Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-11-23
ITALY POSSESSES
THRIFTY MONARCH
Victor Emmanuel Paying
Off Many Old
Debts

ROME, Italy, Nov. liking Victor
Emmanuel stands unique as the ono
sovereign In the world who has never
had debt. More remarkable still,
he was practically free from debt as
Crown Prince, when his finances were
anything but ford.
The Italian civil list amounts to tho
very respectable sum OF $1,200,000
yearly, but the Kings expenses arc
enormous. He hands over every year
100000 to his mother, he keeps up
from eight to ten palaces and estates,
which came to him from the dispos-
sessed Italian rulers, and he Is pay
Ing off the debts of an extravagant
father and still more extravaganza
grandfather. When he came to the
throne he found that there were many
large debts, on which high interest
was being paid, of the great Victor
Emmanuel. King in the old style,
without thought where spending,
women. and feasting were concerned.
but hero for courage and love of
country. King Humbert was more re-
strained In his pleasures, but thought
that King should be King all
Thus when his son came to tho
throne he found a sad state Of fnan-
| cial chaos.
Victor Emmanuel's public point of
view, curiously enough. is that of his
subjects, that while the country is
poor her sovereign should pay tho
personal family debts, and his private
view Is that sovereign lowers his
own dignity and that of his subjects
II he runs into money difficulties, and
is obliged to pawn his jewels, for cx-
ample. He therefore looked about
him for the best way to raise money
and came to the conclusion that tho
bourgeoisc way is the best, that Is,
to cut down expenses. There was
great establishment, not only In Italy
but abroad, when the young sovcr
eign, with over S1.0O0,O00 income.
sold nearly hundred horses which
had been eating their heads off at
the Quirinal Palace, only keeping
those strictly necessary for royal use.
At the same time two or three cooks
were got rid Of. Today tn" Queens
clothing, while still of the best quail
ity. is not bought regardless OF the
price. as was the case with Queen
Margherita. Furthermore, Queen
Elena's gowns and hats are seen quite
three times, If not more, by the pub
lie. and entertaining at the palace 10
restricted to two balls a year, the
necessary State dinners, and such In.
dispensable functions Despite the
household economies, foreign sover-
eigns who have visited the Quirinal
declare that they were entertained AZ
well. II not better, than at any other
court.
Subjects Hint at Parsirnony r'
King Victor Emmanuel's subjects
do not thank him for his care Of tho
national cxchequer. Quite the con-
trary, they complain Of what they call
his "parsimony," say he is not a
King. but a gentleman farmer, go so
far as to call him the 'miser," and
hint that he is saving his money and
putting 1t safely in English govern
ment bonds, so that the day he loses
his throne he will at least have his
money. This, of course, has come To
his ears, but with such man gossip
makes little impression, and he has
merely redoubled his efforts to get
the debts paid OFF and live as he
chooses.
! Another of his Economics" was to
turn the royal stables here and there
into paying concerns. For instance,
Castelfusano and Castelporz;ano, near
Ostia, on the sea, under the late
magnificent" King, were merely pas
sive shooting places, which required
large sums to keep up. The hour
geois" King has, with modern meth
DDS, transformed them into money
making properties which pay from 3
to 8 per cent. and at the same time
keeps up his game preserves at half
the cost. The Coltano estate, which
seemed to be nothing but worthless
marshes, has been drained and now
pays something like 10 per cent, and
the "miser" has given large part
of It as a gift for the installation OF
the Marconi wireless. %,
Queen Sells Her Old Clothing
However, with all his good quail.
4 ties, II must be confessed that tho
Italian sovereign carries his economy
4 somewhat too far. II is all right to
lay off other peoples debts, but not
at the expense of decoruni. 1t Is au.
thoritatively stated that Queen Elena
sells her old clothes, that 8, the very
old ones-the comparatively good
ones are sent to her family at Monte
negro-and that her husband thinks
twice before opening bottle of
champagne. II Is. perhaps, unfortu-
nate that King Victor, reigns over a
nation which does not particularly
love and admire the domestic virtues
I'm a ruler II not kept In the back
ground and oyershadOwed by kingly