The Blyth Standard, 1930-05-17, Page 3Britain's Huge Tax Incubus
Canadians Have Cause to Rejoice, and Say: "Lo, the Poor
Britisher," When They Consider His Income Tax
That's what many editor.; think, at Chancellor of the MacDonald Labor
bast, in surveying the budget of Chau- Government, the London Daily Herald,
eelor of the Exchequer, Philip Snow- official organ of the Labor party, de -
den, which provides for a 22% per. clares that the budget "places burs
csntage of lucpme tax, and involves, dens on broad backs." Ott the other
as Loudon press dispatches advise us, hand, the London Times remarks;
-a new basic rate of $1.12 our each $5 of 'The new taxes will certainly deepen
income, the disquieting impression that the
While relatively few Britons pay the wealthier section of the community is
full rate of the income tax, cables a merely being exploited to provide for
Loudon correspondent vast numbers the expansion of 'social' servicee for
are obliged to pay something, begin- which the appetite of the electorate is
Mug on incomue as low as 5675 for not likely to diminish as long as the
single persons and $1,126 rot the mar- voter is protected from the fiscal con-
r(ed, sequences of his own extravagance."
Under the new rates, this informant Ever since the war, writes a special
adds, an unmarried man would pay ap• correspondent in the Landon Morning
proximately $264 on an income of Post, Britain has been groaning ander
$3,000; $442 on $4,000; $629 on $5,000; a load of taxation, In comparing BEI.
$2,348 on $12,600, and up to $43,190 on tatn's burden with that of other cones
4100,000. tries, this writer cites Mr, Stanley
A married man without children, it Baldwin's Government, as having
is further noted, would pay $528 on given the Ifouse of Commons in De -
55,000; triple that amount on $10,000, comber, 1928, the following figures
and up to $2,964 on $15,000. showing the national taxation per
Championing Mr, Snowden as the head in several countrloe:
National Taxation per head
1913-14 1921-27
Great Britain £3 11 4 £14 11 11
Franc 3 7 0 7 7 0
Italy, 2 2 0 4 4 0
United St -,tee 1 4 0 0 t` 0
Title corespondent of the Loudon
Morning Post (Ind. Cons,) goes our to
say:
"Great Britain was thus payitlg in
1927 four tines as much ser head as
before the wily, and twice as much as
any of the other three countries, In
January, 1920, Mr. Snowden Informed
the House of Commons that, according
to the latest figures, British taxation
was .215 10. 5d, per head, while that
of the sited States was LI 13e. 6d., so
that 13ritlin's position had Pecome re-
ratively still more unfavorable as tam-
pered'nth the United States,
"This basis of conperlsou sutlices
to gtre a very rough idea of the bur-
den of taxation in different countries.
It is nevertheless admittedly inaccur-
ate re a guide to the real burden of
taxation.
Hart A. Massey fellowships have been awarded by the Amerlcau Univers
alty, to two fourth-year University of Toronto students: Howe H. Marlyn
(left) le philosophy honors at Victoria College, who is the son of H, G.
Martyn, vice-principal of the Stratford Normal school, and John T. Wilson
(right), In physics and geology honors at Trinity College, who is son of J. A,
Wilson, director of civil aviation, Ottawa.
'For, in the first place, it takes ac-
count of the national budget and
omits locai'taxation, the proportion of
which to the national budget varies
front country to country. And, sec-
ondly, it does not allow for difference
in national income, which is an Im-
portant factor in determining the ca-
pacity of a country to bear taxation,
"Unfortunately, exact calculations
of national income are impossible, but
sufficiently near estimates can be
made which leave no room for doubt
that Britain Is the most heavily taxed
of the great countries of the world in
proportion to her income. The follow -
Mg table, based on approximate fig-
ures, shows the proportion of the na-
tional income paid out in all taxation,
national and local, by five principal
countries:
Great Britain
Germany
Italy
France
National A t Percentage
Income Taxation of Taxation
Year £000,000 to Income
1928 3,750 825 22.0
1927 3,100 625 20.1.
1926 1,100 200 18.2
1928 2,050 350 10.1
Uutted States 1921 12,000 1,270 10.6
The now king, it appears, has spent
a lifeline in the army, is an experi-
enced soldier, and is keen on improv-
ing and bringing to an efficient stand-
ard the forces of Afghanistan,
Ile kuowe, declares this Peshawar
correspondent, that on this army as our
nothing else depend the peace of Af-
Ichanistan and the stability of the
Government, Turning to educational
matters, we find that:
"King Nadir Shalt has lost no time
in re -opening schoolsfor boys. The
education of girls is for the present
out of the question.
