WHERE EVERY CHILD HAS

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 222, 19 September 1903, Page 5 (Supplement)

WHERE EVERY CHILD HAS

A BANK ACCOUNT. Ambitions of towns are as remarkable as those of men. Of course, nearly every municipality desires to be prosperous, have fine- schools, libraries, and parks, and increase its population. Many go beyond these ordinai'y ambitions.

For instance, the town of Mons, in Belgium, is ; . desirous of abolishing poverty within its borders. For this end every child is officially registered as soon as is is born,and a banking account opened', in its name by the municipal authorities with a deposit of 20 cents. When the youngster' attains his majority a little nest-egg awaits him to assist his starting in business.

Brock in Holland, aspires to the distinction of being the neatest town in the world, and certainly no expense is spared to make it so. Once a year every house is visited by the town cleaners, who scrub it from top to bottom, inside and out, without any expense to the tenants.

The town of Haschmann, in Germany, is striving to give every girl, whether richly endowed with good looks or otherwise, an equal chance in the marriage market, and with this object municipal prizes, ranging from £50 downwards are annually bestowed upon young men who will marry the plainest maidens in the fcity. Crippled girls .bring their spouses a higher reward than any others, while the girl who has been twice jilted is '■worth ; £10 to the man who eventually leads her to the altar. The. money for the purpose was left by a Polish baron who died in 1897, since when a total oi nearly £3,000 has been distributed.