The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-07
War Profits Largely Re spOsible for the Greater
 Showings Made
SULPHUR STOCK IS
 NOTABLE EXAMPLE
Some of the Banks Have Also Been Able to Show Largely In- creased Profits for
 Stockholders
By HOLLAND

New York, July 6-(Specal.)-If there be comparison between the aggregate sum which was paid over to the govern ment on or before June 30 on account of the income tax with the aggregate amount received by the government on account of the returns of 1913 and 1914 there will be discovered a remarkable difference. It is presumed to be due in great measure to the greatly increased incomes which are traceable to war or ders and to consequent increase in do- mestic business. The income tax paid this year is spoken of as an excellent measure of prosperity.
 , No details can be published without violating the law-that is to say, de- tails that would show what various in- dividuals have paid. It will never be known, unless there be violation of con fidence, who is the largest income tax payer. The belief commonly entertained is that it is John D. Rockefeller It is possible, however, to infer from the fig ures which show earnings of various corporations who some of the relatively largest income taxpayers are Undoubt- edly the estate of H. Mex. Twombly would come high in the list of those whose income taxes were relatively among the largest paid to the Ameri- can government. Before MT. Twombly died, he took a blind chance as Chaun-
 cey M. Depew later described it, when he invested some thousands of dollars in. sulphur producing proposition. There are good many men who are now sorry that they did not accept an opportunity of that kind when it was offered to them. This proposition was based upon the claim made by the late Herman Frasch that he had invented a pumping process which would to commercial ad- vantage extract the sulphur which was known to lie in enormous deposits many feet below the surface in Louisiana. His claim was found by experiment to be, well founded
 A few months before the income tax payments were all made. it was an- nounced that a few shares of the stock of this company were sold at S9000 a share. Only two weeks before the close of the fiscal year as much as $10000 share was offered for this stock, but this tempted no shareholders. Very likely twice that amount would not be tempt ing to them. There is only a small capi- taliza tion-s s400, ,O00-and of this it is under stood that one-half has been issued the par value being $1O0. A stock whose par is S100, and which cannot be bought for $10,000 a share is presumably a stock which yields an enormous income. The Twombly estate income from this invest ment is understood to be $1,000,0O0. If that be correct, then relatively, or in comparison with the amount of money invested, the income tax paid upon the income received from this investment is as large as any paid by anyone.
 OTHER LARGE INCOME TAXES
 Presumably MT. Rockefeller's income tax so far as size is concerned is based chiefly on his holdings of Standard Oil securities His income from railroads and some industrial investments is presumably not very large. Some of these invest ments reflect outeoes