Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-23

King MenelnS OF Abyssinia has fully re-
covered from the recent attack OF obituary
notices The fearless laments drawn from
newspaper morgues and reference books.
gathered by enterprislng clipping bureaus
are pouring in upon the royal castle, fiji
! ing the negus with the spirit OF gayety
But the royal household furnishes addi-
tional proof OF health and hiarity. The
royal treasury is In need OF funds and the
tax collector Is abroad in the land. Some
offensive patriots who are striving to
dodge their dues by "hollerng" against
increased taxes, have been corralled by
the squad OF soldiers and the noise ef-
fectivoly squelched with curved sabers BY
shopping off the heads of the principal
kiekers and dodgers. and confiscating
their property. King Menelik impresses
minor tax insurgents that prompt payment
| conduces to longevity The moral effect
of the proceeding insures accurate and
honest schedules of property and checks
the tendency to hide movable assets over
the border before the assessor arrives.
! What promises to be the greatest labor
battle ever fought in Germany was in
augurated early in the month by a lockout
Of employees in the building trades. 1t is
said 100000 workmen are involved at pres
ent with every likelihood of the number
being increased as the heat of the contest
rises. Primarily the fight was forced by
organized employers. Some weeks ago the
employers demanded that the employees
should enter, at the beginning of this
month, upon an entirely new form of con-
tract the chief features Of which were
that the men should no longer object to
| piece-work, that uniform conditions OF
labor should prevail throughout the empire
and that there should be a general system
OF labor exchanges organized and con-
trolled by the employers alone. The en-
ployers presented this proposal to the men
as an ultimatum, which must be accepted
by the men under penalty of a lockout.
The men, in their trade unions very
promptly and almost unanimously rejected
the proposal, and lockout was in conse-
auence ordered by the employers.
| Taxing the unearned increment in land,
proposition embodied in the British
budget which the landlords denounced as
confiscation is becoming a popular form
of public revenue in Germany. 1t has been
the vogue in cities for several years, and
under it they have thrived wonderfully
The general government wants a slice of
the usufruct and proposes, as a starter,
to dip into the unearned increment pot in
Berlin 1t is expected the cities will re-
sent this action as another step in the en-
croachment of the federal, upon the munich
pal authorities, but likely the kasers min
listers will have their way.
The divorce evil is growing in England
at disquieting rate. Civil judicial statis-
tics for 1905 recently issued, show an in
crease of 1925. over the preceding year
The distinctive feature of the showing is
the preponderanee of petitions for divorce
by husbands and Of separations, proceed
ing different from divorce Separation
orders granted by magistrates numbered
1926 in 1908, making, with divorces, 672,
and judicial separations. g. a total of
ETs65. This gives percentage of 225S per.
900 of population. In Italy, where rdi-
vorce as distinguished from separation is,
unknown, separations on an average for,
eight years amounted TO only S52 or two
per 100000 Of the population. .[
Americans who decorate their bosoms
with home decoration badges for the pur-
]
travelling abroad, should cut Servia out
of their itinerary in the future or chuck
the decoration In the bottom of the grip.
Servians are tired of decorations. They
have become as much of a human
burlesque as the berlbboned chest of
delegate whose vote is eagerly sought by
rivals. A much decorated ex-mnister has
organized the Servian Anti-Decoration
league, which is growing rapidly, and
promises 10 rid the chesty landscape of
medals and posters. The furore is such
lthat the government, pledged to economy
and reduced taxation, fears that it's work
ing subordinates will demand more real
money and fewer pewter medals. in their
pay envelopes.
Cecil Rhodes dream OF a railroad from
the Cape to Cairo is steadily approaching
realization. BY the end of this year the
entire line win have been surveyed, and
construction will follow fast on the heels
of the surveying corps. The railroad will
be 5000 miles long, and construction has
been pushed with a vigor that would do
credit to an American railroad contractor
Locomotives are now running to a point
forty miles beyond the Congo frontier or
2iS7 miles from Capetown. The roadbed
is completed for six miles further north
ward and by the end of April 1t is ex-
pected that the rail head will be. a hun
dred miles within the Congo territory
Through trains are now running twice "a
week between capetown and the Victoria
Falls and between Victoria Falls and
/ n