Evening star., 1902-04-18
ENGLAND'S BIC DEFICIT
Prospect of Increase in the
Income Tax.
QUAINT OLD CUSTOMS
ENORMOUS CONSUMPTION OF
CROSS BUNS GOOD FRIDAY.
Westminster Abbey Closed During
Preparation for the Coronation
Ceremonies.
QUAINT OLD CUSTOMS
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

back of the past years revenue and ex-
pendture there will be deficit OF about
f2o,oo0.oc0 In the budget for the forthcom-
Ing year, apart from certain demands
which are sure to arise IN connection with
the war in South Africa.
Both the revenue and expenses OF this
country have increased enormously I'm re-
| cent years. Twenty years ago Mr.. Glad
stone reported revenue Of fs5 500 600 and
| an expenditure of fs6. 10000 for the year
1882. That the country has moved since
then Is shown by the fact that putting
aside the huge sum raised by borrowing,
the revenue for the year 1912 amount to
nearly f143000oo0 The estimated ex-
penses for the forthcoming year are put at
f1O,00,eo, leaving deficit Of f2I I.Ooo0e1.
which Will be reduced somewhat by the
surplus on the past years account.
This big increase in expenses is by no
means due to the war. but to the greater
army and navy and increased ordinary eX-
penses OF the state. Income taxpayers are
looking down in the mouth at the almost
certain prospect of having TO pay more At
present we, for | am one Of them pay
this government at the rate Of one shilling
and twopence I'm the pound. and if the tax
goes higher there will be bitter feeling and
letters in the Times, but all to no purpose.
An extra penny on the income tax pro-
duces about f2.J0,o00 per year now SO
that an extra twopence. which II is expect
ed will be imposed, will add five million
sterling to the state revenue, The income
tax raised last year was f:}4 }4.sp0,opo. 1t is be-
cause the contributors to this tax are not
an incorporated body that each successive
chancellor falls foul of them and puts his
impost on them with a cheerful heart.
Lord Goshen on Incomes.
Mr., now Lord. Goshen. in budget speech
| once drew an aluring picture Of the income
taxpayer engaged in rolling up wealth like
I-ari-a -i,-
| which no published statistics exist The
total profits OF cotton lords and coal own
ers, he stated. We're less than the profits
| of the legal profession. which can readily
| be believed If one goes to law in this law
abiding and lawyer-ridden country,
The private individual is easy game and
! IN the aggregate can be squeezed for mil
| ilons but let chancellor put few thou
sands lmpost on an organized trade and
| immense opposition is raised at once which
is often successful All the coal owners IN
Brltaln We're up in arms last year because
| OF the export duty on coal and a regular
| hornets nest buZzed about Whitehall for
months.
Let the government attempt 20 tax saw
slne' and IT quickly learns that glue has
made England what she Is today and that
| II Its nefarious scheme succeeds the Brit
| ish empire will show the fate of Rome and
Greece. In the meantime the glue interest
until terms be made.
In America you have your beef trust.
| steel trust. oil trust and hundred others
which sometimes squeeze the consumer. In
England We have our constantly Increasing
income tax whereat We groan.
Renewal Of Business After Easter.
Easter and its attendant holidays are
past now. For four days Sunday has prac-
tically reigned far as business is con-
cerned, and London is now just waking up
again. We have been assured I'm recent
years that the practice of consuming indi-
gestible hot cross buns on Good Friday is
waning. Every baker and confectioner
however had them on sale and most of
these had been sold out soon after break
fast Good Friday morning. When Ii is real
lied that on an average every baker in
London disposes of a couple OF thousand
fair idea Of the enormous consrmptIon Of
these leathery cakes may be formed. one
firm alone sent out ta0.pto. another rather
more than 100000 and another 100000 In
one establishment seventy-two sacks of
-four. with AGO quarts # milk We're con-
verted into buns. each sack yielding 29oo
buns. While i've tons OF coal were burned in
making them. II is usual for the bakers
to remain at work all night TO prepare
these penance cakes for the Good Friday
breakfast table. and Il is computed that not
less than 6,ooo1o Were produced this year
and consumed in the metropolis The GUS
tom of eating hot cross huns appears TO
have had its origin in Hertfordshire and
Camb-idgeshre. though the practice Of as
sociating crossed cakes with religious SER
vices was in vogue long before the Chris
tian
There was extraordinary hHstle ana COM
motion in Billingsgate I'm Gisposlng Of the
shoals Of fish thst came to market Cor
those who consider fish dit essential 10 the
proper observance Of Good Friday Fish OF
all kinds ana sizes fresh ana salt were
sold by the ton and hundred weight 10
dealers from all parts Of The metropolis. It
came by sail from the North and south,
east and west, van succe sding van. and
blocking up the narrow approaches 10 the
market. to the great hewileerment OF the
policemen charged with regulating the
traffic. But IL did not all come by rail, for
a large number of steam carriers came rae
ing up the river with heavy freights. bring
ing the catches of the fishermen in the
North sea and the channel.
Quaint Custom at st. Bartholomew's.
Many ancient customs survive IN London
but none OF them more quaint than one OBJ
served In the churchyard of st. Bartholo-
NEW the Great in SmithfeId. In compliance
with the bequest of a ''pious founder"
twenty-one deserving widows of the parish
have for many centuries mustered in the
churchyard each Good Friday morning to
pick up a new sixpence from the tomb Of
the phiianthropist. The aged DANES have
first to attend service In the church, after
which they walk in procession TO the tomb,
where In turn they gather the silver dole.
Some time ago this charity was allowed to
fall into allegiance through misappropria-
tior of the capital sum. but it was revived
and reendowed by citizen named Butter
worth ard since then has been ampliied.
The 'one and twenty widows OF irreproach-
able lives who assembled TO receive their
dole not only obtained the new sixpence
frocl .he tombstone. but Were each presented
with half crown piece shawl and a hot
cross bun, rot n very nluni1cent gift even
now. but stiil much better than the new
siNpence, which conid only be obtained by
enduring a sermon and going through a
rather humiliatinE ceremony.
Monday evening there a great rash
back to town Of visitors at the seaside
The theatefs Tcre packed. and every res
taurant did a thriving business
Revolution in London Restaurants.
Perhaps there has been no gresrer t.vo-,
luton in London thin the last five years,
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