
Expenditures
Revenues
Surplus/Deficit
Federal Budget
Expenditures
Revenues
Surplus/Deficit
Total Government
Surplus/Deficit
GNP
(Percentage change)
IPD
(Percentage change)
U

— 7.3
1262.2
(9.6)
150.4
(3.1)
4.9

— 1.7
1350.9
(7.0)
155.9
(3.7)
4.8

* Each of these estimates was prepared using a modified version of the MIT-PENN-SSRC Quarterly
Econometric Model. Major policy variables were held constant over the three forecasts. In particular,
all Federal expenditures except transfer payments to unemployed persons were held constant. The in­
crease in state and local expenditures was assumed to be distributed proportionally across all items
categorized as purchases of goods and services in the National Income Accounts. The tax decrease
was distributed proportionally between the two major tax items— indirect business taxes and personal
income tax and nontax receipts. The latter procedure resulted in a smaller impact on disposable in­
come for the tax-decrease alternative since the largest part of the decrease feeds through the corporate
sector with its high marginal tax rate at the Federal level.




26

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

TABLE 2
SURPLUS ELIMINATED BY EXPENDITURE INCREASE
1972

1973

1974

162.7
175.4
12.7

187.3
192.3
5.0

210.8
210.8
0.0

246.7
228.7
—18.0

269.3
252.5
— 16.8

281.1
274.2
—6.8

—5.3
1151.9
(9.7)
145.9
(3.0)
5.6

State and Local Budgets
Expenditures
Revenues
Surplus/Deficit
Federal Budget
Expenditures
Revenues
Surplus/Deficit
Total Government
Surplus/Deficit
GNP
(Percentage change)
IPD
(Percentage change)
U

— 11.8
1275.7
(10.7)
150.9
(3.4)
4.1

-6 .8
1370.4
(7.4)
157.3
(4.3)
4.2

Tables 2 and 3 illustrate the effects of two alternative paths to a balanced budget
for the state and local sector. In both cases it is assumed that the sector surplus is
reduced to $5 billion in 1973 and that the budget is balanced in 1974. In Table
2 this is achieved by holding revenues at the level in Table 1 and increasing expen­
ditures, and in Table 3 by holding expenditures at the level in Table 1 and decreas­
ing taxes.
Notice first the very similar paths for both the Federal Government and total budget
deficit in the two tables and compare them with very different courses for GNP,
price inflation, and unemployment. This is a striking example of the importance of
the level and composition of the budget as opposed to the surplus/deficit position.
In Table 2 the stimulus of the increased expenditures results in a GNP for 1973
more than $10 billion greater than that in Table 1 and for 1974 almost $20 billion
higher. The inflation rate is concomitantly higher and the unemployment rate lower.
While the total government deficit increases it does not increase by the full amount
of the reduction of the state and local surplus since the base for Federal tax collec­
tions has increased and the deficit at that level has been reduced.




27

BUSINESS REVIEW

MARCH 1973

TABLE 3
SURPLUS ELIMINATED BY TAX DECREASE
1972

1973

1974

162.7
175.4
12.7

179.8
184.8
5.0

201.7
201.7
0.0

246.7
228.7
— 18.0

270.1
254.1
—16.1

281.7
277.0
—4.7

—5.3
1151.9
(9.7)
145.9
(3.0)
5.6

State and Local Budgets
Expenditures
Revenues
Surplus/Deficit
Federal Budget
Expenditures
Revenues
Surplus/Deficit
Total Government
Surplus/Deficit
GNP
(Percentage change)
IPD
(Percentage change)
U

—11.1
1264.7
(9.8)
150.4
(3.1)
4.8

—4.7
1357.9
(7.4)
156.0
(3.8)
4.7

In Table 3 reduction in state and local taxes stimulates income only slightly since in
1973 more than half the reduction is offset by increased Federal taxes and in
1974 more than two-thirds is offset. Despite the small differences in the total gov­
ernment budget deficit between Tables 2 and 3, output, employment, and inflation in
the latter case follow a path much closer to that of Table 1. Each of the two
courses of adjustment back to a balanced budget has an expansionary impact on the
economy but tax reductions will have a much smaller impact than expenditure in­
creases. The two main reasons for this differential impact are (1) even when the tax
reduction results in an equal increase in disposable income the fact that consumers
will save some part of it means that it will not be as stimulative as an equal in­
crease in expenditures, and (2) a decrease in taxes at the state and local level will
not be as stimulative as an equal decrease at at the Federal level. This is because
a decrease at the Federal level implies an increase in disposable income of equal
amount while a decrease at the state and local level results in a smaller increase
because Federal income taxes will take a chunk of the return.
The alternative courses presented are not necessarily equally probable, rather they
were selected only to demonstrate the possible extremes of adjustment. Legal re­
strictions, on both the use of social insurance funds and deficit positions of certain
local governments, may cause the occurrence of the extremes to be highly unlikely.
The information to be gleaned from these simulations is intended only to demon­
strate the size of the effects from possible forms of adjustment.




