Washington sentinel., 1900-06-30
IT, ~, SENTINEL
Grist 10 the worlds MIL.
CasseWS Saturday J0NyKaL

SnOQlQ surely DG AAN AAoRF'NSN NA-e4-'
IN the world, but often he IS at his
wits end to make both ends meet,
and at such times any channel
through which grist can how 10
the mill is welcome. Pubic IN
come is the most cosmopolitan
thing IN the world. ThsTe is moth
ing, from a palace to a PIN, upon
which it does not draw. Money
makes the world 60 round, and
civilization does not S-orn the
meanest props that help to hold
it up. Paris, which has spent mil
lions on its great exposition, is & ad
to increase its revenue by a lew
pounds every year by the cultlva-
ton oil little State orchard IN the
Luxembourg Gardens, lust as it
reaps its share Of the profits OF the
Eiffel Tower.
And has not Paris its national
pawnshop, where pledges worth a
million sterling are dealt with
every vear7 Sir Michael Hicks
Beach would delight in such an
institution as this, for the number
OF unredeemed pledges every
year runs to over a million, and
the profits are all poured into the
national treasury. The french
Chancellor, too, receives some
thing like 6I7o, 600 a year from
half million cyclists. The
Frenchman can hardly walk
through a door or look through
window without being reminded
OF his taxes for both doors and
windows help to keep France
going. heir joint contribution
to the exchequer is about K ? $780,
600. Every poster ol a boarding
is taxed, too, in France, and the
national treasury receives nearly
a thousand pounds a week from
this source. Only a few months
ago an advertiser was fined IS tor
paying too much tax on his post
eTs.
The Russian Government has
devised an easy way OF being phil
anthTopic by proxy. 1t has estab-
lished an institution Tor the poor,
called the Empress Marie Founda-
ton, out Of the proceeds OF an
amusement tax. Every Russian
going to a con:ert, a theatrical
performance or any similar enter
tainment, pays his share towards
the support Of this institution.
Every ticket sold is taxed, and the
innovation succeeded so we'll in
1898 that million rou bles-GI6o,-
ooo-were raised in this way. But
the Government Of the Gar won
unique reputation for enterprise
when it made little fortune ont OF
the Cnpean war, For months
alter the end Of the war, old iron,
shot, and shell were picked up
around Sebastopol. For a while
a regular trade grew up, thousands
OF tons OF metal being sold. 1t was
too good a chance to be missed,
and the Government stepped in
between buyers and sellers with a
tax of sixpence a hundred weight,
and when the last shot had been
picked up and disposed OF the
Cars Chancellor found that he
had reaped a little harvest OF
6I5,ooo.
Nothing is sacred to the tax col
lector-not even the snow. The
Prince Of Palermo, the capital Of
Sicily, owes his wealth chiefly to
the snow, Of which he has a mon
opoly. The snow is brought in at
night in baskets from the noun
tains Of Italy, and is shipped to the
towns and sold for reirigerating
purposes. Thus the prince partly
keeps up his establishment with
the snow from heaVen-just as the
Sutton Urban District Council, in
England, keeps down its rates by
another natural means. The Coun-
Gil last year added 5I45 I5s. Cd.
to its income by growing pepper
mint, and this is all the more salts
factory to the ratepayers because
the peppermint is the product OF
the sewage farm, where the waste
Of the district is utilized IN tn and
other waVs. There are now SIX
acres devoted to the cultivation OF
peppermint at Sutton, two having
been lately added. When the plant
is cut and dried the leaves are dis
titled, and the oil finds a ready
market. An acre OF peppermint
yields from G35 to $40.
Humorists have had good deal
to say about the taxation OF bach.
elors, which has more than once
been lightly proposed as a means
of raising revenue in this country.
Such a tax would not be so novel
as may be imagined. It's already
in operation in Hesse. In that
country all bachelors are taxed 2
per cent. more than married men,
the reason given being that by re-
naming single they neglect their
duties TO the State. a result OF
the law, which vas only enacted
about a year ago, has been that
many wellto.do bachelors have
emigrated TO Prussia.
Greece has found a way Of rails.
ing money on amusement without
a direct tax such as Russia has m
posed. The Government has oh.
tanned a monopoly in playing
cards, and from this source It sue
ceeds in raising a considerable an
nual income. Government "cor
ners" are not by any means as rare
as may be supposed. The mon
opolies OF the Greek Government
yield a public revenue OF halt a
million sterling, and both Italy and
France have a public monOpolV in