Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-10-30
COUNTRIES IN TRADE.
Nearly All European Governments Ready
u Earn an Honest Dollar

Spain goes in for trading when
ever her finances want attending to,
says Stray Stories. Two years prior
to the outbreak of the war, in 1898,
she decided to turn an honest penny
by linen and plate marking. Accord
ingly an act was passed making it
compulsory for everybody whose in
come exceeded a certain sum to have
their linen and plate properly
marked, with the alternative Of
800 fine for breaking the law. The
government did all the marking and
earned $7,jOO,OO0 before the law was
repealed year later.
Eighteen months passed and then
Spain decided to take up bookbind-
ing. The government made it i'm
perative for all new books to be
bound by the state, and supervised
every bookbinding business in the
country.
Another law compelled the owners
of all mules born within a certain
period to take the animals to govern
ment officials for branding, at
charge of a dollar head, and these
two businesses brought versatile
Spain in several millions.
Italy and France have both made
a good thing out of their businesses,
as the national tobacconist. Italy
pockets a profit of SAC, 100000 year
in this manner and France $75, 000,-
600, with an additional 100000
from the sale of matches.
The Italian government also clears
$15, 100000 a year by the state lot
teries, retains a monopoly of all the
flags used in the country and makes
a handsome profit by the sale of snow
from her mountains, which is brought
down in baskets by night and sold for
refrigerating purposes.
Greece has tried many ways of max
ing money of late, but none Of them
are very successful. The government
makes and sells all the playing cards
used in the country, and also retails
little bronze badge which finds a
ready sale at a shilling as the national
emblem. These two monopolies pro-
duce $2,5O0,0 900 year. Sweden goes
in for banking, and conducts state
bank.
1t is rather surprising that Aus
tria should choose the uncongenial
occupation of sweeping chimneys in
order to raise the lacking millions, but
such is the case. Some time ago the
government announced that every
chimney must be swept once month,
and the government would do it for
fee of about 40 cents per chimney.
All the chimney-sweeps in the
country were pressed into the govern
ment's service, for no competition was
allowed, and Austria managed to ac-
cumulate $4, 100000 a year in this
manner, in addition to fines, which
people were compelled to pay for
breaking the regulation.
Moreover, the government built
and conducts swimming baths
throughout the country, and realizes
ST., 100000 year by her state lot
teries.
There is evidently large profit at
tached to pawnbroking, or France
would not interest herself in the
business in addition to her trade in
tobacco. The Mont-de-Piete, at
Paris, is the national pawn shop,
which the government conducts, and
it brings in very respectable rev.
enue.
Anything may be pawned there,
from a coffin to an elephant-both OF
which, it may be mentioned, have fig
ured among the pledges before now
and money is lent at the rate of sew
en- per cent. interest.
Other trades are well represented,
for France also runs a theater and
does big business as a soap mer-
chant. Russia more or less controls
all her theaters and taxes every play
goer two cents for her supervision,
the $500, 900 derived from this source
going toward the maintenance of the
Empress Marie foundation, an insti-
tuition for the poor of the land.
Germany keeps a corps of house
cleansers which she loans for spring
cleaning, and Hesse acts as a matri-
monial agent by taxing all her bach
elors over the age of so.