Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-07-12
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.
VANISHING WAR TAXES.

VANISHING WAR TAXES.
The business men of the country have
borne very Loyalty the often vexatiors
internal revenue taxes which were made
necessary by the Spanish war, and have
fingered little longer than they other
wise might because of the unforeseen
complications of that hundred-day
conflict.
But relief comes on July In the re-
peal of many of the war taxes and the
modification of others. Some of the
most onerous taxes are repealed outright.
After July ! there need be no more
stamps on bank checks, bills of lading,
certificates of deposit, charter parties,
sight drafts, express receipts, insurance
policies, leases. manifests, mortgages,
powers of attorney, promissory notes,
telegraph messages, telephone mes
sages, money orders and warehouse re-
cepts. Moreover, the first of the
month brings release from the stamp
taxes on proprietary medicines, perfum-
cry, drugs, etc.
Some of the other war taxes which are
not repealed outright are materially re-
duced. Thus the taxes on cigars and
y
on passage tickets; on tobacco, snuff and
beer and on bills of exchange; while leg
acies for charitable, religious, literary
and educational purposes were relieved
altogether from taxation after March
], 1901.
Some internal revenue taxes, however,
are retained. Among them are those on
bankers, brokers, dealers in and manu-
facturers of tobacco, pawnbrokers and
proprietors of billiard rooms or bowling
alleys, circuses. theatres and museums.
The taxes are retained also on bonds, de-
bentures. certificates of stock and on
stock transfers. entries of goods at Gus
tom houses and freight receipts or do
nestle bills of lading. The customs
duty of ten cents pound on tea is also
retained for the present. 1t is purely
revenue, not a protective duty and the
tea trade itself seemed to be divided in
opinion as to whether it were worth
while to repeal it.
The revenue reducing legislation of the
past congress was enacted in time to give
ample notice to the country, and it Is not
likely that many business men or corpor-
ations were caught with large quantities
of stamps on hand. But stamps that are
no longer needed will by redeemed by
the Internal Revenue Commissioner. if
presented in quantities of 81 or more,
face value. within two years after the
stamps were purchased from the govern
ment. The owners of imprinted docu-
ments who desire to have stamps thereon
redeemed can have this done under GER
tain conditions which the Internal Reve-
nue. Bureau prescribes,-Boston journal.
1000
SOUTH POLAR EXPLORATION.
The most interesting of the discoveries
to be made around the South Pole will be
the determination of the question wheth-
er there is really a large continent at
the southern apex of the world. Some
of the leading authorities believe it is
there, and that we are not likely TO be
much longer in the dark about it. DR..
John Murray, among others. has ex-
pressed the view, merely cOnjectural, of
course, that the area of the Antartic con-
tinent is about 1000, 900 square miles, or,
in other words, as large as Europe; or
third larger than the United States, eX-
elusive of Alaska.
exploration, which had stood still for
more than a half-century, till the Nor
wegians Larsen and Borchgrevlnk, and
the Belgian Gerlache, within the past six
wears, have shown what good work may
be done there even with small equipment.
The German and British eXpostions,
about to sail, have been planning for six
years; they are supported by their
respective governments with grants
amounting to about $3.50, 900 a piece.
Private contributions have swelled these
funds till they amount TO over S350,000
for each party. Each has built a steam
ship, the first to be launched from Ger
man and British shipyards for dis
tinctively polar service. They have
agreed upon their fields of investigation,
so that while each party will supplement
the other, they will not conflict. With
picked leaders, carefully chosen experts
on the scientific stalls, the best equipment
that can be devised, and the rich eX-
perience, to aid them which others have
CLEANED in all phases OF poor endeavor, it
is not strange that the highest hopes are
centered in these two great expeditions.
Cyrus G.. Adams in Review Of Reviews.
5000
GREECE WANTS THE ELGlN MARBLES.
The real object of the international
Archaeological congress at Athens, re-
Gently summoned by the king of Greece,
it appears, is to take steps to restore the
Parthenon and other classic ruins. 1t