New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-07
TURKEYS EMPTY TREASURY
SOME OF THE SHIFTS OF THE SULTANS FL
NANCfAL AGENTS.


ter of anxiety, and have been veritable anguish
to the Ministry for the last two or three months
In order to meet the needs of the Government
many items Of taxation have been increased DUR
ing the year. The tax on real estate has been
raised to one per cent The tax on male Cnrls-
tians, known as the Military Exemption tax, has
been increased one-third, leading the parents OF
newborn infants to regret the cruel fortune
which gives them boys instead of girls and caus-
ing pdous Muslems on the other hand to offer
devout thanksgiving upon the advent of every
male infant which Providence has sent to aug
ment the amount which Christian households pay
into the exchequer of the Faithful The stamp
tax which affects almost every writing to which
q man can set his name, and which among other
things gives to the Government one per cent
of all rents on real estate, is being collected
with great vigilance The 1.-THE, now consisting
of IL l-e per cent of all farm produce. is col
lected with great care. The emigration of peas
ants, being regarded as o disloyal effort to es-
cape taxation has been for some time limited
10 those who can furnish bail for the regular
payment of their personal taxes during their
residence in other lands But emigration Is now
strictly prohibited, and a number of luckless NOR
tails, taken by force from steamers bound Tor
outandish rarts have been made to repent their
folies in prison until they could find bondsmen
willing TO guarantee that the prisoners would not
again attempt to escape the process which the
diplomatists of Europe term frying in their own
fat.
Notwithstanding all these economic measures
the revenues have not equalled the demands on
the Treasury for the army, for the prosecution
Of various new building schemes affecting the
comfort Of the Imperial household, and Tor the
navment OF the Russian war indemnity Small
lo,.o Cd fba
various temporary crises of need, it being the
principle of the Treasury to accompany the grant
ing Of permit for mining or manufacturing en-
terprises, or even the settlement of old debts by
IN arrangement for an advance of hard cash. The
Bosphorus Steamboat Company was thus induced
TO loan the Government 100000 on the occa-
sion of the renewal of its monopoly for another
term of wears But the need of money to meet
pressing liabilities finally led to the negotiation
of a loan of $4,000, 600 with some OF the local
banks. After endless discussions of the rate
of interest the percentage of commission, and the
amount of overdue paper to be put IN IN lieu
of cash, the terms arranged, the convention
was signed, and all parties breathed more freely
But the next day an Imperial rescript vetoed
the whole proceeding, the Finance Minister was
dismissed from office and placed on trial for pee
ulation in connection with the scheme, and the
whole miserable labor of finding money where
none exists was thrown upon the Ministers again
As an illustration Of the extent to which the
Treasury is ppched it is said that there has been
a strike of the cooks in one of the great palaces
ON the ground that they had received no pay
for something over two years. The strikers
were promptly sent about their business there
being none to call 81 cab" at the men hired in
their places Then it was announced to the
unhappy cooks that since they had been excused
from military service in virtue Of their services
10 the State while connecting savory dishes,
they must now perform the duty which they owe
the Government SO the whole Of them were
drafted into the army, and now regret at leisure
their folly in meddling with their destiny.
The Asiatic railways offer field for further
financial advantage The right to build the
section from Constantinople Tor rather from
Nicomedia, the present terminus of the line from
COnstantinople) to Angora is being contested for
before Government Commission By a number OF
syndicates. The question Of settling the amount
of the advance to the Treasury, which is to be
paid by the lucky competitor is thorny one
and one in which the views of the officials and
of the syndicates are yet too widely separated to
admit OF representations as to the result The
Turkish theory is that railway must necessarily
reap enormous profits, and the view Of the OIL
Gals ccntemplates the reserving Of good share
of these theoretical profits to the Government by
special impost which shall be paid in any
case Tables of expense and estimates Of cost
have little weight as against the belief that the
many applications for the concession of the right
TO build these roads prove the existence of some
secret source of revenue which the estimates do
not take into account. On this general prin-
cipe are fixed the amounts demanded of the
railway company that is to be, and the appica-
ton for the grant of the right to build the rail
way assumes the character il not the form, OF a
chatting bout in the bazars. Meanwhile the
farmers within hundred miles of the Capital
are unable to find market for their produce
ard the possibility Of famine and starvation al
ways attends the limit which, in consequence Of
this fact, they put upon the fields sown.
The European railways are now open TO
Vienna, and this city is blessed with daily
mail. The route from Vienna to Constantinople
by rail is interesting one, since it gives the
traveller view of the village life of the Turks
which has hitherto been beyond the reach Of
those who have not the time or the endurance
for caravan travel But the lamentations Of
the travellers who come by the railway over
the privations of the route are painful man
salles forth gleefuly from Vienna in the nidst of
luxury to take run to Constantinople. He is
told that he can reach his destination in forty
seven hours, and makes up his mind that he
can endure anything in the way of prvation
for that time. In twenty-four hours he is con-
WINGED that he will die of starvation before he
has arrived at the end Of his journey. dirty
and ragged populace offer him water at every
station, for good price. AS some stations
men propose TO him to buy bits of terribly black
bread and cubes of lambs livers fried, at penny
handful the vendors horny fist being the
measure But the traditional railway restaurant.
with its formal splendor of glassware and its
decorative food preparations, is totally lacking
II in one place he can find a restaurant Its high
est achievement in the way of a dinner is dish
of green peppers stewed and cup Of black coffee.
On arriving at any station where the unusual