The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-16

sumptuously on horsehesh. Hippophacists
pretend that horsefesh is swesier
and finer IN the fiber than beef. and
probably 1t is, but horses are only handed
over 10 the knacker when they are ema-
GATED old hacks. The horses killed in the
rarls aboattoirs are a set of decrepid old
lnValids, except a few that have been dis
aoled by accidents. The consumption of
norsefeSh in Paris has ubled since 1881.
mere are 500 asses eaten every year This
small number in comparison with the
horses IS explained by the fact that donkeys
when old are exceedingly tough, aud one
donkey will go long way at the dinner
table. In Paris you will not easily find a
norSesteak for the asking, although 1t NAV
sometimes be adroitly palmed off on you
without the asking. HorsefleSh is ca en- by
the poorest classes. 1t sells at or cents
the pound.
Cows on entering Paris pay duty of Z
francs, or nearly 81 so head Calves paw
the same. pigs Is francs, and sheep 50 francs.
Why the enormous charge of SO should be
levied on sheep is ingular, and may be ex-
planned by the fac that much of the mutton
supply comes from Germany. The French
protectlonists reason on the fallacious prin-
clple that the seller pays the duty, whereas
the result of the SO duty on sheep is that
tie Parisians have to pay more for their
mutton. Over 10000 sheep are killed at
Cologne every year and sent to Paris by
train. Not satisfied with the heavy octroi
duty on the sheep, the protectionist
deputies in the chamber have been
trying to impose heavy tariff on
sheep at the frentier. They had
made arrangements ia their high tariff
for live sheep, but inadvertently left loop
hole through which dead sheep entered free
until they arrived It Paris. As it is, Ger
many sends over 100000 pounds of mutton
10 De-
tion of beef, veal, and mu ton in Paris is
800, 100000 pounds. Pork figures for A.
OOJ,O0O pounds. The population eats AGO.
100000 pounds weight of fruit and veg
etaDles, and Ala. 43l $50 eggs. Poultry aud
game weigh As 900, 900 pounds, and the fish
supply about the same. They are consuming
more oysters every year, and now require
2O,0O0,000 pounds, but this weight includes
the shells. The wine which entered Paris
during the year amounted TO 4,409, 779 hec-
toliters, and paid a Ity of over 46,0O0,000
fra cs; the beer supply amounted to 270.00O
hecGoliters.
The Annuaire tells us what sort of books
the Paris population-or a portion of it
reads. Several years ago the town council
established free Libraries in the town. They
sent commissioners to England aud America
to study the workings OF free libraries, and
then started to est Ablish one in every one of
the eighty quarters Of the town. About fifty
quarters are now supplied with libraries.
There were plenty of large libraries in the
town before, such as the National Library,
the Mazarin, and the S., Genevieve. but
tue town council wanted to set up libraries
that would be specially suitable for the
working classes. The books are let out to
read, and music and drawings can be had
at some of the libraries During
the year 1,1S7,699 works were read as
follows:
Science, art, and edu-
cat on ........... 10. 1862, or IL. II per cent.
History ...... .....10S,79O, or 9.17 per cent.
Geography and travel 1874 675, or II IS per cent.
dramas $500 158,s7s or Is. IS per cent
Novels. Gus, 796, or 81. 90 per cent.
Foreign languages. 5000, or .46 per cent.
Music. 49,. 53,S42,3 or A 53 per cent.
1t will be seen that the readers have a de-
cided preference for light literature. There
are sixteen other libraries partially sup
ported by the town, and the novel readers
at these are 70 per cent. of the total.
The French people are the most heavily
taxed in the world. To begin with, they are
taxed for the privilege of existing Every
Frenchmal pays poll tax. There is tax
on doors and windows, a tax on trades and
professions, an indirect tax on such luxurieS
of life as tallow CANDLE, aud the tax on
poster advertisements is so rigorous that
one cannot post scrap of paper on his own
door-post saying that he waals messenger
boy without having to put stamp on it.
Then there is the octroi tax, which is the
main source of revenue IN every town.
About half the revenue of the city of Paris
comes from the octroi dues. The annual
budget of Paris is about as large as the
budget of Belgium. The annual receipts
amount to $74, 0OO,0 900, aud the expenditures
keep well ahead. There is a municipal
debt of 1865, 900, 900, which, if no more is
contracted, will not be cleared off for sixty
years yet. The interest of this debt is a
rouinent item in the expenditure.
The sources of revenue are multifarious, |
but after the octroi receipts the largest |
amount is the towns share in the tax on |
house property, to which owners and occu- |
pants both contribute. The town council |
prides itself on being an advanced and So |
ciallstic body, and has invented an unique |
way of dealing with a portion of this tax. |
The council advocates a graduated tax on |
houses, and if it had full swing in this mat |
Ter it would tax the RIGA property owners |
out of existence. As it is, it manages to |
throw some of the burdens of the poor on |
the rich. All occupants who pay less than |
yearly rental of 500 are exempt from |
taxation. the council itself pays its taxes
with money obtained by raising the rate on
the occupIers Of the other houses. The total |
number of houses in Paris is 260, 500, and |
the NUMBER unaU escapes UaXdllon Oy Delng |
under the yearly value of 500 is "a, 485.
The means of transport in Paris are like |
Sam WelIers knowledge of London, ex-
tensive and peculiar. There are plenty of |
omnibus and car lines in the city, but they |
are organized in way that would not be |
tolerated day in New York. l the first |
place only the exact number for which the |
cars are built are allowed to ride. This rule |
Is rigorous, and when the car is full tae con-
ductor hangs out sign to that effect. Tee |
cars only stop at regular stations and |
passengers have to take numbered tickets |
and wait their turn. The cars are dis |
tributed over the town without any regard |
to traffic In some streets they run almost |
empty, in others they are altogether |
inadequate. The fares are irrespective Of |
distance, and are 3 cents forithe outside and |
scents inside. The number Of people carried |
every year is as follows: Horse cars, 50,000,-
O0J; omnlbuses, 107,000,00O; river boats,
p, 200, 900.
There is still great deal of information /
in the Aunuaire. We learn, for instance, |
that the number of recruits drawn from |
Paris in a year is ID, 500, and that of these |
260 were totally unable to read or write, 23S |
could read only, and 3, 135 had only ele-
mentary knowledge of reading aud writing. |
The horses are counted, so that the govern
ment may know how many they can rely |
on in case of war. There are 81, l01 horses.
The carrier pigeons are also enumerated,