FREAK LEGISLATION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 371, 23 April 1910, Page 8

FREAK LEGISLATION

t SOME AMERICAN EFFORTS. Maryland, the State par excellence ol Southern chivalry a:*d courtesy towards woman, is now discussing a legislate Bill making it a misdeamor for a woman to appear 111 a publij place in a liat exceeding lOin. in diameter. It is complained that the ''peach-basket" and "Merry Widow" hat., in Maryland have lately attained such enormous dimensions that the wearers are technically 1 guilty of disturbing the public peace. tThe Bill provides lines ranging from £2 to £2O. This Maryland proposal is strictly on a par with the freak legislation in some of the Western States, which includes: In Nebraska—To compel all hotels to have bed-sheets Oft long, clean towels, and to disinfect all linen once a year; Colorado.—To make it a misdeamor to •give or take a tip, except only in the case of a sleeping-car porter. Oregon.—To prohibit the wearing of hatpins more than Oin in length; anything else to be declared a deadly weapon. Delaware.—To tax bachelors and' gipsies, both of whom are classed ab tmrfesirable citizens. Utah.—To make it a misdeai&or not to bathe at least once a week. Texas.—To make it a criminal offence to swear over the telephone. . Some of the measures cited are now fnllv operative, and there is other legislation equally strans-e in character. Tie ''representative who desires to punish the 'wearers of big hats also desires to make it a misdeamor for a woman to wear a hat of any sort in any theatre, musichall, lecture-room, or place of amuseJ ment. In most cases in America women I voluntarily remove their headeear be- } fore the curtain is rune up, and if tliev ji forget they are immediately requested | "to obliee the management and tlie people sitting 'behind."