BISHOPS AND BANKRUPTCY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 257, 25 July 1919, Page 8

BISHOPS AND BANKRUPTCY

1 WHERE THEIR MONEY GOES. Melbourne "Age" Correspondent.) London, Hay 20. In these days people with large in--comes are complaining of being hard up. And the remarkable thing about this complaint is that there is some degree of justification for it. During the war the prices of everything have increased, the increase in many eases being as much as 200 per cent. The general cost of living has increased by 80 to 90 nor cent. This is a burden which has to be borne by rich and poor alike, but whereas the working classes have been able to meet the situation by increased wages, secured £»'' them by their trade unions, people wi-.n large incomes have had to meet the decrease in the purchasing power of money out of their old incomes, the net amount of which hiip been considerably decreased by the heavy increase in income tax.

Before the war the maximum income tax in the United Kingdom was Is. 2d. in the £, with a super tax of 6d. in the ,fi on incomes over .£SOOO a year. Toilav the income tax is Gs. in the £ on all incomes over -£2500 a year, and the super tax, which is imposed on a graduated scale, reaches a maximum of is. 6el. mi the £. The income tax and super fax on an income of £'5000 a vear amounts to JE1787 10s., compared with ,€291 13s. -Id. before fhe war. Therefore the net income of the man with ,£SOOO a year, after deducting income tax, is to-day .£3212 10s.. whereas before the war it was MW Gs. Sd. When it is remembered that the purchasing power oF money to-day is about half what it was -before the war, it will be admitted that oeople with la-rRc incomes are nioMed in eomplainin.tr .about being hard up. It is a matter of some significance that the Bishops of English dioceses, who formerly- were most reserved in regard to the way in which their large official salaries were, spent, have bßjriin to take the public into their conn(lenee. It is obvious that this step is a preliminary to placing the case of the Bishops-'before the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the incidence of the income tax, but it is not the less interesting to the general public on that account. The lend was taken bv Dr. Woods. Bishop of Peterborough. Jn his diocesan magazine he announced: "The official income of the see,is .£4500. From this, before an effective income ia available for anything like personal or private use, the following items nave to be deducted:— , .

I'eusion to predecessor (Bishop Glynn) *$. Rates'and taxes • : aw Salaries for diocesan help, episcopal and secretarial •• *™ Queen Anne's bounty and fees -w Official travelling expenses *>» Official postage and stationery 100 This leaves an effective inconlt of .£llsO. Out of this there has to be met expenses of upkeep of house, repairs, hospitality, donations, subscriptions, and all personal expenses." This bishop expressed doubt whether he would be able to live at the See House a(. Peterborough, owing to the cost of upkeep. He added that ho was not complaining, but mere y n ™ ntal '" n S frankness with his flock. Ho regards the question of a, living wage tor iuciirabents as more urgent than the financial position of the bishops. A. few days later the bachelor Bishop of London, who has an official income ol ,£lO 000 a year, announced that he intended to economise by letting or selling London House in St. Janios'e Square, which for nearly 150 years has been the official town house of successive Bishops of London., A hundred years a,» O( N : ham Palace, which is the other ofncia residence of the Bishop of London, and is about six miles from St. Pauls, was regarded as being a country residence, but to-day suburbs extend bevond the palace and ib> beauttul grounds. Jn these days of the motorcar the Bishop, of London does not need n, town house in the West End, as l< ulham Palace is only ha f an hours distance by motor from the heart ot wn- ' °lii announcing that he must give up London House, the Bishop of London explained that out of his official income ot iIO.OOO a year .£6500 goes jn income tax, super-tax, municipal rates, and taxes and insurance, leaving .£3500, out of which he has to maintain Fulham Palace, where ten servants have to be kept to ■<et through the work of the big house Sud keep the gardens in order. It should be explained that the Bishop's bachelor icnuirements are on such a mode.* scale that he nets only a few of the rooms a the palKO. It » * centre *" Ch,ircl conferences and diocesan meetings of various kinds. The f ßiehop lias expressed a personal preference for living in a small house, and some years ago he offered to hand over his official income, of <£10,000 a year and the two official residences to the London Diocnan Board of Finance, on condition hat William Palace was retained for chinch P poses, and that a small residence was provided for him the diocese. The board declined the offer. l