Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-03-07
STREET CONGESTION
PROBLEM FOR PARIS
Officials of French Metropolis
Unable to Devise Means to
Relieve Condition.

Relieve Condition.
PHILOSOPHICAL: The vehicvlar con.
eestiOn OF the streets of Pans is greater
thar in any other city of the world,
and in spite of the efforts of the mu-
nicipal authorities. no way has vet
been found to effect any permanent
Improvement in street conditions. TIL
problem is an ever present one. and
it grows worse every year. for Paris,
strangled by the stone belt of the now
useless Notifications. cannot expand.
but must grow upward.
No such congestion of traffic exists
in New York. London, Chicago. Berlin
OF Philadelphia. The municipality has
traffic conditions. and to count the
number of vehicles passing a given
point on an important street in each
city, between the u of Z a. M. and
z p. IN. This comparison shows that
33.323 vehicles passed down the Rue
de Revolt in Paris. l6,20S We're counted
on the Strand. in London; 14.221 on
the Potsdamer Platz.. Berlin; 1865 at
Fifth venue and Fifty-eighth street.
New York; GIG on Broad street. Phil
adelphia, and 5.736 on Sheridan road,
| Chicago.
Add to the large number for Paris
the fact that this city has some hilly
and many tortuous streets, it would
appear that the regulation of traffic
in Paris presents difficulties unknown
elsewhere. Eventually the congestion
will become so great that new streets
will have to be cut to relieve it; this
| seems to be the only solution.
The French government. upon the
recommendation of the minister of
commerce. has decorated with the
women dressmakers of Paris. 1t ap-
pears that ~ per cent Of the popula-
ton of France is employed in gar
ment making, and this industry is
recognized as a great source OF ma
tional wealth. The woman in question
comes under the class of captains of
industry" and it is in recognition of
her creative work in organizing her
business that the government has thus
hOnored her.
The creative dressmaker in France
is now protected legally if her ideas are
stolen. h must, however. prove that
her general idea, and not alone details
of design. have been appropriated by
a rival. To insure such protection a
copy of all dress models. together with
ed in the French patent office. When
this has been done she may bring suit
for infringement of her patented"
dress.
In an interesting and lucid lecture
before the Society of Friends of the
University of Paris. of which M. Ray
mond Poincare is president, DIR. JAG
ques Bertillon has analysed at length
the problem of the depopulation Of
France. it's causes and remedies.
In 1915, said the doctor. the French
amounted to Is per cent of the civilized
people of the world. They now rep
resent only 10 per cent. and against
5O.OOO.OOO people who speak French
there are today 12O, 600, 900 who speak
German, and 50,o00.0O0 who speak
L EnO1fCh This c0n1Sti0,H d, l--~-~;--
more accentuated. since in 1911 the
number of deaths exceeded the number
of births in France, while in other
countries the excess of births over
deaths kept at an average of about IL
per 1000. Some people see a rem
edy in efforts to decrease mortality.
but he doctor declared this method to
be of little or no value.
What was wanted, he said, was an
extra 100000 births every year; the
present deficit involved economical
consequences of the most dangerous
character. Nautilus was quite wrong
when he attempted to show that at
lies banquet there was room only for
a limited number of guests. The guests,
explained DR.. Bertillon, were also cooks.
contributing their share of the BAN
quet. That is why people with a high
plrth rate show a much more rapid
economic advance than does France.
There are many factors responsible
Tor the and dangerous limi-
tation of families in France. The
growth of individualism among others
plays a considerable part. The civil
code, which prohibits the free testa-
mentary disposition of property. also
favOrs small families. This is clearly
demonstrated by a little village in the
outskirts of Dunkirk. According to the
terms of a foundation dating from the
seventeenth century, every family liv-
ing within the village boundaries is en-
titled to "a ares (about three-fhths of
an acre. of land: the result is that
births exceed Deaths by A per cent.
Instances of the birth rate being
heightened by judicious legislation are
numerous, notably in Bavaria and Rou-
mania, where by the suppression of
some of The vexatious formalities at
tending marriage thousands Of births
were gained every year.
The doctor would like to see the pub
lie taught to honor and favor large
families instead of subjecting them to
mockery, as is so often the case now
adays. He recalled that M. Poubelle.
when project of the Seine, would not
employ any ~officeholder unless he had
at least three children. He also thought
that every mother who had four chill
r living should be entitled to a
grant of 500. This would, no doubt.
involve a large sum of money. but it
must not be considered as money ex-
pended, but rather as a displacement of
capital, he beneficial result of which
would soon make itself felt.
ANvAknNsNN