Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-15
The HQSkin Letter
WOMEN'S INCOMES

Washington, D. c., Oct. 12.-More
than half a million singles women IN
the United States paid income tax in
1920 and many of them paid on in
comes of fabulous size. The precise
number is 500, 800 and the aggregate
of their incomes reached the astound-
ing total Of S1,264. 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 children or daughters
supporting parents, paid tax to the
number of 132,1S1 and their aggregate
net income amounted to S3SS,364 $50.
In cases where wives have estates
or earnings separate from their hus-
bands they frequently make separate
returns. Those doing so in 1920 NUM-
bered 1865 and their aggregate IN
come was $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 10
tho government on net incomes ag-
c%regating s2,1SS, 160, 662, but the wives
and widows together only showed
three-ouarters as much income as the
girls.
The year 1920 is the latest for
which income statistics are available.
The government in issuing these status
tics compelled 10 put them IN sucn
form that the identity of the rich IN
come tax returns are deeply CON
fidential.
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 receives me
greatest net income. was SINGLE. Inc
statistics do not reveal whether she
WAS Young and beautiful, or a forbid
| ding old maid. What they do reveal IS
| that she had an income somewhere be
tween $1,000 900 and S3,0O0.00O a
wear. This does not mean that she
| merely was worth between ~S2,0UO,oOu
and $4,000. 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 husbands;
Purposelv. the figures are combined
so that the income of each cannot be
asrertained, but each of them has an
income somewhere between S1,O00,0O
! ana Sl.DtU.tNJu II Stais AL Inv N"HN
| class is a single woman.
The next in line are two women
classified as heads of families: which
NEAR either widows with children, or
daughters supporting parents, broth
| ers. sisters or other relatives. These
two ladies each receive incomes OF
from one-half TO three-quarters of a
| million dollars a year.
Who Are TheY2
Now comes a fascinating group.
There are II single women in one
| classification each of whom has from
half to three quarters OF a million dol
| Jare income a year with no one to
/ support and. apparently, not 4 care IN
| the world. Who are they? The print
/ ed column of statistics reveals nothing.
Are they actresses? Are they stars
of the movies? Are they only daugh-
| ters 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 mil
! lionaires among the ONE In this
croup, that is a class of women who
have approximately 10000 O the
single ladies again predominant. Mil
/ l~ionaires usually have incomes OF about
100000 a year. There are Isl of
these single women VINO hHNe SuCH III
| comes. Wives making separate re-
turns rank next. They number ia.
The way in which Il family cuts down
ones opportunities to amass a for
tune is strongly exemplified in the fact
that there are only so women heads of
families who car lay claim to the mill
~lionaire class.
Here is n curious fact which the
income statistics reveal. The term
millionaire has become a popular one
in the United States. 1t has n certain
glamour Apparently men and women
have striven particularly hard to at
tain this classification. They have
bent every effort to reach it and,
having done so, have not been so eager
to go higher. This is revealed by the
fact that the numbers of millionaires
are out of all proportion to the income