St. Landry democrat., 1885-07-04
TIE REuENltE OF PARIS.
What 1t Costs to Run the French CaPitai
and Where the Money Comes From.

run the city of Paris, great deal more
in proportion than that OF any other
city in the world. But of course this
does not include the share of city ex-
penses paid by the State, which in some
Instances is quite as much as that OF the
city itself. Over 100000 are needed
to meet the interest and other charges
connected with the municipal debt;
"a. 800, 900 for the assistance OF the poor
and support of the hospitals; almost an
equal sum for the maintenance OF the
police; the paving, keeping clean and
lighting of the streets call for $5,5oo'-
900; parks and promenades cost $780,
OOO, and 81, 800, 900 go for the water
supply and sewerage. OF all these ex-
penditures, the last named-that is, the
water and sewers-is the amount least
in proportion to the needs of the public,
and the city is going to borrow the
s4O. 600. 900 or $50, 100000 needed in
order to make necessary Improvements.
Tn order to raise all this money the cltl-
zens are taxed in every conceivable
way, but they stand the constant
squeezing better than anywhere else
that know of Not only does all that
we eat pay contribution, but even air
and light are not free. l paid $6 last
wear Simply as taxes on the windows OF
nv apartment, and of course | pay
taxes for it and for my furniture be-
sides. The largest revenue comes from
the octroi. This is toll duty levied on
all building materials, fuel. food (solid or
liauid), that come into the city. 1t
YOU 90 out for a few days shooting and
kill q rabbit or brace OF blackbirds, the
green-coated official who examines all
packages that pass in at the gate by
which YOU re-enter will invite you to
step into the office and pay toll on
them. and if you try to smugge them
through and get caught he will confis-
cate them for the benefit of the hos
pitfalls. This octroi is very old institu-
ton, and under the old regime it was
farmed out to lot of financial sharks,
who built a brick wall around the city
and caused much discomfort by their
rapacity. The revolution died away
with this way of collecting the taxes.
but maintained the octroi, which, at
the beginning of the present century,
yielded 81, 100000 year; in 1848 the
proceeds exceeded $5,000,000, and in
1869, the last year of the second en-
pire, they were $21, 100000. During
all this period the rate of tolls was not
materially changed, and the increase
was entirely due to that of the popula-
ton and the annexation of the subur-
ban communes. Since the foundation of
the third republic the tolls on certain
things, such as fuel and alcoholic and
malt beverages, have been increased,
and last year the city collected $685.
O00,0 in that way. 1t is by means of
the large receipts through the octroi
that the Municipal Council and Board
of Pablic Works are enabled to make
Paris the clean and beautiful city that
it is.
Speaking of Paris, perhaps no other
city owns as much property in the way
of real estate and valuable collections
as the French capital. The earliest
title deeds are those for the land on
which the Hotel de Vile stands, and
these, dated in 1896, recite that portion
of the title had been owned by the city
so long that the memory of man rum
meth not to the contrary. Most of the
present landed possessions of the city
have been acquired since the revolution
of 1889. The domain consists of 861
various pieces of real estate, which are
valued at more than 1920, ,000,O0 and
to this may be added the value of the
streets and the public squares, of which
there are $3.50, with an area of 5000
acres, valued at $500, 100000, although,
OF course, they can not be sold. All
this is what is known as the s'perma-
nent domain, and in addition the city
owns a. temporary domain, valued
a few months ago at over $11 ,000,-
900. This consists of such prop
critics as the city has been forced to
purchase in order to open new
streets, and which it stands ready to
dispose of at cost price, and this yields
about $4,000 year, or one per cent.
on the capital represented, but, as the
opening of the streets in most cases in
volved the demolition of the buildings,
by far the largest front of this tempo
rary domain is composed of vacant lots.
The personal property of all sorts own
ed by the city is said to consist of 321,-
953 articles valued at 50, 100000; but
this only includes the furniture property
so called in the public Offices, and none
of the tapestries or other works of art
used for their decoration, nor the con-
tents of the libraries ana museums.
The tapestries alone form a separate
item of $3.50, 900, and the drawings, en-
cravings, pictures, statues, ETC., repre-
sent value of 50, 400, 600. In this val
uation nothing is included in the way of
works of art which the city has received
as present from the State, or any of
the public monuments paid for by pri-