Wichita eagle., 1889-05-02
CHARITY AND RED TAPE.
Five Cashiers Required to Pay . Bread
Bill in Paris.

Five Cashiers Required to Pay . Bread
Bill in Paris.
During the winter months IN Paris, says
the Confectioners' Journal, various charita-
bic societies issue breao tickets, called bons
de pain, which are on sale at the tobacco
nists, and cost ten cents each. Charitable
people, who don't care about giving money
to the poor, buy these tickets and distribute
them to the INDECENT, and every baker in
Paris exchanges one pences worth of bread
for one OF these tickets. Business having
called me the other day to the Caisse de la
Boulangerie, or central bakers cash Office,
Twas present at the refunding to the
bakers Of cash in exchange for the tickets
they had received from the poor during the
last month. This cash Office is situated on
the Quai d. Anjou, near the far-famed Ho-
tel Lambert. The cashiers consist of five
master bakers, who volunteer for the serv-
ice, and these five were seated at long
table. In front of four Of these gentlemen
were piles of oblong- shaped pieces Of black
cardboard, which had very much the ap-
pearance of states without frames. In
front of each pile of states was pile Of
money-one Of copper, one of silver, one Of
gold, and one Of bank notes. The fifth
cashier, who sat nearest the door, had
neither states nor money. IT was his duty
to examine and initial the written bill pre-
sented by each baker as he came in. The
account he then passed on to his colleague
at his side, who had the copper in front Of
him. This gentleman examined the bill and
then took from his heap Of copper the
amount of pence in the balance Of the &C
count, placed them on the side of his
states, and passed this to his colleague
with the silver, who added the amount
of loose francs marked on the bill and then
passed it on, on the slate, to the gold cashier,
who having added the gold pieces requisite.
handed it to the bank-note cashier, who
added bank-notes to make up the amount Of
the bill and paid over the amount due in
notes, gold, silver and copper to the baker,
who had followed his bill behind the chairs.
As a sample Of old-world tomfoolery this
account Of how bills are paid in Paris Will
certainly interest Americans. Docs it not
seem incredible that in business age, when
time is literally money, such custom, sur
viving from the darkest middle ages, should
be tolerated. 1t took just five minutes for
each bill to pass through the hands of the
copper, silver, gold and bank-note cashiers
before the baker got his money. This alb
surd mode of payment, / am glad to say
exists nowhere else in Paris and is sur
vival Of the customs which were in force in
the MEDIEVAL ancient and worshpful COM
pany' of master bakers in Paris. In those
hoary times massive silver trays were used
for carrying the doodle" from the compa-
ny's cash box or treasure chest TO the baker
who had to receive it. On one tray gold
was carried, on another silver, and on an
other copper. Stately nonsense of this sort
was all very well IN the days before Amer
lea was discovered; in the nineteenth cent
ury it is a downright anomaly. The only
sensible thing about this Caisse de la Boul-
angerie Is that on the premises is a large
oven in which any baker in Paris, at an
emergency or in case Of accident TO his own
private oven, can have his bread baked.