Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-28
Carpenters Letter
Continued from Sixth Pagc.)

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francs per month. All apartments are
usually taken for a year. the payments be-
ing made quarterly, either In the Sth or the
18th Of each month. If you leave you must
give notice for some time beforehand.
Fats are rented both furnished and un-
furnished. Those who wish to rent unfur-
nished flats can hire their furniture for so
much a month. The furnished flats are of
course the higher and one must be careful
in making his contract for them. 1t is very
important to have a carefully attested list
of the furniture and it's condition or at the
close you will be charged for more than
you had and old breaks will have to be
remedied by cash or by new furniture.
In many places the landlord will demand
that you pay your rent before going in, and
you will be asked for six months rent in ad-
vance. At the end of the first three months
they will come down upon you for an add
tional three months rent, so that your rent
will be kept about six months in advance all
the time.
Shortly after taking a house or fiat in
Paris the American is called upon by the
tax collector. The authorities here assess
taxes not on what you have, but on what
you appear to have. If you live in a GER
tain style you are taxed proportionately.
and the criterion is your rent. The tax
ranges from II to IA per cent of this amount.
so that if you pay $500 a year rent you will
have to pay about $55 a year in taxes.
This is common in all parts of Paris, not
only with those who rent houses, but those
who rent business Establishments. The
percentage of tax increases with the
amount of rent paid, so that the man who
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more proportionately than the man who
pays 800 per month. The amount of bust
ness a man does makes no difference. The
authorities say that if he pays a certain
amount Of rent he should do a certain
amount of business and If he does not it
Is his own fault and not theirs. The very
poor pay almost no taxes whatever.
The thing that grinds the American nest
is the fees. These are connected with all
establishments and they have to be paid.
If you live in a fiat you must fee the
janitor or janitress, known as the concierge.
In an UNFINISHED apartment it is GUS
tomary to pay about l per cent Of the
rental to this party on taking possession
and signing the lease and he will expect
other fees from time to time and a cash
present on every New Year day. For these
fees you get your front door opened at
night, your letters taken care of If you
are away and the public hall and staircase
e your fiat building swept If you don't
pay the fees you can be made very un-
comfortable.
As to servants, the wages vary accord
ing to their efficiency and also as to the
locality in which you live. You can get a
man cook for 500 a month and upward or
a good woman cook for $40 and upward.
Housemaids usually receive about 81 a
mCnth and coachmen 500 with board. There
are a number Of employment bureaus
where such people can be hired. The serv-
ice is usually good and much superior to
similar service in the United States.
As to housekeeping, the American family
living i'm Paris finds the cost quite as high
as I'm the United States. Butchers meat is
higher than i'm America, but the cuts are
so much better dressed that there Is little
waste and the consumer always procures
full value for his money. Chickens cost
from 80 to 60 cents apiece, salmon a dollar
a pound and other kinds of fish much less
Fruit is plenty and cheap, as are also yege'
tables Of all kinds. Coffee and tea are
expensive and bread, the best in the
world, costs about the same as at home
Fuel is dear, both coal and wood beins
sold in small quantities, gas costs ahouI
$3.50 a thousand feet and II your bills are
not paid within five days after they ar,
rendered the supply is cut off with0u'
notice. FRAME u
n:-n Ola Ana