POSSIBILITIES OF THE LAND 165 



Schwabach (British Consul-General at Berlin) which 

 was issued by the Foreign Office on May 27 of last year, 

 is full of remarkable instances of Germany's prosperity, 

 but only two groups of figures need be given in proof of 

 what we are urging and in illustration of the astounding 

 progress of that country. 



The first group deals with the savings of the people as 

 a result of the apphcation of wise and judicious fiscal 

 laws affording reasonable protection to the great 

 national industry, agriculture, and the other trades of 

 the country. 



It is shown that in the Prussian Savings Banks alone 

 the deposits had increased in 1905 by ;£^27, 000,000; 

 the total deposits at the end of that year having 

 reached the enormous sum of £415,000,000. 



The other group, which is even more significant, deals 

 with the number of people liable for income-tax. 



Here are some figures from Dr Schwabach's Report : 



Y Persons liable to Amount liable to 



'' income-tax income-tax 



£ 

 1892 .... 2,437,886 298,069,882 



1900 .... 3,370.534 412,439,347 

 1906 .... 4,675,199 536,296,834 



These figures reveal the astounding fact that in conse- 

 quence of Germany's prosperous condition there has 

 been an increase in the number of persons liable to in- 

 come-tax since 1892 of 90 per cent., while the income oi 

 the tax-payers has increased by 80 per cent, in the same 

 period. 



These figures in both cases refer only to Prussia, but 



