The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-06-28
SOME ODD IMPORTS.
Articles That Are Dutiable in vari-
GUS Parts Of the World.
Taxes Imposed Upon Persons Who Follow
Certain Callings-Sweden's High Tax
Upon Commercial Travellers
from Abroad.

tTOAAi
In times past it was deemed war
rantable to tax salt, candles, leather
brick, soap. starch, paper, and in 1862.
even bread and meat. Heter the
Great of Russ ia levied a tax on boards.
with the 1auda bic object of making
his subjects wash their faces and
shave. Brass tokens are still to be
bought in that country bearing the
words: Dorado pignaia tia@ola,
which means 1.-THE beard tax has been
paid" F. G. c. Lundy gives particu-
lars in Temple Bar of the British hat
tax of 1884, requiring hatters to take
out licenses and imposing an ad va7
loren stamp duty on every hat sold.
In old times, too, the Scotch sacra-
mental certificates used to bear a six
penny stamp; a tax on religious al
manacs, glass, stone bottles and adver-
tisements were among the fiscal duties
of the past. There was also tax on
1.-The light of Heaven in the shape of
an impost on windows until far into the
present century. This odious and un-
sanitary burden caused architects and
builders to erect houses with as few
windows as possible, and to escape the
tax the windows of many houses We're
blocked up. Some of these dark and
dismal abodes are still in existence in
England. The Russian government a
few years ago decided to tax kerosene
oil and matches virtually a tax on
light. In some parts of China tax is
imposed on all women entering the
bonds of matrimony. Travellers to those
parts are obliged to take a wife, and
when they leave the ladies take fresh
70 @ho Of fI,o,
In Servia vanity is taxed in the shape
of ladies' bustles. In Melbourne
Christmas cards are taxed one-ffth
per cent. 1t has been stated that in
Weimar the authorities levied a duty
on musical parties.
Quite lately an annual tax of ten
francs has been imposed on pianos in
France. Music has paid tribute to tax
alton in other ways. A musical troupe
recently crossing the frontier of Sax
ony carried with them a crown of
laurels awarded them at triumphal
performance. The custom house Off
GERS taxed the laurels as spice. Masse-
net, the composer, it is related, was
also charged duty on u crown of laurels
on the German frontier. In his case
the wreath of fame was deemed to be
woven of medicinal plants In
Montreal organ grinders pay license
of twenty dollars and are only allowed
to play at stated times. In Vienna
they are also licensed and regulated as
to hours. In France a certificate of
character, distinctive badge and linn
itation of hours is insisted upon. Ad-
vertisements in the form of posters and
placards are required to bear a tax
stamp in France, which is distinctly a
tax on trade and publicity. In Italy,
where sthe people complain that the
taxes are exorbitant, the voluntary tax
paid by the poorer classes in the form
of Lottery amounts in a year to over
three million pounds sterling. At
Laterza the Italians recently broke out
in open revolt against the municipality,
(which had increased the hearth tax,
and took the civic buildings by as
sault, wounding the syndic, but they
do not agitate against the lottery tax.
In ''Old Madrid'' last year there was
terrible and fatal rioting among the
men and women who hawk vegeta bles,
fruit and other articles in the streets
and markets owing to the imposition
of tax on Spanish hawkers.
In 1889 NJ. Dunajewslzi, the Austrian
minister of finance, who was described
as 1.-The nimblest politician in the
world for inventing new taxes,,' de-
cided to tax the totalisateurs or bet
ting agencies. Totalisateurs are es-
tablished on all German and Austrian
race courses. The system is to divide
all the money invested on the losing
horses among those who backed the
winner, after deducting eight per cent.
commission for the agency There is
no cheating or welshing possible in the
plan. A ten per cent. duty on win
nings was decreed. In France the
parimutual, similar system of bet
ting, is taxed seven per cent, five per
cent. of which is devoted to the relief
of the poor. Boolmalkers are also
taxed. There is also a municipal tax
of ten per cent. deducted from the re-
ceipts of theatrical and public enter
tainments, which is also assigned for
the benefit of the unfortunate. This
revenue is principally distributed in
the shape of grants to public charities
and hospitals, thus making pleasure
come to the rescue of poverty and the
relief of pain. In Sweden commercial
travellers visiting that country have to
pay one hundred kroner (about twen-
ty-fve dollars) for every month or part
| thereof they may remain for the privi-
lege of transacting their business.
MANY of the citizens of Rainsville, In