The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-16
CUT OUT SPARKLE
No More Shining Helmets for
German Soldiers.
Sun Gives Away Presence Of
Troops to Enemy.
GET TIRED OF LIFE
Many Women Commit Suicide
for This Reason.
New Shipping LaWFails to Please
German Farmers.

elhaube," the spiked helmet of the
German soldier, will be replaced soon,
probably by a lighter headgear with
out the polished surface. Several
models of new helmets have been tried
by various de;achn ents Of the army
recently, and, though none has been
found to give complete satisfaction.
the test will be continued Two ma
terial changes may be expected in
whatever style is chosen. There will
be no polished spike at the top, nor
will the helmet itself be polished, per-
hitting the reflected rays of the sun
T. easily betray the position Of the
troops. At present this disadvantage
is overcome, during maneuvers, by
wrapping the helmet in canvas.
More Bachelor Tax.
Mecklenburg- Schwerin has followed
the example set by Reuss of the elder
line, and adopted a law imposing an
additional tax upon unmarried males.
Unlike Russia's law. however. which
taxes both men and women, the Meek
lenburg law applies only to bachelors.
Unmarried men above thirty will here
after pay an addition of twenty-five
per cent to their regular tax. unless
they support dependents
The kingdom of Saxony, which, for
many years, has shown a dispropor-
tiOnate number of suicides over most
other countries, comes again to the
front Of the German states in the sta
USllcS OF 1SUS, Tor winch year the
Kingdoms yearbook has just been is
sued. In that year there were, in
population of about 100000, 1921
suicides reported, of which 358 were
women. The cause given in 474 cases
is dependency or general WEAKNESS
of life" Suffering from disease result
ed in 262 suicides, while an injured
sense of honor" led % persons to
make away with themselves.
shipping Dues Revived.
The Reichstag has passed a law to
revive the shipping dues on German
navigable rivers. which were abolished
with enthusiasm about fifty years ago.
is connected with the canal legislation
of about ten years ago.
In 1899 the Prussian government
tried unsuccessfully to induce the Diet
to pass a law providing for the con-
struction of a canal to connect the
Rhine with the Elbe, starting from
near Dusseldorf on the Rhine, and
reaching the Elbe near Magdeburg.
The agrarian interests, which pre-
dominate in Prussian legislation. took
alarm at the plan, believing that such
a canal would facilitate the import of
foreign grain into the heart of Ger
many, and the bill was rejected. Sew
eral years later however, a comprO-
mise bill providing for the building of
the canal from the Rhine to a point
E'cNot7NAs
agrarians attached a provision to the
measure that it should not be put into
operation before tolls had been rein
troduced on all the navigable streams
of the Empire, intending this as a fur
Their measure for checking the ship
ment of imported grain into the in
terror.
Thereupon the Prussian government
set to work to obtain the cooperation
of the other German states for the
TO-,
dues. The assistance of Bavaria and
Wurtemberg was obtained by holding
out hopes that the Main and Neckar
rivers would be improved in their
upper course, so that those states
would have the advantage of water
burg's consent was obtained by a trade
of territory necessary for extending
the citys harbor area.
In one important respect the new
law fails to meet the expectations of
the agrarians. In order to obtain the
support of the other states for its
plans, Prussia was obliged to agree to
fix the tolls at a very low figure, and
hence they will not prove very
strong check to foreign grain 1t is
freely predicted by the opponents of
the plan that the rates as fixed will not
yield nearly so much revenue as as
sumed by the government, and that
they will have to be considerably in
creased if the promised Improvement
of the affluents of the Rhine is to be
carried out.
Before this law can take effect it
will be necessary for the government
to secure an agreement with Holland
and Austria, with which countries
Germany has treaties guaranteeing the
freedom of navigation on the two
streams mentioned. AS both countries
are strongly opposed to bartering
away their treaty rights. it is by no
means certain that the law will ever
be put into operation