, 1876-12-24
EUROPEAN GOSSIP.
The Match. Monopoly in Frances"
AFinancial Scandal.
How the Duchess Of Aosta Was Treated
While Queen Of Spain.

r W.
How the puehess OF Aosta was 1rea'7o
---
pov;.or or o1a rooo-wor,r.A Garman
"e'l,u y. vea nAve W,,A "ulh 5000 ~
c,,;.a
China'
------ -
4 MATCH MONOPOLY.
A Paris letter to the New York IYnaes says:
I'VE have here one Of the most singular aan.
clai se1noa,o etia' nao oeen ns1n - w nss ~
century. 1t shows what the country nus 20
pay for bad tax, based. upon false fiscal
theories and calculations. In 1871, when M.
80 ams.s ~ ~ auus1oas ~ ~ 1,r anv
oot u rlanee ~ o1ee, anu W ge' tuoae3 y a.,
means, b. Pouyer+Quertter imagined TAX
upon 1ucifer- matches. It vas estimated that
the country consumed IA 00o oOo 600 of matches
each year, With large ideas upon this subject,
the Finance committee estma1ea tne e.. annual
consumption at 120, COO, ,000, 600. The difference
between 18,00O;0Oo, coo and T90 600 600 900 is so
orao+ tha+ ona fao1s aatonished NJ it. and dis
posed TO ask upon "nat oases tne 1"o es'',n:11ee
can rest. But IN order TO ne pfudent' IL was
modestly declared, the Commission counted
upon onc-haf Of this only, or upon 90, oo0, ,000,-
600. A tax of three centimes was then: put
lines, Of one cent, upon each box containing 125
matches. As soon as this report was read, be-
fore any law upon the subject was passed, the
dealers raised the price Of their matches from
two to three sous per box pf 100, n. Pouyer-
With the grocers in this sum drawn from the
public, and hence raised the tax to four
centimes, and announced that this produced
IS, 900 Of francs per annum to the STATE.
Bit tie first few months produced only AGO.
o9Q francs, one aiter the other, leaving
Of the Finance Minister. Evidently some
thing had to be done to saye the situa-
tion, and at that moment NM. Roche and
Cqussemille, the manufacturers Of the famous oas
wax tapers; Offered to pay the State $4,000, 900
francs q gear If they were allowed complete
monopoly Of the match trade in France The
offer was tempting but guarantees were asked.
It seems that some bold speculators had mount
ed company with capital Of 40, ,000 900 francs,
and had managed to persuade some Of our larg-
est bankers-Pillet, WIN, Vernes, Hattirguer,
and othcrs-that the company was sure OF max
inc millions. The money was raised, the State
accepted the offer,-tllG new match company
got out its stock. and had its bonds quoted upon POI
s State at at vauation, % the ~' new cempanv plying
some 200 100000 frames to secure it's MONOPOLY.
when this Vas done, and the monopoly created
linn "a
y tani 1ns Pice y aasnes eas Wcra
Hoo9 Ano Matches. the two hounds Being sold for
~ ng" franca T. M cost III the Gnmnanv one franc
nsnetr| 1hv centincs go to mannfacfnrs them, and
eount{n@ intarest 'o and Nd the * ncr cent to le
tn'. @esf5s ~ aun en1 ~ on,nanv 1oses
tahS1 d ~ nt; ~ naerS tue an,a on
sEeatiso4t ~ :! nea5 ;53rds se af gouu, rood ID
every uo1 rseo eoulunE samE IVY PounauS - WY ~
matcnes. 1nls alncte1se r. + %as auG aiItn * ~
STE ia4ao9 gi ~ m r. nh; th,;a
5Wo ponnos n ins:caa OF o'9u, tIe M phpllS 10 snas
losing oo0 matches IN eaeh iarge nox oy @ tne no. no.
nmopoIy. but thls was hoe ehohsm, h s anu one
company maze lf us mase9es g e. cnsaR anu Ppot
tnag louF OF nve "efe % "aseea Jog ateI1 one .aas
prounceu iG ey4eetsns..s. a @ Is saaa
nd o+bar nn pgopffo for ~ 1irh ~
& The first wear the Match Company paid its
16,00o,000 Of francs to the State and distributed
n dividend of 10 per cent, gnined, be it noted, by
specqaatlonS upon tne bourse WIN tae 49, aannfe4 ea
Tear ven W It was found Il that instead Of selling sxty
lliards Of matches, Or forty or thirty milliard5,
it was impossible to count upon the sale gilmore
than from twenty to twenty-two m1sllerds Ihen