, 1890-01-04
IoeAcco LAW IN FRANCE.
The State Owns the Business There and
Runs 1t Itself.

Runs 1t Itself.
Visitors to France have noticed how
careful the customs officers are to see
hat no one is smuggling in matches
or tobacco. The importation of matches
is prohibited and there is a very heavy
duty OIL tobacco. Any one who has
made the acquaintance of the French
match will not readily forget it. Its
popularity is that it is very reluctant
to ignite, and is no sooner alight than
it proceeds to extinguish itself.
Matches have hitherto been made sole
ly by n company, which paid the
government a large sum every year
for the privilege of supplying French
men with bad matches. AS a proposal
to continue this system threatened to
overthrow the Tirard ministry, the
government decided to take the manu-
facture of bad matches into its own
hands. The tobacco is made to suit
the matches. 1t is also bad and dear.
The tobacco business has long been a
state monopoly, and is one of the prin-
cipal sources of revenue. The latest
report on the subject shows that last
years crop wa 90, l75, 900 kilogram-
mes, which was valued at 16, 423, 600
francs, or So, 2S4, 600. This was a poor
year, giving only 995 francs worth
per hectare, while in 1887 the value
per hectare was I,S11 francs. This
was the home production, but the gov
eminent importsa great deal of Amer
lean tobacco, in leaf, and manufactures
it in France. The government sells
it after it is made, and the smallest to-
bacco store in France is part of this
huge state monopoly.
The state gives the privilege of
--zua-. H. rv-zl a.
looks after them with motherly care.
1t fixes in what departments tobacco
may be grown. 1t marks off the num-
Der of acres to be planted. 1t selects
the variety of plant and settles what
number may be grown on each acre.
Not only Sc, but the army of officials,
who are always prowling about on be-
half of b state, count the plants in
each acre and the number of leaves
on each plant. Should q planter have
less than the in~ventoried number of
leaves when the harvest comes the
officials will be down on him. A much
graver o~ffense, however, is to have
too many leaves. This is regarded as
an attempt to defraud the state, and
unless satisfactorily explained is fol-
lowed by fines and Imprisonment.
When he reaps his crop the planter
has not the privilege of asking a price
for it. The price is fixed by the state.
Tobacco is now grown in twenty-eipht
departments. There are 60, 2S4 plant
ers, and 16, 507 hectares of plantations.
There are twenty-seven stores for the
reception of indigenous tobacco, and
stores at Bordeaux, Dieppe, Dun
kerque, Havre and Marseilles for i'm
ported tobacco. The state has twenty
n manufactures. The largest is that
at Lille, which turns out 5000, 900
kilogrammes of tobacco a year. There
are 20,S71 employees in the factories,
of whom 2, $50 are men and IS, 311
women. This does not include Off
Gals and agents. The government
does not treat its employees very well,
and strikes in tobacco factories are fire.
quent.
All the tobacco stores in France be-
long to the state. There are over 40
600 of them. The state does not sell to
bacco at retail except in three stores.
All the others are let to widows of Off
GERS, government officials, and some
times to the widows of senators, depu-
ties and projects. They take the place
of pensions. If the government
grants a pension to the wife of some
man who has died in the service of
his country, that generally means that
she gets a tobacco store, or bureau, as
it is called. As the social position of
the pensioners will not allow them to
run the bureaus directly, they let
them. The dealer is allowed 10 perl
cent. profit by the government and is
prohibited from selling any tobacco
except that supplied and priced by the
state. Neither must they make cigar
cites out of the government tobacco.
Every cigarette must bear the official
stamp. The state has three bureaus in
Paris where the best quality of cigars
can be obtained. These are either i'm
ported or made out of imported to-
bacco.
1t was Napoleon who established this
monopoly in tobacco. The weed had
been introduced into France by q
Frenchman named Jean Moot, and its
manufacture was free in 1921. A
monopoly vas established in 1874, but
was abolished before the revolution.
Tobacco proved a profitable business
when the culture was free. Napoleon
was attracted at a ball in the Tuileries
by n lady gorgeously arrayed with
diamonds and jewels. who is that
princess2' he inquired. When told
that she was only a tobacco manu-
f%acturer's wife, he at once resolved
to take charge of this means of acquir-
ing wealth New York Sun.
The Onice Boy Expedited the Marriage.
Nowadays a man has got to keep a
close tab ON the rules of Ell
or he is liable to get left. Not