A PREMIUM UPON MARRIAGE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1306, 8 December 1911, Page 6

A PREMIUM UPON MARRIAGE

SPINSTERS AND BACHELORS ■ TAXED. The Parliament o£ Reuse (Elder Branch) one of Germany's little Ruritanian principalities,. with u territory of 120 square miles,' and a population ot 72,000, has distingHMi.-d itw-it hv mi amendment to the Budget imposmj a tax lipoii bachelois anu lueresolution was introduced last session, but suspended, as tho Government declined to accept it; this timo it has got through as on amendment to tho Budget. Tho Diet oonsists of one House of twelve members, whoso enactments cannot_ bo vetoed by tho constitutional Sovereign, Priuco U'enry XXIV, bo apparently tho Bill now bocomes law. ■ Tho original, resolution, proposed by Master Mason Scheiupuug, included all unmarried folk over 15, and even childless widows and widowers who havo not married again. Thero was a truly Gilbertian debate. ... Ono speaker asked if women wore to be , fined for not making every year Leapyear. "Do permit the girls," ho urged, T 'to respect the civilised decencies," Finally Herr Beer proposed an alternative amendment, imposing a 5 per cent, additional income tax on all unmarried persons of both, sexes over UO years old and having an income of frem .2150 to .£3OO, and 10 per cent, on incomes over £300. . ■ ' ' Councillor Arnold protested that all tho well-to-do bachelors would 6imply cross the frontier. Howovcr, tho majority was against him, and Uerr Boor's amendment was passed by seven votes to fivo. Curiously, tho original proposer is himself a bachelor. It is not inappropriate that Greiz, tho capital of the principality, ehould bo noted for tho production of trousseaux materials.