He has not laid down any clear line
of policy with regard to the system of
education in Afghanistan, but so far
as I ant aware, the system cotntem-
plated by 111111 will differ ha many re-
spects from that adopted by ex -King
Amtwnillah,
"Although he believes that it is
necessary for the Afghan youth to
learn European languages, he prefers
Russian and English above all others,
and he is perfectly justi0ed.
"British India and Russia are both
Afghanistan's immediate neighbors,
and it is with these two Powers that
Afghanistan has to deal politically,
socially, and economically.
"Why then should tate Afghan youth
be ignorant of the languages of their
neighbors and let the vast field of
literature, science, arts, and politics
provided In these two of the world's
best media remain unexplored?
"Ring Nadir Shah is believed not
to bo In facer of sending to Europe
boys of tender age. IIe favors the
saner policy of having the children
educated at Kabul until they grow up
and complete a standard at home not
less than that of the matriculation in
India. Only after such preliminary
education will tine boys bo sent to
Europe. At present thorn is no such
item le King Nadir Shah's program,
for the education budget hardly covers
the expenses necessary for education
at ]torte"
"It is thus clear that Great Britain
hears a substantially heavier load of
taxation in relation to her resources
than any of the principal European ex-
bellgerents, and oro of altogether (lit -
Went magnitude from that of the
tilted States, Both tate size of the BrI-
tlsh contribution and the comparison
with that of other countries speak suf-
ficiently loudly for themselves,
"But we have not yet surveyed the
whole field of taxation. Not included
in either national or local budgets are
the compulsory contributions paid by
employers and workers to the social
insurance services. This is an item—
unemployment isurance, health insur-
ance, widows', orphans' and old•age
contributory pensions and worknlelt's
compensation—which costs the em-
ployers some L55,000,000a year, in
addition to over £40,000,000 paid by
the workers:"
The Strong Man
Of Afghanistan
The Hero of the Hour in
Afghanistan, It Seems, is
King Nadir Shah
Through rare courage and intellect,
1t Is said, he is endeavoring to win for
his couutrY, peace, prosperity, and
prestige.
The great revolution left Afghanis-
tan both skit and prostrate, writes
the Peshawar correspondent of the
Calcutta Statesman. How King Aman-
ullah was forced to flee with his wife
and retinue to Europe, and how lila
successor, the "water boy," Icing Haiti -
was overthrown, has been told
la these columns.
The new phase of Afghan progress
ie now called to our attention, Mean-
while this Peshawar informant points
out that;
"In some respects the great upheav-
al resulted in conditions most satis-
factory to Afghanistan as well as to
the peace of Central Asia,
"It is not an exaggeration to say
that the peace of the world would
have been in jeopardy had it not been
'for the patience and great political
foresight on the part of the Britlah
Government and the Union or Soviet
socialist Republics,
"The way in which the Afghan situ -
aloe was handled by both these great
Powers will go down in histry as a
marvel of diplomatic skill,
"it 13 a mistake to think that Ames
nnliah's reforms were the basic cause
of the revolt,
The real causes were quite different,
and the question of reforms and West-
ern modes of living were only brought
in to give the Shinwaris an excuse for
a rising.
"Whatever the causes and the
course of the revolt, it is now clear
that the revolution has resulted in the
establishment of n stable and strong
Government, and the accession to the
throne of Afghanistan of a roan who
Is among the best that Afghanistan
has so far produced.
