Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-11
OUR NEED OF SALT.

Pe-SSSS
on its way.-Wide World Magazine.
OUR NEED OF SALT.
Said to Be a Natural Craving, But
Used too Much.
II one were to ask a hundred house.
wives to name the indispensable arti-
cles for the culinary department there
is little doubt that five score Of them
would put salt first in the list. It is
regarded as absolutely essential to al
most every edible that is placed on the
table, fruit being the only exception,
and even some kinds Of fruit are sup
posed by some persons to be improv-
ed If slightly saline.
Whether the fondness for salt Is nat
uraI or acquired is a question that has
not been definitely answered, says the
Dietetic and Hygienic Gazette, but In
view Of the fact that most Of the herri-
vora crave 1t we are justified in assum-
ing that the liking Of humans" for 1t
Is inherent
Although the salt production Of sew
eral countries is reported with a close
approximation to accuracy, It is i'm
possible to tell how much is taken for
personal use and how much is other
wise consumed. While 1t Is easy for a
family to keep q record Of all the salt
it uses directly, considerable guam
tity is fed to cattle which is also as
signed to the family.
Thus it will happen that two fami-
lies having an equal number Of MEM
bers will consume a very unequal
quantity of salt. In the United States
there were produced somewhat more
than four million short tons. This
would allow more than eighty pounds
to each Individual an amount that
seems hardly credible. 1t is. however,
so cheap that a great deal is wasted
Large quantities are also used In the
arts in various forms.
In Europe the quantity Of salt ap-
portioned to each individual, outside OF
Russia, Is reckoned at thirty pounds
But the various countries differ great
ly, in this respect, rather less than ten
pounds being assigned to Spain, twen-
ty-five pounds to England and forty to
Germany. Where the price is high and
the people poor 1t Is sparingly used;
where 1t is cheap and the standard OF
living relatively high a great deal Is
wasted.
The salt monopoly was perhaps the
most oppressive form Of taxation de-
vised by government 1t was levied on
the assumption that 1t Is indispensable
and that the subject must have a GER
tain amount Of it and will buy 1t with
out regard to cost. This method Of COL
lecting revenue prevailed in almost all
the countries of Europe until far along
in the modern era, its object being to
collect the largest amount Of revenue
without regard to the financial ability
Of the consumer.
Not only was the manufacture Of the
article a government monopoly, 1t also
appointed inspectors, whose business
1t was to see that every subject pur-
chased an amount arbitrarily appor-
toned, but that he did not sell any par'
of his allotment. Even those persons
who lived on the seashore, where they
could provide themselves with salt
without expense, were forbidden to dc
80, and the coast was patroled to pre-
vent them from obtaining the brine.
This monopoly was abolished IT
France, at least on paper, In 1888; IN
Prussia in 1916; in Saxony, country
that produces but little salt, not until
1910. At the present day there Is Still
in some countries a sort Of embargo OF
revenue tax oh the manufacture OF the
article, and salt works are guarded
like the distilleries in the United States
In Austria all salt wells and mines are
the property Of the government Eng
land has levied no tax on salt since
1925; Belgium only since 1871.
Some countries still raise considera-
BILE revenue from salt If their situation
is such that its manufacture cannot be
carried on cheaply. The statistics oi
the Italian government for 1898 re-
port that the largest item on the budget
was derived from the revenue OF the
salt monopoly. Since then the price
has been much reduced, yet only last
year the government collected $4,000
600 from this item. Common salt costs
in Italy four cents a pound at present
This is a very high price in a country
where the laborer works ten or twelve
hours a day for forty cents, in some
districts even for ten cents. So pre-
cious was salt in that country. until a
few years ago, that If you offered the
children Of the very poor their choice
between a handful Of sweetmeats and
salt they always chose the latter