The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-30
EXPENSIVE FRANCE.
Rapid Living, Costly Luxuries and High
and Peculiar Taxation.

Rapid Living, Costly Luxuries and high
and Peculiar Taxation.
| Paris is great city for money spend.
ing. 1t has a wealthy population. and
the million and odd hundred thousands
of the poorer classes live off these.
There are millionaires here from every
| where. There are more than 5000
people who pay rents of 5000 to 81, 200
a year. and 2SS who pay over $4,000 a
year each. 1t is said that there are
5000 persons in Paris who have in
comes of $4,000 or more year, and
among them aresome Americans. John
w. Mackay's wife leads the latter. and
she has big palace not far from the
Champs Elysee and near the Arc de
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 millionaire, however. and could
| stand it.
| Both Paris and France are heavily
| taxed, and France has the biggest ma
tienal debt in the world. It IS more
| than five billions of dollars, and the
Government continues to spend money
as though all of its citizens were rich
and it had a large bank account to its
| credit. This year it made new loan
of more than S17,000.00 and it is
constantly increasing its army and in
ternal Improvement expenses. Since
| the war with Germany Paris guide
book states that it has spent $500, 000,-
| 600 on war material alone, and it.;
army amounts on a peace footing to
about 100000 men. 1t has 200 Brga-
| der Generals, and in case of a war it
can muster over 100000 men. OF
these one-half are trained soldiers, and
| nearly 700, 900 Of the whole are wholly
unframed. War preparations go on
| perpetually in France, and fight with
Germany is among the expectations of
many Frenchmen. The French hate
the Germans, and they have larger
army and more guns than the Ger
| mans. They have shown themselves
good fighters, though they don'tseem
to have the staying powers and the
good physiques of their enemies. Paris
has been fortified, and that more
strongly than ever. and they are spend.
ing great deal to build up their navy.
Over forty millions were spent in 1888
and they now have 400 steamships.
With such y debt France must needs
be heavily taxed. Still, the people are
| thrifty, and one does not see heoe the
poverty of England and Ireland.
There is notably less dirt, and notably
more happiness. The French taxation
scheme is curious thing to an Ameri-
can. Every thing is taxed. and the
taxation is both direct and indirect.
There is house tax, paid in proper
ton to the rental. The privilege of
working at a trade or profession is
taxed. There is a land tax, and there
is 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.
enue stamps for bills, checks and re-
ceipts. If a French farmer brings
dozen eggs into Paris he must pay
tax upon them at the entrance to the
city. and if his wife carries in pound
OF butter she pays a percentage upon
it before it can be sold. Funeral mat
tiers are taxed, and the Government
| makes all of the tobacco made in the
country.
1t is very poor tobacco, too, and the
prices show that its revenue from this
source must be very large. The gov
eminent of. Paris also does the pawn
broking of the city. The interest
charged is from nine and one-haIf to
twelve per cent, and the pledges can
not be redeemed until one day after
the money is paid back. With such
taxation it is no wonder that France
has an immense revenue, and that its
expenditures are extravagant. Last
year it is estimated more than $780,
600. 900 was collected and spent. and-I
don't believe therei is much lying awake
among French politicians in thinking
what shall be done with the surplus.
Carp. in Cleveland Leader.