"King Nadir Shah, who may be ap-
propriately styled the savior of Af-
ghanistan, has been called upon to
rule and guide the Afghan nation in
their hour of great misery"
King Nadir Shah, we are then ad-
vlseti, has many assets. The chief, it
appears, are his own personality and
to discharge the respousibilities of
Government. Pie read:
"Two of its brothers have taken
charge of the whole civil and military
administration at home. One 10 Sar-
dar Mohamad Hanham Khan, tho Pre-
mier, and the other, General Shah
Mahmud Ithan, is 7)11nister of War
and Commander -in -Chief,
"Again, two of his remaining broth-
el's have been placed In charge of the
two most important centers of for-
eign diplomatic intercourse; Shalt
Walt Ithan is Minister Plenipotentiary
to the Court of St, James's, in London,
and Mohamad Aziz Khan is Minister
at Moscow,
"He has thus distributed the most
important offices of State to his broth -
ere, each of whom is to 1117 personal
knowledge most capable of discharg-
ing the duties entrusted to lour,"
Other salient features of Kiug Na-
dir Shah's Government, this Pesha-
war Informant goes on to say, aro al-
most identical with those of ex -King
Amumllah's Government,
Blood -Spilling Chicago's Amazing
In India's Revolt Gang Merger
H.R.N. the Duke of
Connaught
Canada .joins heartily with the rest
of the British Empire in oongratulas
Done to 11.8.11, the Duke of Connaught
on the attainment of his eightieth
birthday anniversary. His life has
been a long and active one, spent
wholly, until very recent years, in
the service of the Crown, and, there-
fore, of the Empire. As a soldier he
established and retained a high re-
putatlot, and many of the reforms et.
fected in the British array were due
to his activities. He was a strict dis-
ciplinarian, but at the same time won
and held the affection of all who serv-
ed under him.
Canada was fortunate in having him
as Governor-General from 1911 to
1916, and he was both Popular and
efficient, setting a sound example of
scrupulous regard for the responsi-
bilities, as well as the limitations, of
his high position, Iiia daughter,
known to every Canadian as Princess
Pat, endeared herself to the people
of this country by her democratic
ways and her charm of manner, and
her name is permanently associated
with Canada's war record as Honors
ars Colonel of the famous Princess
Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, a
regiment that made history and left
a reputation that will never fade.
The Duke, while in Canada, travel-
led extensively, made himself acquaint-
ed with all parts of the Dominion, and
frequently revealed in hie speeches a
keeu understanding and appreclatlon
of our peculiar problems and needs.
Itis tact and Iris long military ex-
perience proved invaluable during the
first two years of the war, and when
he went home in 1916 Ile carried with
him the good wishes of the entire Do-
minion. The example he has set the
Empire of hard work is one that may
be emulated by alt. It is of putt.
cuter significance in that it embodies
the principle that royalty is no bar to
service and that a man la whose veins
the blood royal runs may serve as
faithfully and as ably as those of less-
er birth, The wish of the Empire is
that His Royal Highness may be long
spared to enjoy the leisure his self-
sacrificing devotion to that Empire
so richly merits.
Gandhi's "Soul -Force" Cam-
paign for Independence
Runs Into British "Vel-
vet -glove" Policy in
India
Then "violence" and "rho iron
hand" appear.
Attempt to make a news -real of
widely scattered developments ht
huge Indian provinces, following the
Mahatma's solemnly defiant "eat
Parte," as told in the dispatches,
would show at least:
Weazened Gandhi, on speaking
tour, preaching non-violent civil Ills -
obedience, even to death for it. In-
dividuate and crwods disobeying the
salt law by making and selling salt in
many places, IlIrs, Gandhi, minus
Carrie Nation violence, leading groups
of women to persuade natives not to
use liquor or patronize liquor shops,
Other bands of women on picket duty
in the boycott of forelgn-made cloth -
shops. Importing merchants join•
ing boycott for a year. Thousands of
demonstration marchere ria Bombay,
Calcutta, Madras, Delhi streets sing-
ing the official Nationalist song
"Bande Matararn" ("Hail Mother-
land"), but also "The Wearing of the
Green." "Hartals"—both orderly and
disorderly general cessation of work
in factories, schools, exchanges, and
business house's. Protesting crowds
outside trial courts, as well as strik-
ers, throwing atones In conflict with
police. Riot fatalities and arrests
by the score. Hunger strikes among
salt -making prisoners.
Out On His Feet
&nuehotl7 has pricked the enormous
bubble that was Primo Camera. It
now•appoal's that the glant Italian's
pseudo -triumphant tour of the United
States has heeu nothing more than a
clossal false front the beginning. Rio
opponents have fallen before his great
reach and windmill arms like wheat
before a scythe. Some of then, ins
deed, timing their falls inaccurately,
tumbled to the mat before the huge
Camera's fist established contact with
their chins. One held off for els
rounds, which was not at all aesord-
ing to schedule, so one of Camera's
seconds went round io the opposite
corner and whispered magic in the
obdurate boxer's second's ear, with
the result that the towel went into
the ring instead of Carne'a. As a
result, his license and that of hie
manager have been cancelled, and
now he can only fight in Alaska, the
Panama Canal Zone, and the Hawai-
ian Islands, in American turnery,
But, he adds, a wise step has been
taken by the present king in securing
the co-operation of religious leaders
in his administration. Two well-
known religious personalities have
been already absorbed by the Govern-
ment, this uarrator states, and con-
tinues:
"The Hazrat Sahib of Sher Bazar,
the famous religious leader who was
responsible for Amannliah's downfall,
has been appointed Minister Pleuipo-
tentlery at Cairo, and has already left
Afghanistan to take up Ills duties,
"Itis younger brother, the Hazrat
Slier Afgha, is now Minister of Suss
tics at Kabul.
