Evening star., 1901-03-04

| be willing to join such a volunteer auto
mobile corps. TO furnish the required In
| formation concerning their cars and motor
cycles.
Bad Weather Over Europe.
While the weatherSin London, with Its
tantalizing changes and bitter cold that
has not even the consolation of rejoicing
the skaters. is trying the philosophy of
the best of us. they seem to be still worse
off abroad. At San Reno they are saying
that 1.-The sun must be frozen"
The palms nave died and the people S
spirits are at low ebb. In parts or
France the cold is unprecedented, and the
peasants are lighting fires in the stables
and cowsheds to keep their beasts alive.
Many deaths from cold are reported.
In Germany no one remembers sucn
heavy snowfalls. and the snow Is fifteen
feet deep in the mountains. Spain. too, Is
suffering from exceptional cold. Accounts
which are coming in from various parts OF
the country show that the cold Is very
prevalent, and l certainly can never re-
member such continuous cold in England
before.
A medical friend tells me that last Thurs
days pageant, when parliament was opened
by the king, has been followed by an out
break of chflls and pneumonia. 1t is chiefly
confined so far to the upper classes, the
victims being ladies who had to stand for
so long in the biting wind OF until 1t suited
the authorities to open the doors of the
house of lords. I myself was one OF the
victims to this unconscionable tnhumanfty.
About me at the gates stood coroneted wo-
men, many delicate OF structure and all
alike with uncovered heads. Their hair was
only protected by diamond coronets, and
many. not anticipating any walt" were
provided simply with a small shoulder cape.
The thing was both farcical ana cruel.
When the bars were drawn the huge doors
fingered upon the order Of opening, and 1t
only needed the clank of keys to recall the
guarded entrance to some feudal castle held
by some sleepy keeper doubtful or his VS.
itors.
Government Hard Pressed for Money.
F. The government Is hard pressed for mon
ey for the South African war, and conse-
quently taxes are to be higher all round.
In trade circles all sorts of rumors cur
rent just now to the nature of the pro-
posals in the coming budget. Increased tax
alton Is admitted by everybody to be neces-
sary, and dealers, whether interested In tea,
coffee, cocoa, wines, spirits or tobacco, are
busy endeavoring to protect themselves by
taking large stores out Of bond. For sew
eral days past the clearances from the Gus
toms in tea alone have averaged from 200
to 1 400 tons daily, and at sixpehce for each
pound these clearanceS mean an addition
to the receipts of the exchequer of between
f67, 600 and f7S,O00 per day.
Day and night the work In lower Thames
street. where the bonded warehouses are,
has been going on, and some extraordinary
clearances have been made. 1t is said that
half years consumption of tea Is already
provided for by the amount taken out of
bond which is reckoned at $50 600, 600.
Even allowing this to be somewhat ex-
treme statement, it seems, certain that last
week the average payments at the Carlton
House have totaled about a quarter Of
million daily, and that some three millions
in all have been rendered for the removal
Of dutiable goods from bonded warehouses.
Nor is Dublin idle. The amount paid for
Withdrawals during four days last week
amounted to f75.OOO, though In ordinary
circumstances 1t would have been about
$4,000
The chancellor of the exchequer is said
to be in favor of tax on sugar, but there
does not appear to be any real foundation
for the report outside trade circles The
one great fear is that the income tax will
be raised. Eighteen pence in the pound Is
spoken Of and some pessimistic prophets
If not cheerfully, anticipate 10
per cent. Sir Michael Hicks Beach mean
while keeps his own counsel and not hint
has yet been allowed to escape that would
reveal the Secret of his intentions The in
come tax Is the great bette noir here 1
have seen this rise and fall in the years I
have been here. Once Gladstones govern
ment made itself popular by reducing it to
fourpence. or eight cents in the pound
then 1t went up to sixpence, then eightpence
and now 1t stands at shilling with every
anticipation of Its going to one shilling and
s1Xpence, or thirty-SiX cents out of every
nve dollars a man earns or receives above
various amounts Of rebate.
L. H MOORE