The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-05-25
HOW TITLES ARE TAXED.
What Man Must Pay in England
to Become "A Peer

to Become "A Peer.
The elevation of John Morley and
Sir H. II Fowler to the peerage is
| probably as pleasing to themselves
as it is to their thousands OF admir-
ers, but each of the gentlemen so
! honored Will have to pay fee of at
least 200 pounds for the privilege of
! adding the title of "viscount' to his
name, which is the cost of letters
| patent for viscounty of the United
Kingdom.
For higher rank the fees amount
to more. The new duke of Devonshire
| for instance, when he comes to take
| the necessary letters patent which
will fully entitle him to his own will
| have to pay $50 pounds for the same
| in addition to paying away an i'm
mense fortune in the shape of death
| duties. If the change had been that
of marquisette the fee would have
been 500 pounds. A newly made earl
| pay $50 pounds, a baron $50 pounds
and a baronet 100 pounds.
| These fees, however, are only part
| of the expense entailed by a man
who is honored with a title. The cost
investiture, heradlry, etc, con-
| siderably augments the amount. 1t
may be remembered that when Lord
| Roberts accepted his earldom in
1901, and was subsequently given
| the garter, he was presented with a
II for 1,750 pounds, which at first
he strongly objected to pay.
To the average reader it will prob
ably seem absurd that when such
rewards for serving the country are
granted the recipient should so suf-
fer in pocket. 1t is not so bad now
adays, however, as in the time of
James l., for instance, who mulcted
his baronets pretty heavily for their
privileges. They were obliged each to
| maintain thirty soldiers for defense
purposes or pay into the exchequer
an equivalent sum, which amounted
| to 1895 pounds per year. Further
more, to be qualified for the honor
| in those days one had to be gen
| tleman born and have clear es-
tate of 1000 pounds per annum
Originally the fees were paid to
certain officers of the state connect
| ed with the business of investing
man with his title, but they are now
more in the nature of duties, and
! are paid into the eXchequer, thus
| helping to swell the revenues of the
country. Recently it was proposed
that further tax on titles-10 lbs
| per annum for a knight, 100 pounds
| for an earl, and 5000 pounds for a
duke-should be imposed. and some
irresponsible people have even dared
to suggest these titles should be put
| up to auction and sold to the highest
| bidder.
As illustrating the curious de-
mands made upon a man who be-
comes a titled parsonage it might
be mentioned that at the beginning
| of the year 200 celebrities. who with
! in the last four years have been
granted the privilege of prefixing
| their name with sir each received
a letter from the Walker trustees,
Edinburgh, asking for a sum of
| pounds IS Sd, which it was said, was
due in respect of each gentlemans
creation as knight of the United
Kingdom. In the case of a baronet 5
! pounds was demanded. When inuuir-
les We're made it was found that the
| Walker trustees of whom very few
| of the titled gentlemen had ever
heard, had purchased the rights of
the heritage usher of Scotland. one
of the many functionaries scattered
$500 tio ShitCu iNllSuoLl WHO were
entitled to perqusites in the shape
of fees from persons whom the king
honored by comforting titles upon
them.
Practically all the office holders
who were entitled to these perquis-
ties surrendered their rights to the
late government in return for an an
nual allowance. The heritable usher
of Scotland, however, declined to do
so, and consequently the Walker
trustees as holders of that Office,
sent out their much discussed re-
quests for fees to newly made
knights and baronets-Tit- Bits.