The daily gazette., 1881-02-07
THE PROSPERITY OF FRANCE.

Why is it that the French peasants
who repeatedly sanctioned the second
empire by plebiscites, have rallied &C
universally 10 the support of the re
public? The secret of their adherence
to the existing democratic institution,
may not improbab|y be found in the
unexampled ana steadily increasing
industrial prosperity of France. Year
after year taxes are remitted, yet the
public income continues to exceed the
estimates, SO that new reductions be-
come practicable. The revenue re-
turns for the year 1880, which have
just been published, present balance
sheet which only one other nation in
the world can pretend to rival.
Since 1877, this excess of receipts,
not only over disbursements but over
estimates, has steadily gone on, and
that in the face of reiterated lighten-
ing Of the fiscal burdens by the re-
mission of taxes. In 1879, taxes TO
the amount of nearly 81, 900, 900 were
taken off, never heless the public in
come exceeded the estimates by SO, :
200, 900; and should we add the re-
turns which in previous years had been
drawn from the taxes remitted, the
surplus would have been over $15,-
100000. In 1880, duties bringing in
30, 500, 900 were dropped; nevertheless
the receipts were larger by S14, 940, 900
than the total revenue expected. Dur
ing he present year, the load on the
taxpayer is to be lighlened by the far
ther remission of taxes yielding $751;
900, 900. Allowing for this curtail-
ment of his resources, the Finance
Minister, M. Magnin, in his budget
for 1888, estimates receipts at $567,-
200, 900, while he calculates that ex-
penditnres will fall short of this sum
by SO 900, 900. According to present
signs, The revenue will again consider
ably exceed his computations, aud the
weight and range of taxation will un-
dergo additional alleviations.
Let us look at some of the details of
the remarkable balance sheet spread
before the French people for the
twelvemonth just concluded. 1t ap-
pears that IN almost every item of the
revenue from indirect taxes there has
been marked increase over the re-
turns for the preceding year. The
sole exception was in the case of duty
on indigenous sugar, which, owing to
the meagreness OF the beet crop, show
cd falling off. The yield of the reg
istration duties, on the other hand, was
augmented by sc, 900, 900 that of Gus
toms by $4,000, 900 that of the i'm
posts on liquors by $3,600,0 600. The
duties on tobacco brought in nearly
So, 900, 900 more than was expected,
and the tax on express railway traffic
exhibited surplus of 50, $50, 600 over
the Minister'S calculations. AnoLner
proof of the advance in the industrial |
energy and general well-being of |
France is the great or yield of the pos
tai and teleg aph services. After the |
rates of postage were reduced, there |
was at first shrinkage in the profit |
from this source, aud in 1878 the re-
eeipts still fell SO, 900, 900 short of the
returns under the old system. In
1879. however, this difference was not
only wiped out, but there was q posi-
tive excess of $500, 900 above Lne larR-
ssi previous return, and in 1850 this
Dvefplus had increased To more than
Fl 100000. During the same period
lhe profits accruing from the telegraph
service have been increased ia q simi-
ar proportion.
Tue Increase of revenues over estj.
mates during the last two years was
ha more remarkable because one impor-
ant national Industry, the produeriol i of
vine, was, owing TO the ravages of the
,hylloxera and To the severe weather,
much depressed during the same period
n The twelve month which has Just
losed, the amount of wine produced in |
france was 70 1917 200 hectolItres. This |
vas a larger yield by about 4,0U0 900 ..of |
ectoiitres than the wine crop of 1879,
hoagh IL still fell 22000, 900 below the ,
verage production of the last ten years.
In certain districts, however, as, for
the Haute- Garonne, the crops [
lrpassed in quantity the mean Yield of S
le last decade. 1t Is note worthy that | a
40 manufacture of wine from dried i
aisins Is increasing rapidly in France, /
40 Importation of :his substitute for the
esh native grapes having risen from .
ss than $4,000 in 1878 to 62 900 tons last C
EAR. This raisin Wine, we are told, in a
nd under the same name and at the
Ime price as that extracted from fresh n
-apes. One other national industry has Al
Dt shared the recent impulse given to "
10 general prosperity. II appears that u
10 trosts of 1879 80 Killed thousands of 81
)ple trees in the northern province, 81
I'd that last years preduoti9n of ci Ter Al
owed decrease OF 5,062, 200 hectolitres n
compared with the average of The =
ST ten years. Nevertheless, the duti u
l excisabe liquors, taken collectively u
;hl bit, as we have seen, large surplus
a.