"Again, he order to provide an op-
portunity for the expression of their
collective opinion, the King has con-
stituted a Jamial-al-Ulema (Grand As-
sembly of tlto Learned) which will
help the Government in the discharge
of their duties toward questions re-
lating to the Shariat of Islam.
'This Assembly will indeed be help-
ful in maintaining the equilibiIuu
when ever the fanaticism of the tribal
Masses is fanned by some sort of real
ab imaginary grievance,
"Persia also has such an assembly
el Mujtabids, and it has proved of real
assistance to the Persian Government,
"There is again the Mejlsis-i-Shoora,
the Grand National Assembly, which
is presided over by Abdul Ahad Ishan,
an experienced and able Wardak
Chief, This is a sort of legislative
the cooperation of his four brothers, body and works la close co-operation
who help him with unusual devotlonwitlt the Ktug's Cabinet of Ministers:"
Amazement Greets the An-
nouncement that Chicago's
Gangs Have Amalgamat-
ed to "Reduce the
Overhead."
"To the ratan In the street it will
seem curiously fantastic that 'Al' Ca-
pone and "Bugs' Moran, notorious
leaders of notorlone gangs, should
have the hardihood to perfect a mer-
ger of their criminal interests, and tell
Chicago all about it," declares the
Portland Oregonian,
It does seem incredible, but tho
Chicago Herald -Examiner assures us
that "the erstwhile violent leaders of
the half -world armies have arranged
to pool their intoreste and their
forces, to amalgamate into one mighty
syndicate for the 'orderly' control and
operation of gambling, booze, and
vice," And Capone, we are told, "lute
elected himself unanimously — and
without opposition—to the chief of all
the works:"
"All for Al and Al for All"—that 1s`
the slogan of the new combine, acs
cording to The herald -Examiner,
which then proceeds to telt us more
about this strange development in
Chicago's "racket":
"Under the terms of the agreement
the gang coalition contemplates main-
tonanc0 of what might accurately he
described as a 'community chest'
"Into this cheat will be poured all
of the earnings of all of the gang's
units—earnings from vice resorts,
from gambling tables, from whiskey
and beer distribution, and from labor
rackets,
"0ut of the chest will come the pros
toction funds required, and, it has
been decided, these fees will not be
scattered indiscriminately, as hereto-
fore, but will be paid to certain desig-
nated individuals, powerful enough to
keep off the potty graft colectors,"
"The amalgamation of Interests now
supposed to have been effected was a
characteristic Capone coup," writes
Owen L. Scott, Chicago correspondent
of the Consolidated Press Association,
"It means reduced overhead and en-
hanced profits, inasmuch as the main-
tenance of private armies is about the
costliest feature of the gang business.
Good gunmen draw about $100 a week
and keep. The number of men of pay-
rolls could be cut sharply with peace."
Close behind this news tante the an-
nouncement, in the Chicago Tribune,
that Capone, who recently completed
a year's term in a Phlladelphia jail,
was "seeking new realms of profit,
and had Invaded the stronghold of po-
litical patronage, planning to setae
public jobs, public contracts, control
of budgets, and the power that attends
it ail" Reading further:
"The plan, as It has been described,
bas been to have a Capone matt ap•
pointed commissioner of the Bureau
of Plumbing, with power to hire and
Ore the city plumbers, to create re•
strictions and rules for building ht.
stallalious, resulting in a czardom
over all plumbing work in the city."
Meanwhile, Capone men were re-
ported lo be "hustling in" on the la-
bor unions. The police saw a tempor-
ary setback In this scheme when a
lone gunman entered a barroom and
shot to death. three alleged members
of the Capone gang,
News of the Chicago crime merger
seems to shock some of our editors,
but most of them write of it in an
ironical vein. Thus the New Orleans'
Item wonders whether it will bring au
investigation by the Department of
Justice "to determine 1f tho anti-trust'
laws are violated."
