HARD CASES OF PEERS AND BISHOPS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 238, 13 November 1909, Page 6

HARD CASES OF PEERS AND BISHOPS

A great deal has been heard lale'.y I about the heavy burdens borne by certain rich men, hut the man in the street finds it difficult to extend much sympathy to these well-endowed grumblers (says a London periodical). No doubt the majority ol us would not mind taking over the responsibilities' along with the income of the Duke of Westminster. That nobleman has an income of close on a year, yet he has not pail all of tfi. duties on'the estate he sue-iceilv-d Ui ten years ago. When his grandfather died' the young Duke found him.-elf called upon to'pay over £I,OOO, 00.1 sidling in duties, -.md as this would have involved enormous expense and necessitated Ihc sale of much land the Gocruuieiit agreed to accept payment in yearly instalments. The debt was iucr.as'ed, however, by the State demanding interest at the rate of -i per cent, per annum, and this alone added several thousand* to the annual tax. Then there are the mansions to maintain, as well as the hundreds of servants and other employees. Of coins', the IJnke sees a very small part of his total income. It is managed for him by a stall' on much the same lines as tile King's household. There are private secretaries, clerks, comptrollers, stewards, and agents innumerable, aud fully fill per cent, of the .1200,000 a year i's never handled hy the Duke at ali. The cost of maintaining a ijoudon mansion is best illustrated by the case of Devonshiie House ill Piccadilly. Whether occupied or not it requires i!' 20,000 a vear to keep in repair, and so heavily did this tax press on the late Duke that on one occasion he was very nearly selling the place to an American hotel company fu.v ;C2,(K)0,0i«). Since the famous 'Diamond Jubilee ball Devonshire House has been used very seldom by its owners, and the reigning Duke is finding it a veritable white elephant. What it really amounts to is this, that in order to shelter the necessary number of servants the Duke of Devonshiie spenls' AJ4OO a week on it. When it is remembered that this noiilenian possesses I'o fewer than seven magnificent residene, f. some of which he. dne* not see for a year, it can be understood where the greater par! of his enormous revenues

Lord l'".-cbeiy is famous fur man, 1 ■things, incliidiug the miiiiber and variety'nf his stately homes. Happily, he married a very wealthy woman, and eonsoipienlly his'lordship was able to develop his estates and recover from til ■ inconvenience of the suceission duties. lii, lordship employs directly over SIM

servants and about 100 clerks, and their •\ngc- form a big item in hi* expen-o list. Tile innumerable demands on bis purse cost him thousands of pounds every year, for as a great landlord he nut*! contribute to many charitable iu-stitnii-.in-. whilst no public appeal iu aid of any dc-crving cause fails to evoke

We oo.T a good deal about the extravagance of American millionaires. ItiIno millionaire* in Great Britain. But I Englishmen who possess wealth gencralj Iv inherit it along with several cosily [mansion,* and hundreds of servants, ;o I that in uiaiiv vases their net income is • verv often about that of a successful ; inert-haul, Ihirghlev llon*e, the princij pal residence of the Marque*, of Exeter, costs almost as much a- an hotel to Ihnaintain. There are 1-1-3 rooms in it, lnauv of lii'-m veiv btrgi-, and this place alone has kept the holders of the miirgencration*. Win n I lie Duke of Stitho,land ollored Treiilhaiu Hall lo the Staffordshire t.'ouutv Council his motive was | not wholly charitable. The Duke owns several line homes, ami Ticntliani lla'l | was somewhat out of the way, hcsid»s which the drainii'.'e was not all that it might be. Although Hie proll'■•red gift was worth a large sum Hi ■ Cuunlv Con r cil had to decline it. lor to mifce the Hall available for the people ii would be nt'ce,s*ary to expend a huge amount upon it. The l!i-i>op of l/uidon has an income of ClojlUOa" year, and a short lime ago lie issued a balances] I. from which it appeared that his l.ird-hip aelmillv releived about a a week. Fu Ilia in" Palace and hi* mansion in Si. .lames' Square ran awav with liic urea lor pari of tlu CIW) a week, whilst hospitality and charitable contributions accounted for ,] goodly proportion. That -slalcmi'iit was significant, bill .t lould be capped Irv almost, imv wealthy I rof 10-dnv. I'Viv of I'll are in the happy po,ition of deriving their wealth from ca*h investments. Their incom-.» arc mainly derivable from laud, and they are therefore liable |o .-nller from tie: dueliialions of the markets, -lunges nf taxes and other causes; but the heaviest of all is- the succession dttjv. Instead of having too inuiii to sir. ml. the heir tiyds lint he must economise fo,- a time if he 1 wMi-'s <.„ ii void embarrassment. All bably no happier Ihan other people, and iiiiinv of |!ieni declare that Ibeir huge I wealth isi.nch a responsibilily ami worry) that Ibey do mil have as mock pleasure in life as fall* to the lot of an ordinaiy mechanic.