Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-12-16

without the polished surface. Severa
! models of new helmets have beer
tried by various detachments of tn,
| army recently, and though none hav'
been found to give complete satisfac
ton. the test will be continued. Twt
material changes may be expected il
| whatever style is chosen. There viii
be no polished spike at the top, no.
will the helmet itself be polished, per
uniting the reflected rays of the SUI
to easily betray the position of the
troops. At present this disadvantae
is overcome, during maneuvers. by
wrapping the helmet in canvas.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. has followed
the example set by Reuss of the elder
line, and adopted law imposing an
additional tax upon unmarried males
Unlike Russia's law, however, which
taxes both men and women, the Neck
lenburg law applies only to bachelors
Unmarried men above thirty will
hereafter pay an addition of twenty
five per cent to their regular tax. un'
less 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 stat.
istics of 1909, for which year the king
dom year book has just been issued
In that year there were, in a popula'
ton of about 4,50O,O00, 1921 suicides
reported. of which 1853 were women.
The cause given in 474 cases is des'
pondency or general WEAKNESS OF
life." Suffering from disease resulted
in 262 suicides, while an injured
sense of honor" led % 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 Prus.
STA 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
construction of canal to connect
the Rhine with the Elbe. starting from
near Dusseldorf. on the Rhine, anG
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, compro-
mise bill providing for the building of
the canal from the Rhine 70 a point
near Hanover was passed, but the
agrarians attached a provision to the
measure that it should not be put into
operation until tolls had been rein
on all the navigable streams
Of the Empire. intending this as
further measure for checking the
shipment Of imported grain into the
Interior.
Thereuoon the Prussion government
set to work to obtain the cooperation
Of the other German states for the
of a law revi1ing navigation
Tues. The assistance Of bavaria and
was obtained by holding
,ut hopes that the MI \ and Neckar
.ivers would be improved in their up.
Der course, so that those states would
1ave the advantage of water commun'
cation with the sea. Hamburgs con-
sent was obtained by trade of ter
.itory necessary for extending the
,:ty's hardbor area.
In one important respect the new
aw fails to meet the expectations OF
he agrarians. In order to obtain the
support Of tie other states for It's
,lans, Prussia was obliged to TX the
oils at very low figure, and hence
hey will not prove a very strong
heck to foreign grain. It Is freely
PREDICTED by the opponents to the plan
hat the rates as fixed will not yield
learlv so much revenue as assumed
" the government, and that they VII!
ave to be considerably Increased II
he promised improvement OF the al
uents of the Rhine is to be carried
ut. .. Il
Before this law can take effect 1t
I'LL be necessary for the government
D secure an agreement with Holland
nd Austria, with which countries
!ermany has treaties guaranteeing
he freedom of navigation on the two
treams mentioned, as both countries
re strongly opposed to bartering
way their treaty rights. it is by no
leans certain that the law will ever
.-x3 >~orofion