PATRIOTIC PHILANTROPHY

Northern Advocate, 7 February 1928, Page 4

PATRIOTIC PHILANTROPHY

In a recent issue the "Christian Science Monitor,” a leading American daily newspaper, published the following editorial: "Great Britain is probably the most heavily taxed nation in the world, as a result of the World War, and yet the sturdy citizens of the islands in the North Sea pay with but little grumblipg, with but little complaint. It is regarded as a duty "to pay for the war,” It should be remembered that the richer the individual, the higher is his proportion of the taxes to be paid. Not'only, however, do the British pay these abnormally high taxes, but every once in a while the world learns that some patriotic individual has forwarded to the Government a large sum of money, or its equivalent, to assist in liquidating its enormous debt, and thus lessen, even if only infinitesimally, the heavy burden of taxation carried on the. shoulders. of his fellow-countrymen. In this way a total of over £1,000,000 has been paid into the British Treasury. It may be’ recalled to the credit of the British Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, that he it was who started the ball rolling in giving these large sums of money toward the amelioration of his country’s condition. , It will be remembered that Mr Baldwin, when the country’s need was most urgent, realised 20 per cent, of his entire fortune, which lie valued at some £580,P00, and with this amount he purchased £150,000 of the new war loan. The gift was anonymous, and it was only later that Mr Wickham Steed made the matter public in the Review of Reviews. This patriotic example was followed with donations of other sums of money, extremely satisfactory to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the total amount thus received, as before stated, is considerably over £1,000,000.”