Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-15
Bluest of Blue"
? Towns Puts Tax
On Short Skirts
But You Can Wear Anything
You Like in Rustchuk,
Bulgaria, So Long As ,
> You Have Price.
Bv NEWTON c. PARKE.

London, Aug. l4.--If you want
to be belle or a swell in the city
of Rustchuk you have to pay Tor it.
You may remember Rustchuk
from the war news. 1t is a flourish.
ing town on the Bulgarian side OF
the blue Danube. The Roumanians
crossed the river and took it one day.
Two or three days later the Bulgari-
ans cut off the fresh Roumanians
and killed or captured all except a
few who escaped by swimming back
to the Roumanian side.
Now many of the best society
folks in Rustchuk wish the Rou-
1nanians had kept the town forever.
They see no fun in blue laws that
force them to pay heavy taxes tor
wearing anything but overalls and
pinghams and threaten to convert
Rustchuk's most stylishly-dressed
women into milk maids, SO far as
clothes are concerned.
-. Prescribe Dress.
The farmer government OF the
province of Rustchuk has just enact
ed new legislation, telling the city
folks in Rustchuk how to dress and
how to act. The farmer majority
saws that it is only trying to dis
courage extravaganza and make the
town dandies, male and female, bear
the cost of government. The Rust
chuk city folks say the new dress
edict is only one episode in the
fight between the peasant farmers
of Bulgaria and the middle class OF
the cities, peculiar form OF warfare
that followed the signing of peace
and resulted in the establishment o1
"a peasant cabinet under Premier
Stambouliski, burly farmer.
A Rustchuk girl may wear her
skirts as short as she pleases--if she
has the mazuma. But every girl
whose skirt stops 13 inches from the
ground must pay 500 leva into the
provincial treasury. After size has
paid 500 leva the sky is the. limit, SO
far as the length of her skirt goes.
If she carries a parasol, she must
pay 50 leva. Handbags, are even
more immoral and render the pos
SCISSOR liable to a tax of 200 leva
Earrings and necklaces, publicly
worn, cost a tax of 800 leva. There
| is no tax on an ordinary wedding
but the gay couple that start mar
ried life with music at the altar must
pay 500 leva. Even baby carriage
is luxury in the eyes of the Rust
chuk farmer legislators, and the
owners must pay 200 leva.
Why Wear Gloves?
The horny-handed Rustchuk sol
tillers see no reason why anyone
should wear gloves, except to keel
the hands warm. 1t is, therefore
provided that any person sportlnft
gloves between the dates Of Apri
| IS and September IS must obtain :
special license costing 200 leva. lt
swank about with a cane you mus
pay 100 leva, and there are still high
er taxes for carrying watch charm:
or wearing fnger-rings. 1he pos
SCISSOR of a pet dog is taxed oO'
francs and owners of private car
riages or motor cars pay IRON SUI tt
1000 leva. j.
The city dwellers are trying. t
have the legislation repealed. The.
saw it is only designed to place th'
whole burden of taxation on tn
shoulders of the town folks. The,
say that if the Rustchuk provlncia
Legislature is sincere it will lay
Iheayv tax on swearing, drinking ant
wife-beating-virtues, according, t
the city dwellers, particularly char
! acteristic of the Rustchuk farmers.