East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-02-01
HIGH BRITISH TAXES
FORCE WEALTHY LAND
OWNER TO SELL HOME
Duke of Westminster Will Dis
/, pose of Ancestral Home and
go to Farming in Rhodesia.
RY THOMAS C. WATSON.

BY THOMAS C. WATSON,
international News Service staff
Correspondent.)
LONDON, Jan. 31.-The Duke OF
Westminster is the latest of the Brit
ish dukes to be taxed out of his anees-
trial homes.
Since Lord Howard de Walden dis
posed of the major portion of his
London property the Duke of West
minister has been the wealthiest oil
London's landlords and generally was
credited with being the wealthiest OF
Britain's aristOcrats.
Now, however, the inroads OF the
rural. municipal and national taxes
have transposed his one-time. solid,
substantial wealth into mere myth.
! So the Duke, rather than suffer the
| penalties of the "houveau pauvre.
/ has decided to sell out and quit this
lang of high civilization :. and still
higher taxation and beat it to the
wilds of Africa until the tax gather
er's demands are more commensurate
with the ducal bankroll.
i The Duke has acquired farm ol
one thousand acres in Rhodesia and
for some years hopes to lead the life
of a Gertrude Page hero in that very
healthy but very barron dominion. or
his new farm the Duke hopes to grazt
hundreds of head of cattle, branded nj
doubt with the Westminster crest, anC
also to indulge In much big gam'
) hunting. The new Duchess will ac
company him.
Snubbed Socially
The Duke and Duchess have no
cut any figure in social circles sine
} their marriage. In the first piac
Queen Mary, like Queen Victoria
thoroughly disapproves of aristocra
tic divorces and ever since the mar
rage between the Duke and the firs
, Duchess was split by the divorc
court buckingham Palace has frown
ed on him. His second wife has ha
to share the ostracism.
1t is not known at the momen
whether the whole of the Dukes rea
estate in Great Britain will be dis
4 posed of, although the general opinio
is that no reasonable offer will be re
I fused. There is no wealth now
I landed estates in this country. A
\ one time q mans wealth was gauge
/ BY the extent of his lands. The table
\ have turned; the bigger the estate tf
poorer the man Is nearer the mar
! nowadays.
All the big landed proprietor
whose ancestors would sooner haN
cut of ftheir right hands than pa
with an acre of their land, are no
glad to be rid of their propert
} which Is nothing more than a burdt
to them. The Duke of Portland WI
4 the last aristocrat to part with h
} estate and nearly broke his heart d
' ing so.
Dolcful Parting
at is exceedingly painful for t
=, representatives of old families to
Obliged to part with their estate
:. which have been in their family f
!. generations" the Duke of Portla1
y said to his tenants, "but it is no u
blinking at facts, however disagree
able they may be. If the prese
" heavy taxation continues and t
present scale of death duties is mai
tained there inevitably will be clio
e ing down of all the large count
IL houses. r.'. ..
J. For centuries past landed estat
1t have been handed down from one ge
1t GRAFTON to another, and landlords a
10 tenants have lived on terms of NUT
n. al trust and affection. l fear NJ
j. that that trust will pass away in t
t new order of things. But if it is
10 the good of the country we must II
III complain" :
ir The following is list of the c
& .aristocrats who have been oblig
rs through stress of circumstances
in sell part of their inheritance:
Duke of Dovenshire, Duke of BE
to ford, Duke of Grafton, Duke of Sut
d. erland, Duke Of Rutland, Duke
is Westminster, Duke OF Marlborous
4 Earl Beauchamp, Earl of Denbit
Earl of Bradford. Earl of Desborout