The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-05
THE PARIS RAGPICKER.
interests of the Profession Threatened
BY Proposed Regulations.

! interests of the Profession Threatened
| BY Proposed Regulations
| The Paris ragpicker, that interesting
! character of the French capital, who has
| been the subject Of so many plays and
novels, is again on the tapis. 1t may be
remembered that not many years ago
| the ancient order of "Biffins,' as the
| ragpickers prefer to call themselves
| why / cannot say-was on the point of
disappearing altogether. Up to that
moment the rubbish of the town was
thrown in heaps into the cutters. 1t
was from these heaps the dustcart came
round. Such was the situation when
one morning the sanitary authorities,
having nothing better to do, decided to
| change it. 1t was M. Poubelle, the then
Project of Police, who undertook the
task, which, naturally, made him very
unpopular with the "Blff1ns." The sys-
tenn which he proposed, and which was
adopted, was to place the rubbish in a
metal box inside the house instead Of
in the gutter and throw it into the dust
cart as it passed by. 1t was argued
that the public health would be gain
er by the change, but the "Bittins"
could not see this, and they protested
against being deprived Of the means Of
earning their livelihood. Ultimately,
however it was arranged that the boxes
might be placed on the curbstone, so
that the ragpicker would be able to ex-
plore them.
Another change which has aroused
the "Bihlns" to arms is now being dis
cussed. So far they have not broken
the public peace. and have remained
calm and dignif1ed. Who knows If
Diogenes, whose portrait has been
transmitted to us in the act of search
ing the pavements Of Athens with his
lantern, was not q ragpicker before be-
ing a philosopher or perhaps both Of
them at the same time, like our modern
"Biffins'? Whether this be the case or
not, there is stir in the world of the
'hotte" and the crochet" and one of
the dignitaries of the corporation has
done me the honor of informing me that
from the Butte-aux- Cables. to the
Grandes- Carrieres, from Grenello to
Clichy, protests are being drawn up and
meetings organized to discuss the in
terests Of the profession, which are in
serious danger. The emotion of these
honest people is quite natural. M. LIE
Breton, a municipal councillor, is the
author of project which, if it be adop-
ted, will be the death of the ragpicker.
According to his system, the rubbish Is
to be transferred in carts Theoretically
closed to the factories, where it will be
crushed by steam. This service Is to
be placed in the hands Of one or sew
eral contractors.
Progress in the name of science pre-.
tends that the dust of the rubbish is
dangerous to the public health and cap
able of propagating the germs of all
kinds Of maladies. 1t must also not
be forgotten that in the scheme now
under consideration the intermediate /,
will be replaced by capital
lists, who will pay royalty to the town
for the removal Of the waste The
Municipal Council will thus find itself
between a desire to manage the NUM-
cipal finances with economy and the Sc
rious responsibility Of throwing out of
forty thousand honest
workmen for the profit of few con-
tractors. On one side there is the ques-
ton of good administration, and on the
other an electoral question, for forty
tilOuSdUu rag plCheIS are liol ~ NC ilc-
elected; and the voting bulletins in
their hottie will be felt when the
elections take place.
The ragpicl1er is one of the spoiled |
children of the Parisians. He is the poor
devil, the type of honesty, who is to |
be found in life such as he is repre-
sented in the melodrama. He is the |
friend Of the "bobonne," with whom |
she likes to chatter Surprising we ac-
sept the project of M. LIE Breton, and |
that all the waste Is thrown pellmel |
nto the closed wagon of the admins
ration, how could the employee, even
he most honest, who has the sorting of
he rubbish, know what comes from
any particular house, since everything
will, so to speak, have been thrown into
he 'fosse commune? Every step in
science seems determined to deprive us
If one of the picturesque features of
he gay city" The Municipal Coun-
Ill will certainly reflect before SUPPRESS
ng the "Biffin," the guardian of our
nights, who parades his lantern over the
leeping capital in search of his daily
God. A meeting of all concerned in the
natter has been organized for tomor-
ow.-Paris correspondence Of The Lon
Ion Globe.