28

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

BANK EARNINGS
Anatomy of profitable medium-size banks
in the Fourth District, 1966-1970—
Cleve Oct 72 p 20
BANK HOLDING COMPANY ACT 1956
Orders under Section 3—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 984
BANK LOANS— CONSUMER
BANKING IN THE CONSUMER
PROTECTION AGE available—
Rich Oct 72 p 16
BANK MERGERS
Concentration in banking markets:
Regulatory numerology or useful
merger guideline?—
Atlanta Nov 72 p 186
BANK PORTFOLIOS
Linear programming: A new approach to
bank portfolio management—
Rich Nov 72 p 3
BANK STATEMENTS
SELECTED DATA for individual banks
available on tape at $50 from
Board of Governors—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1038
BANKING STRUCTURE
Does banking structure spur
economic growth?—
Phila Nov 72 p 14
Recent developments in Fifth District
banking—
Rich Dec 72 p 9
BRANCH BANKING
Banks and branches—
San Fran Dec 72 p 3
BUDGET
Ambiguity of a $250 billion budget
ceiling—
Bost Nov 72 p 16
The Federal budget: From surplus to
deficit—
St. Louis Nov 72 p 2
The Federal budget: Retrospect and
prospect—
Rich Dec 72 p 3

The Fed in Print

,
,

Business Review Topics
Fourth Quarter 7972
Selected by Doris Zimmermann

Articles appearing in the Federal Reserve
Bulletin and in the monthly reviews of the
Federal Reserve banks during the fourth
quarter of 1972 are included in this compila­
tion. A cumulation of these entries covering
the years 1969 to date is available upon
lequest. If you wish to be put on the mailing
list for the cumulation, write to the Publica­
tions Department, Federal Reserve Bank of
Philadelphia.
To receive copies of the Federal Reserve
Bulletin, mail sixty cents for each to the
Federal Reserve Board at the Washington
address on page 33. You may send for
monthly reviews of the Federal Reserve
banks, free of charge, by writing directly to
the issuing banks whose addresses also
appear on page 33.
AGRIBUSINESS
Farmers and acreage—
San Fran Dec 72 p 7
BALANCE OF PAYMENTS
The travel gap—
Chic Oct 72 p 7
BANK COMPETITION
Competitive outlook in banking
(Balles)—
San Fran Nov 72 p 3
BANK CREDIT CARDS
Do grocery stores provide a
potential new market?—
Dallas Oct 72 p 7
District banks report problems
getting underway—
Dallas Dec 72 p 6



29

BUSINESS REVIEW

MARCH 1973

EDUCATION— FINANCE
Who pays the school property tax?—
Kansas City Nov 72 p 3
Property tax and school finance—
Kansas City Dec 72 p 3
ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY
The energy crisis: Scarcity amid
affluence—
Phila Nov 72 p 3
EMPLOYMENT
Gains widespread—
Chic Dec 72 p 2

BURNS, ARTHUR F.
Statement to Congress, December 7, 1972
(mortgages)—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1013
BUSINESS FORECASTS AND REVIEWS
Up, up, and away—
Chic Oct 72 p 2
Financial developments in the third
quarter of 1972—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 947
The economic outlook (Francis)—
St. Louis Nov 72 p 5
1972-a year of rapid economic
expansion—
St. Louis Dec 72 p 2

FARM CREDIT
Impact of insurance companies on farm
lending—
Atlanta Dec 72 p 210

CAPITAL MOVEMENT
The regulation of short-term capital
movements in major industrial
countries (Staff Ec Studies Oct 72)—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 955

FEDERAL FUNDS MARKET
Sixth District member bank borrowings
increase—
Atlanta Oct 72 p 181

CENTRAL BANKS
Confessions of a new central banker
(Balles)San Fran Oct 72 p 3

FEDERAL RESERVE CREDIT CONTROL
FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY-MAKING
available—
Atlanta Nov 72 p 193

