Morning journal and courier., 1884-07-23
Population, Wages, and dTaxes-France.

From the FOrJnlghty ReVleW.J
 At best the population of France grows in
 numbers very slowly. Allowing for the mil
 lion and half taken by Germany, the popu-
 lation of France has, we may say, made no
 progress at all since 1869 Its numbers are smaller now than they were 15 years ago.
 while the load of taxation has almost doubled in mere debt charges it has more than
 doubled. Equally stationary has been the
 export trade of France. The average of re-
 cent years has indeed been lower than for the
 years immediately succeeding the war. I'm
 ports have, on the other hand, augmented
 much, but not because the country has been
 internally prosperous. The increase is the
 consequence of bad harvest, and indicates
 further denudation of the wealth of the peo-
 ple France may, therefore, be considered
 to exist under conditions that have not mate
 rially changed within the past 10 years, so
 far as new developments of it's resources are
 concerned. The higher wages of it's popula-
 tion, therefore, represent little more than an
 artificial state-induced prosperity born of augmented debt and inflated paper cur rency. The statements made before the par liamentary commission lately established in
 France to examine the position of the work ing classes proves this. The representative
 for example, of the carpentry trade stated that mems wages have doubled since 1945,
 but 10, GOO men out of the 20, GOO comprising his guild were out of work in Paris alone
 Here, therefore, we have a purely artificial industrial condition, and upon his unnatural structure the French government has built a pile of debt which demands about e6 per an mum per family for it's service. This is reck- oning the family at five, in England, al though that is probably too high Putting Paris alongside London for the sake of com parison with the preceding, find that in ad- dition to this payment of e6 to the State treasury for the debt charges, the head of the family of five in that city must find e7 los. toward the charges of the debt of Paris Beck oning per head, imperial debt takes 23s from the workman per annum, and Parisian debt 34s; or together, @ 7s The rest of France, of course has no such load to endure, and that of Paris is mitigated by its being the greatest resort of the wealthy in Europe next to London, and by the fact that it owns the water supply. Still, here we have the weak est spot, and these figures tell us in general way the secret of that Parisian unrest and discontent which ever and anon threatens France. Adding together all the charges paid out of taxes, local and imperial, the Parisian seuvrier has, to find on the averag ge about e7 Is, per annum out of his earnings Now, assuming that he is fully employed, the average earnings of the Parisian artisan is under rather than above 30 s. per week, or e75 per annum. Debt charges alone conse- 4uently cost the Parisian workman about fortnight's income, and his entire share of the public burdens, if he be unincumbered l with wife and family, represents about five | weeks earnings. In proportion as his family l increases the power of the workman to live | 1nder his load becomes less. Even if his | wife works she can do comparatively little to l 1elp him, for the average earnings of females | s not above half crown day, or lbs. per | week