Evening star., 1909-05-02
By B. R. Winslow

three years.
Italy is not yet, and will not be for years, if
at all, in condition to produce the tobacco re-
quired for the monopoly, and must depend
upon the United States for the larger part of
its supplies therefore the price of the Italians
cigars is regulated to certain extent by the
price of tobacco in this country. The Govern
ment pays an average of about two hundred
and only about one hundred and fifty dollars
for the home grown leaf
Control of Matches
FRANCE not only collects a revenue from the
sale of tobacco, but Government mo-
nopoly of the match industry taxes the French
smoker for his light 1t is estimated that each
person In France uses something over thou
sand matches year, tor which ne pays about
twenty-five cents, of which the Government
takes eighteen cents as profit The match mo-
nopoly, however, appears to be native OF
South America and only recently imported
across the waters.
Practically every male inhabitant of the
South American Republics smokes. which
counts for the exceedingly large consumption
of matches in that section, and also for the at
tractiveness of the little sulphur stick a sub
ject for Government monopoly Venezuela
has recently given up her match trust, having
sold out to citizen one Manuel V. Tejara:
while Nicaragua has just entered the business
This Government seems to have originated a
Government monopoly of trusts: for at varl-
products, such tobacco, alcohol native rum,
explosives, gunpowder. and shot Each in
dustry was operated as Government trust for
a time, and finally leased to some individual
upon payment of a specified annuity
Spain also has match trust, having taken
over the business of a monopoly built up by
private citizens. The company controls the
output of twenty-seven factories and handles
nearly five hundred million boxes of matches
year Only wax matches are used in Spain, and
fhaur tail at fyyo nfS
ing to size and quality
Sal. in China
CHINA, the originator of most things, un-
doubtedly originated the Government salt
monopoly from which it derives its principal
revenue. The annual consumption of salt in
China IS estimated at above one million six
hundred and fifty thousand tons, which is sub
jected to a tax of seventy-one and Six-tenths
cents for hundred and thirty-three pounds.
All salt produced must be sold either to the
Government to licensed merchants who
purchase the right to supply certain areas of
consumption. These merchants receive salt
certificates empowering them to buy and sell
certain quantities of salt. The business brings
the Government something like nine million
dollars year.
Playing Cards and Liquor
TN the countries just cited the national trust
magnate selected one of the necessary COM
modities upon which to form a trust In
IreeCe the mOnOpOllSt selected the nat1OnaI
pastime. Practically everyone in Greece plays
cards and every pack of playing cards must be
bought from the King No one else in the King
dom is allowed to make them and no one else
can sell them Other countries have made the
love of cards source of revenue by levying a
tax on them; but Greece is the first country to
forming playing card monopoly.
Greece however, IS not the only Government
that has taken advantage of what some choose
to call national evil in order to increase the
exchequer Costa Rica's President controls
the distilleries of that Republic, turning out
liquor that Americans who are somewhat care
less in their speech call bum rum - The
natives appear to like it, and SO far as known.
it has not materially increased the death rate,
1t does, however. add dollars to the treasury
which is the principal object of the monopoly
Trusts in Metals
THE rulers of more important countries like
wise have been stricken with the CONNER
cial fever and gone into some business other
than that of King Emperor, though not to
the extent of forming an unbustable trust. The
Saxon Minister of Finance announced last year
that the famous Government silver mine at
Freiberg would be closed in 1913. The an
nouncement is made now in order that the
town may have five years in which to prepare
for the closing which will throw practically its
entire population out of employment. This
mine has been source of revenue of the royal
house of Saxony since the twelfth century: but