COAL INDUSTRY
Coal makes a comeback in West Virginia—
Rich Oct 72 p 12

FEDERAL RESERVE SY STEM PUBLICATIONS
The Fed in Print—
Phila Dec 72 p 25

CORPORATE FINANCE
And liquidity 1968-1972—
Rich Nov 72 p 12

FINANCE COMPANIES
Survey of finance companies, 1970—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 958

CORRESPONDENT BANKS
The impact of changing check clearing
arrangements on the correspondent
banking system—
Kansas City Dec 72 p 14

FLORIDA
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious growth
returns to Florida—
Atlanta Oct 72 p 176

CREDIT CARDS
Liability limitation—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 979

FOREIGN DEPARTMENT BANK
District banks' international activities
accelerate—
Atlanta Dec 72 p 215

DISCOUNT OPERATIONS
Obligations eligible amendment—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 983

FOREIGN TRADE
THE PACIFIC TRADE BASIN availableSan Fran Nov 72 p 19




30

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

INCOMES POLICY
The economics of incomes policies—
Rich Oct 72 p 3

OLD AGE
Impact of inflation on the elderly—
Cleve Oct 72 p 3
The retirement decision: Social pressures
and economic trends—
Kansas City Nov 72 p 14

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INDEX
1971 EDITION available at $4.00 from
Board of Governors—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1037

ONE-BANK HOLDING COMPANIES
Before the 1970 amendments—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 999

INFLATION
The inflation unemployment trade-off—
Rich Oct 72 p 10

OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS
Federal Reserve defensive behavior and
the reverse causation argument—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 956
Record of policy actions, August 15,
1972—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 973
Record of policy actions, September 19,
1972—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1017
PENNSYLVANIA— BRANCH BANKING
Changing Pennsylvania's branching laws:
An economic analysis—
Phila Dec 72 p 3

KENTUCKY
Economic growth and change in Kentucky,
1960-1970—
Cleve Oct 72 p 33
LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY
District farmers and the expanding
cattle-feeding industry—
Chic Dec 72 p 5
(LOANS,) INDEX-LINKED
Inflation insurance: An “ escalator clause"
for securities?—
Phila Oct 72 p 3

PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
With loss of spare reserves role of
Commission changes—
Dallas O ct7 2 p 1
Oil imports— two District states bid for
superports—
Dallas Dec 72 p 1
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
Regional growth: The whys and
wherefores—
Phila Oct 72 p 18

MEAT INDUSTRY
Meat prices— too high or about right?—
St. Louis Oct 72 p 3
MISSISSIPPI
Economic expansion in the Central
Mississippi Valley—
St. Louis Nov 72 p 9
MOBILE HOMES
And the housing supply—
Chic Nov 72 p 2
MONETARY STABILIZATION
Reciprocal currency arrangements—
Bost Nov 72 p 3

REGULATION D
Effective dates of amendments—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 979
Effective date of amendments—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 994

MONEY SUPPLY
Money stock control—
St. Louis Oct 72 p 10
NEGROES
Southeastern banks and SBA increase
lending to minority enterprises—
Atlanta Oct 72 p 166



REGULATION G
Amendment November 24,1972—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1024
Change in margin requirements—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1037
31

MARCH 1973

BUSINESS REVIEW

TENNESSEE
Economy builds up momentum for further
gains—Atlanta Nov 72 p 194

REGULATION
Effective date of amendments—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 979
Effective date of amendments—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 994

TEXTILE INDUSTRY
Sizing up textiles—
Atlanta Dec 72 p 206

REGULATION T
Amendment November 24,1972—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1024
Change in margin requirements—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1037

TRANSFER OF FUNDS
Evolution of the payments mechanism—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1009

REGULATION U
Blocks of stock periods—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 983
Amendment November 24,1972—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1024
Change in margin requirements—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1037

TRUST DEPARTMENT— BANK
The functions and investment policies
of personal trust departments—
N .Y. Oct 72 p 255
UNEMPLOYMENT
Recent trends follow movement in GNP
gap—
Dallas Nov 72 p 1
The Southwest fares better than the
nation—
Dallas Nov 72 p 7

REGULATION Z
Amendment December 15,1972—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 979
SAVINGS DEPOSITS
Flousehold savings at commercial banks:
Bigger slice of a bigger pie—
Phila Nov 72 p 8

