The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23
Saving Balkan, States From Bankruptcy

many it is admitted that If the mon
opoly plan of 80 years ago had becoms
law all the financial troubles of ths
following years would have been
avoided.
germany has been unlucky in .her
attempts to introduce monopolies THO
only monoplies she has.z zapart from
communications, are restricted IN n.r
tlcular states Bavaria and Saxonv
nave salt monopolies; Bavaria has n
state pearl fishery monopoly" and the
russian state has local amber mon
opoiy. In 1882 Bismark proposed a to-
pacco monopoly He failed Tobacco
monopolies in other states are loo,xcd
at with mixed feelings The financial
results are good; and as q tax the
monopoly system is fair, because the
burden falls on smokers In proportion
TO the quality and quantity of the
tobacco they smoke. But countries
with state monopolies produce indif-
ierent tobacco, and very few varieties
Ihat Is the case in France, Spain ana
Austria Hungary.
The state profits. The treasury Of car
many, where there is no monopolv man
ages to get only SO cents per capita. from
its topacco taxation and Belgium only
20 cents; whereas France by means OF
her monopoly gets sl.9O, Italy and Austria
%'io and Spain ST. England is the only
European state without a monopolv which
manages to get a big per capita WELD
from her tobacco taxation. State tobacco
monopolies yield tremendous profits on
the turnover In France of a turnover
OF $lOo' 100000, S7s,00O.0O0 is profit; in Ans.
ira sSo'oo0,c0o Is profit out of SIS 0O0,O 900:
and In Italy $40.Oo00OO out Of ooo
The Spanish tobacco monopoly brings IN
S3oOO0WO Portugal Roumania and Scr
via also profit largely from the state to-
bacco business.
The hardest state monopoly to manage
ana the monopoly which causes most
hardship is that in salt Austria has
salt monopoly since 1885. The monopoIv
embraces all the production and part NJ
the sale. Salt deposits are state prom
erty. In Istria and Damatia the deposits
are worked by saline consorti,ms -
whlch are under state control These con-
soruums produce a fixed quantity Of
sat- which is sent by them to the state
magazines Salt may be imported onlv
Tor own use. and then with official per-
MISSION and under heavy duty The salt
monopoly Is subject to the ministry OF
finance. Hungary has the same systeu
Austrias profit is Sc. 100000 and Hunrarv,s
SIooo'@o. Italy has salt monopoly. Six
Out OIL her 10 salt mines are worked by
the state; the privately worked four must
produce fixed quantity of salt. On,v
the state may import salt The retail salt
trade 1s carried on under state ,icansa
The state profit is $4,000, 900. MONTENEGRO
Roumania, Servia. Greece and Turkey oil
have salt monopolies. The two last com,
tries propose to establish a gunpowder
monopoly such as exists In France and
SerVia' and formerly existed in italy.
Inc frencn state has had "a monopolv
III gunpowder ever since the revolution
1t makes profit of s4,OO0,oo a wear. For
years past French governments have
aiineo' ror political reasons, at making
a'eo monopoly of the manufacture of
dynamite and other high explosives.
me great obstacles to present plans of
state monopolization are vested interests.
also the attempts of politicians to tnrn
state monopolies into private monopolies
Witte dealt drastically with the vested
interest In the Russian vodka trade bv
refusing to pay any compensation to the
vodka saloon keepers whom he expro-
prlated. In western Europe this is not
practicable. The Russian monopoly gave
the distillers of raw spirit what is prac-
tically monopoly for themselves as the
state limits production, and guarantees
to buy certain amount of spirit every
year at good price. In this wav. r.
reheves the dstiller of all risk. Ger
many's agrarians for years tried to ret
state monopoly in corn, the object NJ
wnlch was to keep prices up, independent
iy OF all world-fluctuations Some of the
survivors of this movement, notably the
Reichstag deputy Won Camp. still hold
that the state should establish a corn
monopoly. The movement for the time
being Is dead, but the next time her
finances are in bad state Germany will
certainly follow Austria and Russia in.
the path of monopolization Of tobacco or
liquor. or possibly both A Reichstar
member declared last spring that no other
measure would save the state from
chronic deficits.