The Economic Crisis in
Canada
Review of Reviews (London)); The
fall in wheat, wool, copper, cotton, and
other products will not in itself prove
to be a bad thing eventually; but,
temporarily, its effects are disastrous.
It has caused serious embarrassment
to the chief producit:g countries like
Argentina, Canada, and Australia. In
the first -named country the gold
standard has had to be suspended for
the time being, but that country, un-.
like Canada through its wheat pool,
was wise to sell its wheat and other
products at whatever prices they
would fetch. Canada unwisely decided
to hold wheat off the market in the
lope that the price would improve,
The opposite has happened and the
situation in Canada to serious. The
funds of the hanks are tied up in
wheat, etc., and the resultant credit'
strain •ts serious. It is the more seri-
ous owing to certain scandals which
the Canadian authorities are trying to
hush up.
Public and Private Enterprise
Lord klelclnett in the Windsor Maga•
zinc (London); It is hard to see how
the efficiency of production could he
increased simply by the industry be-
ing conducted by Government depart,
netts instead of private individuals
(and there aro very good reasons
which indicate that it would actually,
lbs less efficient), although I agree
that the efficiency of production in this
country at present is not on the high-
est possible standard. Nevertheless,
the thole issue between "private en-
terprise" and "public enterprise"
seems to he tremendously over -exag-
gerated. After all, the vital question
is not who is conducting industry, but!
how is industry conducted; not one of
political theory, but one of induatria1
expediency, -
Martial law Prevailed In cities where
protest meetings and general strikes
had been called and broken up. Then
a band of revolutionary raiders at-
tacked Chittagong a river port of
Bengal, looted the arnlorles of the
police and auxiliary forces, killing
seven persons, and fled back to the
hills. Whereupon troops from Cal-
cutta were ordered to the scene for
Pursuit, and Viceroy Lord Irwin rebus
posed the ordtuance enabling Bengal
authorities to arrest and intern sus -
pots without warrant or trial. Thus
emerges "the Iron hand,"
News dispatches conte from a few
city -centers and may be subject to
censorship, yet they gtve the impres-
sion of spreading revolt, subject to
many cross-ctn'rent.s. Correspondents
repot:
"Nationalist campaigners adapt
propaganda methods learned from
Soviet Russia and China revolutions.
There are more hinds of revolt than
001r previously attempted in Indla—
economic, educational, religious, soc-
ial, feminist, anti political, Com-
munist leaders attack Gandhi's disob-
edience program as cattle and vision-
ary, Some Moslem leaders refuse to
cooperate. A caste anti -revolution-
ary party has appeared, Ruling
Princes of native States have cone to-
gether seeking additional privileges
from Government. Besides Viceroy
Lord Irsvin's strategy in refusing im-
mediately to make Gandhi a martyr,
but interning his chief lieutenants
and taking necessary military meas-
ures to suppress 'riots," it Is surmis-
ed that the report of the Simon In-
vestigation Comnrisslon, withheld for
two years in London may he thrown
into the ring for a compromise settle-
ment, short of independence at an op-
portune tine."
Most of our papers find it difficult
to understand how Gandhi's psycho-
logy can possibly win, although many
continue to emphasize its amazing
character, and hedge enough to sug-
gest that what wouldn't go in the
West may or may not go far in the
East, Uncertain editors agree that
the one certainty seems to be that
Britain has one of her hardest em-
pire nuts to crack.
HEARTACHES
Let us awaken to the divine privi-
lege of sharing the heartaches of our
friends; of the meaning of good fel-
lowship; of that independence of
spirit that dose not imitate; of steer-
age and pride that ran endure without adver-
sity with dignity, and t feat',
COURTESY
Give the other fellow a chance to
talk. He'll appreciate the courtesy
and you may learn something,
An architect thinks that the smelt
houses now being built could be much
Improved. For one thing they might
be arranged so that the rooms would
fold into the walls when not wanted.
Wins 133 -Mile Dash For Sputtery Sea Fleas
THESE INTERESTING SMALL CRAFT ARE GAINING WIDE POPULARITY
J. E. Wilkinson In his outboard, after winning 133 -smile race down Hudson river, from Albany to New York,
in record time of three hours, 27 minutes and three seconds, -