Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-16

many years, mas SHOWN diSprOpOr-
tionate number of suicides over most
other countries. comes again to the
front of the German states in the
statistics Of 1909, for which year the
Kingdoms year book has Just been is
sued. In that year there were. in a
population Of about 4,5O0, 900, 1921 sui
cides reported, of which 35S were wom-
en-. The cause given in Ala cases is
dependency or general WEAKNESS OF
life" Suffering from disease resulted
tn 262 suicides. while an injured sense
of honor" led twenty eight persons to
make away with themselves.
The reichstag has passed a law to
revive the shipping dues on German
navigable rivers, which were abolished
with enthusiasm about fifty years ago
The plan originates with Prussia. and
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 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
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
| near Hanover was passed, but the
agrarians attached provision to the
measure that it should not be put into
operation before tolls had been re-
| introduced on all the navigable streams
of the empire, intending this as a
| further measure for checking the ship
ment of imported grain into the inter-
Tor.
Thereupon the Prussian government
set to work to obtain the cooperation
of the other German states for the
passage Of law reviving navigation
dues. The assistance of Bavaria and
Wirtemberg was obtained by holding
out hopes that the Main and Neckar
rivers would be improved In their up
per course. so that those states would
have the advantage of water communi-
cation with the sea. Hamburg's con-
sent was obtained by trade of terri
tory necessary for extending the city's
| harbor area.
In one important respect the new law
fails to meet the expectations of the
agrarians. In order to obtain the sup
port 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 assumed by the gov
eminent. and that they will have to be
considerably increased if the promised
Improvement Of the affluents Of the
Rhine ts to be carried out.
| Before this law can take effect 1t will
be necessary for the government to Sc
cure an agreement with Holland and
Austria, with which countries Germany
has treaties guaranteeing the freedom
| of navigation on the two streams men
! toned. 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 opera