The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-27
FRANCE. COVETS COURTESY RECORD War Most Costly Passion of
 Humanity SCOOPS" ARE SCARCE And Newspaper Men Just Invent Them--Granville Thoroughly
 Hoaxed By Dandy and
 Two Girls
By PAUL vILLIERs

ljy the exigences of European politics to
 tax her people heavily she proposes at
 least that their contribution shall be re-
 oeived with politeness and that the tax
 gatherers shall make the process of ex-
 tractng money from the citizen as pleas
 ant as it is possible to make 1t.
 Witness the circular which has just
 been sent out by M. Klotz, minister of finance.
 Here it is: "Complaints have been re- ceived by the finance minister that cer- tain functionaries or their subordinates show a lack of courtesy to tax payers. ceptional cases but reminds his agents that their offices have not been created for them, but for the public interest.
 "Functionaries under his control, no
 matter of what standing. must always maintain an absolutely correct attitude towards tax payers, and are to give them, whenever required, any explanations or information. Each man should also see that his immediate subordinates conform to the spirit of the circular
 Such a circular might be sent out with good effect to the tax gatherers of Amer ica, unless things have changed nightly since was at home.
 It would be truism to say that war is the most extravagantly costly channel m which human passions can run. Yet the world is all the time forgetting that this is so. I read the other day on the third
 ;,, t1nptStruSiva little paragraph that might be devoted to some paltry accident, or offense, that the war minister is prepared to sell l6s kil- ometers of the cloths that soldiers uni fcrms have been made of since 1S30. They are to be replaced by the migonette green of the new uniforms. At first I could not believe it.. But when one calculates what a number of meters it takes to provide soldier with a uniform, what number of men the government must call out in rhe event of a war with a great power and the quantity of cloth that must be kept in store for further eventualities. the news Is quite credible.
 It resembles another piece of informa- ton I had the other day from a St Etienne manufacturers This was that four kilometers at least of ribbons are annually there to figure in
 
 of France, as we like to call 1t. has great ly multiplied the number of orders at the disposal of the government. Violet rib bons are given away in thousands every half year, and the cry is that candidates still vastly increase and must be satisfied. The Heck" or white and grass green rib bon of the Orde de Merite agricole, in- vented, I believe. by Moline, is scattered broadcast at cattle and flower shows and rat fc onp1r11aina1 in country nl4ceS that it Is too parsimoniously distributed. Ministers bothered with the claims of deputies for their constituents are glad to racify them with Tunisian. .Camodia, An nan1 Malagasy, Otaheitan, or even West African decorations. each of which has it's distinctive ribbon and is sure to be proud ly worn.
 The modern reporter finds it difficult to- secure what are known in press circles az ''scoopsr or exclusive informa tion. There fore enterprising journalists invent chem. The other day, says the Paris correspond ent of the Evening Standard M. Andre Glarner of the Excelsior, fell into the Seine on purpose from bateau-mouche, so as to record his experience in his paper ard to be able to tell a more or less inter ested public that Seine water tasted nasty, that it took eight minutes to save a ufOWI1lIlS Iiidll, anu ludt iioDouN WAS very interested in his being saved at all. M. Glarner dressed himself in carpet slippers and the cap and blouse of a working man. got on to a bateau-nnouche, fell off it near the Ponte de r Alma and shouted for help. Nobody jumped in after him. After eight minutes "Oh, Mon Deuing' and "Oh la la-ing," somebody on board his boat threw him rope and somebody from another boat threw him buoy. He came out of the Seine with no worse loss than that of his cap, little breath, and one of his carpet slippers.
 The French town of Granville, which has regular steamboat communication with Jersey, has been thoroughly hoaxed by an impudent adventurer.
 Accompanied by two young girls. he ar- rived one day at a quiet hotel and dumb founded the host by presenting a card on which was the following: 'Auguste Du- rand de Bellefond de Courtney, Colonial Administrator of the First Class, Doctor Of Law, Knight of the Legion of Honor, charged with a mission en disponiblite." He said one of the girls was his wife the other his sister-in-law.
 Next day the great one appeared in the street in wonderful uniform which daz- zled the townfollS. The principal inhabi- tants fell over each other in their anxiety to become acquainted with the exalted parsonage who had honored their town.
 Auguste bought a house and 50 acres of land for 10000 francs, which he did not pay, and proceeded to give lavish orders for the furnishing and fitting up of the new colonial establishment. The shop keepers of Granville vied with each other to secure the patronage of M. Durand de Beleford de Courtney. f' a,se
 Auguste had one rare stock of luck A couple of cars containing gun powder had arrived at Granville addressed to Admin istrator General. There was no such per- son in the town, and no one knew what to co with the consignment until a postman bethought him of the great Auguste, and took him the letter. 9t
 Auguste eagerly seized the golden op- portunity and got a detachment of sol diers to guard the cars. and when the proper official appeared ao the station he was there to receive his acknowledge nlents. This episode served as an intro- dnctton to the officers of the regiment whom he joined while it was engaged on maneuvers, and he actually rode. in state by the side of the general.
 He was invited to dine at the officers mess and the guard turned out and pre- setted arms every time he approached the barracks.
 Everything might have gone all right, only that one of his creditors being pressed for cash. became somewhat sus- picious. This person very unlxindly wrote to the prefect of La Manche. asking for some information about M. lAdministra- tei,r and detective was sent to make in- ouiries the result of which is that M. rurand de Releford de Courtney, for all his titles and particles and crosses nnd uniforms. was marched of to the lock-up There 1t was speedily found out that he had no official position, and, what was
 worse. no money