The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-30
PECULIAR Principally
Monaco the Gamblers Paradise Really Ruled by Joint Stock
Company Most Deney Populated Country on the Globe
1t Has No Paupers and No Unemployed Residents.
this INTELLIGENT COM

ity of Monaco under this intelligent COM
,pany rule. in 1859 there were but two
hotels In the principality where there are
now forty eight. In 1878. when eighty
private families OF La Condamine were
making living by renting apartments to
visitors, it was thought to be sign OF
great prosperity. To-day there are over
600 such in Monte Carlo and the Conda-
mine together. In 1873 there were three
jewellers where there are now sixteen and
eighteen renters OF carriages where there
I are now ninety. In Monaco land Which
twenty-five years ago could have been
bought Tor 10 cents square yard now
tance of fifty miles from the Casino sandy
soil which in 1859 was not worth s25 an
acre Is now selling for $4,000!
The Part the Princes Play.
Just how much the princes of Monaco
have had to do with all this improvement
Is a question that Is often debated by out
siderg; and the truth of the matt ter will
probably remain unknown for a long time
to come. The father of the present prince,
| the celebrated Charles ILL.,, who gave the
original gambling concession, enjoys,
among tho native population, the posthu-
NOUS reputation of a great business man
in general and that of ''the father of the
| Conda,nine'' in particular. He certainly
took great interest In all the improve
Cments-to the point of demanding stock
| in all the companies. And thus far, at
least, the son has followed in his fathers
footsteps. He has had his slice from
every pie cut-includdng the new electric
tram line, which has just been obliged to
raise it's rates in order to pay the divi-
dends its stockholders desire from 1t. It
is tho frst example in history, perhaps,
/ Of street car company raising, instead
Of lowering, transportation rates already
we'll established. And the way in which
It. was able to do this points to the secret
Of the success of the whole company gov
ernment
+ Whether or not the princes Of Monaco
have been enterprising business men.
have peculiarly aided its businesslike ex-
/ ploitation- In any other country street
car company would nowadays be bound to
carry people at tho original rates set
down In it's charter. Indeed, the wonder
i fully ,serviceable Metropolitan Under
I ground Of Paris, which has not yet paid
q dividend after more than two years of
the most PHOSPHORUS business in the
world, has openly said of it that its stock
can never rise to the point once conf
IDENTITY expected by everybody, simply be-
cause it is bound to give over so much Of
It's takings to the municipal treasury. It
may not charge more than 3 cents for
second class Or s cents for first class
trips third Of which in each case goes
to the city. The Monaco electric street
cars run from the Monaco railway sta
| tion, past La Condamine and up the hill
to the Monte Carlo casino, In all a walk
Of fifteen or twenty minutes. Were 1t
not for big hill at either end every one
would walk i. For the service Of carry
Ing folk up these hills, therefore, 1t be-
gan by charging cents second class and
-o1,o +
to make more money from the tourist
flood a simple administrative order ar
ranged everything. The company (includ-
ing the prfnce) asked permission Of the
prince (inoluding the company to raise
Its rates. The prince In council, signed
the permission. The next day the COM
pany placarded It's cars with notices to
the effect that from the beginning of the
list of the next month the prices would
be, second class cents, first class s
cents.
Coleessions Como High.
i To descend from great matters to small
ones. a German druggist Of my acquaint-
ance put In three: years soliciting permis-
sion to establish drug store in the Con-
damine. He had already arranged with
the three druggists of Monte Carlo and
the two Of Monaco town not to oppose his
application, 1t being acknowledged that q
drug store was needed in the CondaInine
and must be opened some day. For two
.of these three years, nevertheless, the
German druggist hesitated to pay the
enormous lump sum the governor gen
erals handy man coolly demanded Of him
for the sealed and signed authorization tn
open. Then, after he had acquiesced, the
/ governor generals handy man took one
4 double the original demand. As it turned
out. they split the difference. and nv