Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-28
vIENNA's CURIOUS TAX.
1t Is Costly to Open Doors at Night in
Austria's Capital.
[London Express.l

| 1t Is Costly to Open Doors at Night in
Austria's Capital.
| [London Express.]
| If English towns, like Vienna, paid
tribute to walk abroad after nightfall,
the reign of the janitor would be short.
Vienna has form of personal import
duty manipulated in any other city in
the world. 1t is the "sperrgeld" or door
opening tax. Incredible as it may seem,
the entire population of Vienna. num-
bering upwards of 100000, are impris-
oned in their own homes between the
hours of 10 D. m. and 3 a. M Ihey can
emily obtain access to or egress from
their houses by paying at least pence
to the janitor, or house master, as the
| Yiennese style him.
| Vienna is built on fiat system.
Millionaires and working classes alike
| live in dwellings Of this kind. The heart
| OF the city Is the most fashionable, and
fancy prices are demanded for living
quarters. A landlord may get as much
| as G150 a year for four rooms on the
fifth floor.
AS a rule the fiat houses have five or
or six floors, with four flats on each
floor Thus it is not unusual to find 100
ersons living under one roof.
For all these flats there is one common
entrance from the street, and after ~ p.
NJ this door is bolted and barred. Per-
| sons passing in or out after III p. m.
must pay pence until midnight and 4
pence from that hour until a. m.
This exasperating impost must be paid
every time one passes thru the doorway
without exception. In thousand ana
one ways the system makes itself un-
pleasant in the extreme. If man has
Occasion to go in and out half a dozen
tines after 10 D. m. 1t costs him Shill-
ing.
II you dine with a friend and stay
after the hour for closing, you must pay
2 pence to get out OF his house and 2
pence more to get into your own. II you
receive telegram during the night, it
costs pence for the telegraph boy to
coats pence to reach the open air and
the same amount to return.
Naturally, the house master" is the
despot OF Vienna. All persons bow to
his will The theaters begin at or 1880
that play-goers who have spent from 5
TO 10 shillings for their seats may escape
the house masters tolI.
Persons usually liberal in other re-
fpects have a strong natural aversion to
laying this irritating but unavoidable
TAX. Those who go out to dine for
guinea will hurry home before 10 o'clock
merely to avoid 1t.
The house master has what many per-
sons would call "a good thing He is
officially intrusted with the task Of col
iecting and keeping duplicate copies of
the forms on which every individual in
the house must report to the police his
age, birthplace and religion, his exact
occupation and other personal details
which the Austrian authorities insist up
on knowing.
But the knowledge Of the house master
does not end here. From the little guard
room which he occupies at the foot OF
the stairs he gees every one who goes IN
and out from morning until night He
Invariably ascertains with astonishing
accuracy the amount Of each tenants
income, the features OF his family life,
and what kind of visitors call upon him.
His far-reaching power enables him to
tsrrorize every servant In the house into
entering his intelligence department.
Thus he spies on the innermost life of
the unhappy subjects in his fiyefioored
kingdom. A. tenant who habitually
comes home after 10 o'clock is denounced
to his neighbors as dissipated vaga-
Lond, while a tenant who never stirs
abroad after the front door is closed Is
rdiculed az man who looks twice at 2
pence.
In some cases the house master Is
more powerful than in others. as an En-
glish friend of mine found to his cost,
since he was obliged to move from an
apartment that he particularly liked,
ard which was best suited to his pur-
pose, because he could not venture to
speak with the least sharpness to the
man at the door, even tho he was re-
miss in his duties. The reason was
that the fiat house was owned by one of
the railways which belong to the state.
This fact constituted the house master
of my friends fat state Official, to in
suit whom in Vienna is a very serious
offense. reprimand for delaying let
ters at the door would be construed into
an insult, and as the Englishman could
into trouble. he had to move his belong
ings elsewhere at some expense.
There are thousands OF people in Wen
ka who live in such terror Of their house
master that they never make an apple
tart without giving him half OF 1t.
Some day history will record the eff
forts of the man (yet to appear) who led
the Viennese out of bondage, and gave
them-latch keys!
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