Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-08-24

| guests of the Mercantile Trust Co. and
! they were visitors at the home OF
Mayor Sleigh. lord provost OF Edin-
! burgh. Commissioner Thomas partic-
| ipated in a service at St Gile cathe-
| dral at Edinburgh. In London, Dr.
! Thomas was entertained by severai
distinguished parties and at meeting
! of the Holborn Club of that city he
was the principal speaker. One of the
Z; features of their entertainment was a
| Chinese dinner given in their honor by
| the Chinese minister and the Chinese
| delegation.
Impressions Of England
| Speaking of his visit to England,
| Commission Thomas said that he was
! impressed with the difference between
! the system of Old World artistocracy
| and American democracy. He said
that the British people like America
! and the Americans. but don't mind
poking their finger at us when they can
/ find us in a predicament
For example, the papers in England
were quite full of the Tennessee trial
! and played up "Monkeyville" quite ex-
| tensively. DR.. Thomas said that. re-
| ferring in an address at London to the
way some of the English papers had
| laughter at us, he told his audience
| tHdC tHRldHQ Idu WAShCN AAAOAihSS
willie" upon us by producing Darwin.
| They stopped and though II over SAID
| DR.. Thomas.
IT have great admiration for the
British people and the way they are
| shouldering their burdens of the war;"
continued Commissioner Thomas. NO
body in England doubts that they will
pay their debts; nobody wants to es-
| cane an honest debt.
1.-The cheerfulness with which the
/ English people pay their high taxes
astonished me. The owner of an au-
| tomobile pays one pound a horsepower
and as a result few people can afford
to own a real automobile. They have
invented the Morris-Crowley car,
very small type with six or seven
| horsepower, and the owners have to
pay only about $50 tax instead of $3.50
or s3o0.
England has 100000 unemployed.
They have the dole system, giving to
each unemployed IS shillings a week.
This with what the unemployed can
beg makes about as good living as the
working man can get. Any person
| who earns more than 1875 pounds
! $500 year pays an income tax.
American clerks and stenographers
would pay quite an income tax.
Il talked with bankers, business
men, professional classes and the COM
mon people-in fact, everybody who
would talk, and that was everybody.
i They have a great notion that America
and Americans are rich, but there is
great deal of wealth in England. 1t is,
however. in the hands of too few peo-
pie. Many ofSthe old landed estates
are being cut up and sold because of
the high income tax. They have made
somewhat of reduction in the income
| tax, however, in the last year.
| Conditions in France
Conditions in France are somewhat
different. Seven years have dried the
tears of France. Everybody is en-
| ployed; everybody makes a living. Not
only is there no unemployment in
France, but they have absorbed 100000
/ Russian refugees.
IF it was not for the overhanging
debt, France would be in the best con-
dition of any of the European coun-
tries. They have standing army of
| from 100000 to 100000. Every young
man Of the age of 20 must spend Is
months in the military service. This.
with the loss of over 100000 men in
the war, leaves the fields to the wom-
en-. The harvest was at its full when
l drove across France, and the har-
vest Is bountiful."