VETERANS-EMPLOYMENT
Vietnam Vets and the job scene—
Phila Oct 72 p 13

SHIPPING
On the water front—
San Fran Oct 72 p 9

VOLUNTARY FOREIGN LOAN CREDIT
RESTRAINT, 1965
Amendment November 7,1972—
FR Bull Nov 72 p 995
Amendment December 1,1972—
FR Bull Dec 72 p 1037

TAX REVISION
The outlook for changes in Federal
taxation—
St. Louis Dec 72 p 11




32

FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS AND BOARD O F GOVERNORS
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Federal Reserve Station
Kansas City, Missouri 64198

Publications Services
Division of Administrative Services
Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System
Washington, D. C. 20551

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Federal Reserve Station
Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Federal Reserve P.O. Station
New York, New York 10045

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
30 Pearl Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02106

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
925 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Box 834
Chicago, Illinois 60690

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
P.O. Box 27622
Richmond, Virginia 23261

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
P.O. Box 6387
Cleveland, Ohio 44101

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
P.O. Box 442
St. Louis, Missouri 63166

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Station K
Dallas, Texas 75222




Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
San Francisco, California 94120

33

FOR THE REC O R D ...

2 YEARS AGO

YEAR AGO

DECEMBER 1972

Third Federal
Reserve District

SU M M A R Y

from
mo.
ago
MANUFACTURING
Production.......................................
Electric power consumed . . . N/A
Man-hours, total*..................... - 2
Employment, total........................
Wage income*................................ - 2
CONSTRUCTION**.......................... +73
COAL PRODUCTION....................... +12

Percent change

1

J a n .1973

mos.
1972

from

from

year
age

year
ago

mo.
ago

year
ago

+ 2 +11
N/A
+ 4

Manufacturing

year
ago

LO C A L
CH AN GES
Metropolitan
Statistical Areas*

Check
Total
Payments** Deposits***

Percent
change
Jan 1973
from

Percent
change
Jan. 1973
from

Wilmington.....................

0 + 3
-

+ llt

PRICES
Wholesale.
Consumer.
‘ Production workers only
“ Value of contracts

Digitized♦“ Adjusted for seasonal variation
for FRASER
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
H H H n n
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

+31 f

3

-- 6 +12

+ 1 -

+ 9 + 36 - 7 6

-8 8

6 + 12 +16 + 18 + l

+18

2 -10

1 + 4

N/A

1 + 2

-

Altoona.............................
+ 5 +14

-

-

f

1 + 1 + 1 + 6 + 9 + 27 + 1 +18
1 + 3 + 2
0

+2
0
0
+1
0
+6

+12
+19
+ 7
+ 4
+ 9
+25

-

+1
0

+12

+ 1 +12

1 + 7 +18

N/A

N/A

+ 2

N/A

+10 + 42 +10

+16

+14 + 30

+ 7
+ 4

0 +20

+14 + 18 + 1 +14

+40

+ 2 +158 + 1 +16

-

2 +12

+ 9 + 28 + 1 +16

-

1 + 1 -

2 +10

-

1 + 2 + 1 +13

Lehigh Valley................. Philadelphia.................

1 + 3

+12 + 30 -

Scranton........................... -

1 -

1 -

2

1 -

2

2 + 5 + 4 + 44

N/A

York...................................

-

N/A

-

N/A

1 + 1 -

3

1 +14

+ 7 + 15 + 1 +19

Wilkes-Barre.................. -

fl5 SMSA's
^Philadelphia

mi

+ 3

N/A

5 +13

Harrisburg....................... -

Williamsport...................

Of + 3t

Percent
change
J a n .1973
from

-

Lancaster.......................

- 1 +11
- 1 +18
0 + 4
- 1 - 3
0 + 7

Percent
change
Jan. 1973
from

month year month year montf year month year
ago ago ago
ago ago ago ago ago

Johnstown.......................
BANKING
(All member banks)
Deposits............................
Loans.................................
Investments....................
U.S. Govt, securities.
Other.............................
Check payments***...

Banking

Employment

Bridgeton........................

+12

1

1

mos.
1972
from

DECEMBER 1972

Trenton............................

- 1 +2
+53
-

YEAR AGO

United States

Percent change
Jan. 1973

2 YEARS AGO

+ 6 + 8 + 24 + 1 +14
0 +33

N/A

+22 + 45 +12

+11

+12 -

N/A

40 + 2 +15

♦Not restricted to corporate limits of cities but covers areas of one or more
counties.
“ All commercial banks. Adjusted for seasonal variation.
“ Member banks only. Last Wednesday of the month.

FEDERAL RESERVE ISAAK of PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19101

b u sin e ss review
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK
OF PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 19101