New-York tribune., 1901-11-17


,a,,,as Of tho Hotel de Vile and to the Deputies
in the Chamber the advisa blity of putting a tax
of twenty centimes, or four cents, on each pooA
o+fa-ad for sale in Paris printed IN the caPl'"'
or elsewhere.
NJ Ie Pelletier urges that authors "oui' -
fiji by the tax as the government cohtFoi "ii''
such a tax involves would enable the phpi'o "
ascertain the actual number Of copies or oaltoiis
issued by publishers, matter upon ~ii
thors hitherto have been obliged TO hocep' 'Hoi '
nub,isbers, word NJ lie Peeters proposed biii'
which If il should become law, would Apply u
all hooks sold at a price OF one franc ana up
ward produces animated discussion III H'oioi'
CIRCLES All the leading publishing nrffs are
botlv opposed to the project. when they Say
,,-ould min the book trade. The manager oI Il
leading publishing house said that there "ei'
now over a million new books In Paris h"f't's
q market and which the public would never 'u'
~ the price were raised by taxation Most "u
thors also are opposed to the scheme "i1O--'
adopted seems likely to bring all lntere'' "
the book trade IN violent opposition
Meanwhile the tax on gardens, without aoolns
materially to the treasury has e'oheu
nrotest from Parisans who have fntrus'eo 'iio
influential society known as the AIMS ues -
uments Parisiens" with the task OF pie
the chateau and park of La Muette, at Passy
rSr
torn down and replaced by apartment houses
,aoerse the present proprietor, Count de
E-anoueyyille feels unable to face the addluonnl
YEARLY rexatton. amounting TO $4,000. imposed
bv the new law Yesterday Count de frahque
Vile conducted the Society of Friends OF lhe
Monuments over the property. Wnlch col1p ~
the chateau where Louis XIV first met IN'ile hu
Barry and where Marie Antoinette passeH 'ne
night previous TO her marriage with LOUIS -A' l.
The chateau is surrounded by beautlfui park
of thirty. acres designed by the famous Leho''e'
in which are beech trees two hundred years olo'
This is ,,nouestionably the finest private park
in Paris and its disappearance Woulo Dc
garded by Parisians as public Calamity
The five delegates of the French miners NM
Cote and Mure, general secretary anu nc
,,rer Of the National Federation OF Miners iee'
confident that the labor commission u
Chamber Of Deputies will yield to thelr
on the eight hour question; but the colililllSso'
as we'll as NJ. Bauden. the Minister OF
works is resolutely opposed to the miners del
egates' demands for pensions to be aceolUeu -
miners put on retirement Consequently INC
5.,asa+es still hold out the general strike as
-braar against the government, and apparently
with some effect. Leroy Beaulieu ano othef eiii-
,nen+ noIitical economists consulted on the SUD-
ject declare that general strike, whether OF 'i'e
miners or Of all the workmen in france couu
not last three days. They regard II as an au-
dacious iniquitous revolutionary DUN 10
frighten the public NJ. Waldeck-Rousseau' con-
1rarv to the alleged opinions OF some OF MS
colleagues in the Cabinet, seems lnclneo ID
consider this threat OF the French miners IN the
same light. and the government has wisely
taken precautionary military ana ponce meas
11res on a vast scale to insure the importation
Of foreign coal with safety, should a general
strike be attempted.
The object of the mission OF N. Cote ana the
mining delegates to Dover is said TO be 70 ar
range with their Socialist colleagues IN Ing
land to Cooperate with the threatened FFeHSh
strike and prevent the expectation OF British
coal 10 France. Another deputaton Is working
in Belgium to prevent Belgian coal being sent
into France. a new factor in the propIelii'
however seems 10 disconceFt the plans lot
general strike. This is the arrival at Rouen OF
the British steamer Westgate with cargo OF
2 $50 tons OF the best quality Of American an
rhracite direct from Pennsylvania; This is said
10 he the first instance of steamer laden Win
American coal consigned TO Paris coming up
the Seine as far as Rouen. The Paris Jour
nar' to-day publishes interview with the
CAPTAIN Of the Westgate, who states that his
shin came direct from Philadelphia to Rouen
in seventeen days, and that the cost or frelght
to Rouen was only II francs - centlnles an
English ton of ,O15 kilogrammes. When asked
what was the total cost Of the anthracite coal
of the best quality such formed the BULK OF
the cargo Of the westgate, the captain replied
IF Won add TO the II francs s. centimes for
freight the purchase price Of s. 40, the equlVa-
lent Of 1S francs 10 centimes, the total cost OF
the coal delivered at Rouen is 80 francs 90
centirnes tor OF 1.015 kilogrammes, and at the
a.~i+
France this permits a satisfactory profit 70 al
concerned in the enterprise
The reports in regard to American. capital
seeking investment in Paris tramways are, to
say the least, premature. The Pittsburg inter-
ests represented by Mr.. George Westinghouse
have an option on the Compagnie Generate
lines expiring January /, but nothing definite Is
vet decided upon The condition of the Partisan
traction companies at present certainly does
not offer encouragement to foreign investors.
tho citv of Paris charging such enormous sums
for charters No above ground trolleys per
mitted, so that underground trolleys or accumu-
lators have TO be used, Underground trolleys
cost a bout $4,000 mile, and accumulators are
almost as costly, besides causing disagreeable
smells of suphuric acid, which Parislans strong
ly object to. Then, again, the route lines OF the
old onnibuses and horsecars have to be bought
nm on exorbitant terms and every move is at
tended with expensive litigation. There Is,
however. so much French capital locked up in
the Partisan tramways that some day their
situation may be improved by legislation
Among military men great interest is taken
in ap article in the current number of the
..NouyelIe Review" setting forth the lessons de-
rived from the Transvaal war. The author of
the article is Captain Gilbert, formerly of the