The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-12-02
EXPENSIVE FRANCE.
Rapid Living, Costly Luxurles and Nigh
and Peculiar Taxation.

ft5plu Ltv1uke CO0Sty l1uxurioD Uuu ulBu
and Peculiar Taxation.
Paris is great city for money spend.
ing. 1t has wealthy population. and
the million and odd hundred thousands
of the poorer classes live of these.
There are millionaires here from every
where. There are more than 5000
people who pay rents of $500 to 81, 200
year, and 2ss who pay over $1,000
year each. It Is said that there ere
5000 persons in Paris who have in
comes of $4,000 or more year, ana
among them are some Americans. JohL
W. Mackay's wife leads the latter. and
she has big palace not far from the
Champs Elysee and near the Arc do
Triomphe. One of the United States
Legation secretaries of the past, used to
estimate his yearly expenses in Paris
at $4,000, though his salary was, !
suppose, not one-tenth that sum. He
was a millionaire, however, and could
stand 1t.
Both Paris and France are heavily
taxed, and France has the biggest ma
tienal debt in the world. 1t Is more
than five billions of dollars, and the
Government continues to spend money
us though all OF its citizens were rich
and it had large bank account to its
| credit. This year it made a new loan
of more than Sl7,Oo0,O00, and it is
constantly increasing it's army and in
ternal improvement expenses. Since
the war with Germany Paris guide
book states that it has spent $500, 000,
900 on war material alon,, and its
| army amounts on a peace footing to
about 100000 men. 1t has 200 Briga.
dier Generals, and in case of war il
| can muster over 4,000,0)O men. OF
these one-half are trained soldiers, and
nearly 100000 of the whole are wholly
unframed. War preparations 60 on
psrpetually in France, and fight with
Germany is among the expectations of
many Frenchmen. The French hate
the Germans, and they have q larger
army and more guns than the Ger.
mans. They have shown themselves
goo1 fighters, though they don't seem
to have the staying powers aud the
good physiqucs of their enemies. Paris
has been fortified, and chat more
strongly than ever, and they are spend.
ing a great deal to build up their navy.
Over forty millions were spent In 1888
and they now have 400 steamships.
With such debt France must needs
be heavily taxed. Still, the people arc
thrifty, and one does not see heoe the
poverty of England and Ireland
There is notably less dirt, and notably
more happiness. Tho French taxation
scheme is curious thing to an Ameri.
can. Every thing is taxed. and thu
taxation is both direct and indirect.
There is house tax, paid in proper.
ton to the rental. The privilege oi
working at a trade or a profession IL
taxed. There is land tax, and there
is IL tariff on articles imported from
abroad. There is also the octroi tax
which makes every article brought in
to city pay duty. and there are rev
enuo stamps for bills, checks and re
ceipts. If French farmer brings ;
dozen eggs into Paris he must pay
tax upon them at the entrance to thu
city. and if his wife carries in a pount
of butter she pays percentage up0l
it before it can be sold. Funeral mat
tcrs are taxed, and the Government
makes all of the tobacco made in tho
country.
1t is very poor tobacco. too, and tn
prices show that its revenue from thi
source must be very large. The gov
crnmcnt of Paris also does the pawn
broking of the city. The intercs
charged is from nine and one-half t
twelve per cent. and the pledges cal
not be rede,me until one day afte
the money is paid back. With sue
taxation it is no wonder that Franc
has an immense revenue, and that il
expenditures are cxtravagant. Las
year it is estimated more than $500
100000 was collected and spont. and
don't believe there's much lying awak
amo ng French politicians in thinkin
what shall be done with the surplus.
Carp, tn Cleveland Leader.