The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-02

D., Elkin, North Carolina
| chemical works, woodworking estab-
lisilments. match factories and tho
| which make watches and electric
supplies.
Hard Times and the Taxes.
From what I have written in th5S
letter it vii be see that the finaace-
OF Japan are not founded ~altogethc!.
spects rich, and it has ~conSiderablc
undeveloped resources. the chief ~
which are in the industrial possibili-
ties Of its people. At the same sim,
the cost OF living is comparatively Tow.
although more tina in the past, OWN.
to the gradual changing to the NOR
expensive customs coming in With tua
new civilization. Whether the cOu2-
try win continue to prosper with tn
extravagances Of this civilization re
n1ains to be seen. As it is now. what
the United States wastes at ever
breakfast would feed ali Japan Cor a
whole day, and h money she spend
for carpets would buy al the fnrnl-
ture Of this nation Of 10000 0 peo-
pie.
This letter is about the hard ti1nes
of today. That they are hard rfl<re
10 Ao NCIAc
whether they are as bad is they wera
in many Of our cities during the past
year. Every one seems busy, ami al
though some Of the factories have cut
down the forces there are few unem-
pfoyed. The men have other Jobs,
FOR in nearly every house the people
are making one thing or another; for
sale. AT the same time wages are
low, and the taxes nave been conti1-
l.ed on the war footing OF the struggle
with Russia.
Taxed to Death. 81,
Everything in Japan is taxed. The
are stamps on all banak checks, and
when YOU pay. Your bill your receips
has q stamp. Every business is taxed
according to the noun OF its volume.
and every peddler and jinrikisha MA
pays a license. There is q tax III
medicines, On sake and liquors and on
japanese soy, the sauce which the PEG
pie use With their o This was in
creased at the time OF the
All incomes pay taxes, and th@s~
grow with the amount OF ones pror2l-
Y. There are about 5000, 600 FAM
pay q certain percentage, it they max
more than $15O q year. These taXoS
were increased during the war and
they still hold. There are, of course,
taxes on lands. which now run from
8 per cent upwards to II per. Ger
elCNOA uitlS ~ ~ S1S|oC Vi AZ III
There are inheritance taxes, mining
taxes, taxes on stock exchanges ana
the issue Of bank notes.
There are customs duties on every
thing imported. and there is a special
tax on travellers. whether they go by
sjea mboat, steam train or on electric
cars This tax depends on tho mileage.
running from 5 sen to so SEN, accord
ing to distance, for the first class:
from s to 25 sen for second class ard
/ to. 4 sen for the third class: a sen
is one-half Eel 1t Will be cen that
the tax is very light On the third class.
the longest trip costing 2 cents. and
that is it heaviest on the first class.
Where h same distance is taxed -
cents.
Government Monopoiles.
In addition to all this are the gov
~ern,nent m~onOpo1ieS, including tObac-
co. salt n camphor.. There is no place
where good cigars cost so much n
where the homemade cigars" are
poorer. ANY kind of tobacco costs
three hines as much here as in the
United States: an ordinary 'tWo-for -
is sold for q dime. while q nickel cigar
easily bring 25 sen. Cigarettes arr
equal high. The tobacco monopoly
brings in about. $1%6,O0O,00O a year to
the government and the salt mo1opoly
yields over. $1,000. 900. On the whole,
the nation is taxed just about all it
can stand.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
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