Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-10-15
SINGLE WOMEN
FAR WEATHER.
THAN MARRIED
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN

| dSilHSl ION, -. u, OCt. T.
More than half million single wo-
men in the United States paid in
come tax in 1920 and many of them
! paid on incomes of fabulous size.
| The precise number is 503,690 and
the aggregate of their incomes
reached the astounding total of ST.
264,955,727.
| These are all in the class which
statisticians of society would class
ordinarily as dependent females;
! that is they are not rich wives nor
heads of families. For the full total
of women taxpayers the others
must be added. Women heads of
families, that is, widows with chill
dren or daughters supporting par
ents, paid tax to the number of
132,181 and their aggregate net in
come amounted to $38S,364,530.
In cases where wives Lave estates
or earnings separate from their
husbands they frequently make
separate returns. Those doing so in
1920 numbered 1853 and their
aggregate income $534,S40,405.
| These figures reveal that the single
women were the richest of all by
many millions. All of the fair sex
combined paid taxes to the govern
ment on net incomes aggregating
! $2,1SS, 160,662, but che wives and
widows together only showed
three quarters as much income as
| the girls.
The year 1920 is the latest for
which income statistics are avail
able. The government in issuing
these statistics is compelled to put
them in such form that the identity
of the rich recipients of the great
incomes is not revealed. Under the
law, income tax returns are deeply
confidential.
Nevertheless, the statistics can be
studied to bring interesting facts
to light. They indicate that the
richest woman in the United States,
or at least, the woman who re-
ceiVed the greatest net income, was
single. The statistics do not reveal
whether she was young and beauti-
full, or q forbidding old maid. What
they do reveal is that she had an
income somewhere between ST.
600, 900 and 100000 a year. This
| does not mean that she merely was
worth between $2,000,000 and So
600, 900; but that each year added
that vast fortune to her estate.
The next richest are two women
who are married but who make re-
turns separate from their nus
bands. Purposely, the figures are
combined so that the income or
each cannot be ascertained, but
each of them has an income some
where between $1,000,O00 and ST.
100000 year. In the same class
| is single woman.
! The next in line are two women
classified as heads OF families;
which means either widows with
children, or daughters supporting
parents, brothers, sisters or other
relatives. These two ladies each re-
ceive incomes of from one-half to
| three quarters of q million dollars
q year.
Who Are They?
Now comes fascinating group!
| There are Is single women in one
classification each of whom mas
from half to three quarters OF a
million dollars income a year with
no one to support and, apparently,
not a care in the world. Who are
they? The printed column of sta
tistics reveals nothing. Are they
actresses? Are they stars of the
movies? Are they only daughters
of fond deceased parents? There
are Is of them somewhere in the
United States. You may be run
over by ones automobile.
There seems to be no lack OF
millionaires among the women. In
this group, that is class of wo-
men who have approximately W.
900, 900, the single ladies again pre-
dominate. Millionaires usually have
incomes of about 100000 year.
There are 1871 Of these single Wo-
men who have such incomes. wives
making separate returns rank next.
They number ia. The way IN
which family cuts down ones OPP
portunities to amass a fortune IS
strongly exemplified in the 1act
that there are only so women heads
of families who can lay claim 10
the millionaire class.
Here is curious fact which the
income statistics reveal. The term
millionaire has become q popular
one in the United States. 1t has
certain glamour. Apparently poth
men and women have strlven par
ticularly hard to attain this classi-
fication. They have bent every ci-
fort to reach 1t and, having done
so, have not been so eager to go
higher. This is revealed by the iact