Semi-weekly herald., 1913-03-13
PARIS FORTRESSES
DOOMED AT LAST

PARASITIC sea serpent is not so
report that at last Paris is to suppress
its Notifications. About five years ago
a photograph was published showing
a laborer, pick in hand, actually be-
showed that he was on a temporary
job.
This year we are assured will see
the demolition begun if not finished.
The state and the city have reached
an agreement by which the city will
acquire the land from the state. The
municipal council almost unanimously
agreed to this scheme and everybody
thought that practical X, nothing re-
manned to be done. All a matter of
fact this agreement hal yet to pass
through parliament, an after that
the question of the pric to be paid
has to be settled; so baltimore than a
year may easily elapse before work is
begun.
The military zone outside the forti-
fications has given rise to much de-
bate. 1t is space about 270 yards
wide, on which no buildings likely to
interfere with the military operations
of the Notifications may be raised.
Some 100000 inhabitants have found
homes on this zone and have been
christened "zoners." They are people
who cannot afford to pay even the
smallest rent inside the town, who
have rented little bit of the zone
from the tenants who hold the land
from the military authorities, on the
foregoing condition.
There they have built miserable
shacks or dragged out of date railroad
trucks to serve for homes. Many,
by severe economy, have built little
brick villas. From time to time
summons is served on them, warning
them that their holdings are only pro-
visionary. When the agreement was
reached between the state and city the
"zoners" were elated; they argued that
if the Notifications were to be abol-
ished the military servitude would be
abolished with them and they would
be safe in their holdings. But the city
held a contrary opinion; the zone is
to be completely cleared of buildings
of every kind and transformed into
public parks and Fairgrounds. A spe-
cial jury, however, is to be appointed
TO appropriate the "zoners" and de-
,ide compensation questions.
The city is to buy the Notifications
md the zone, the circumference of
which is about twenty-one and a half
miles. The land, when leveiled, on
v;hich the Notifications now stand viii
pe divided into streets and sold tor
building lots. Outside a wide circu-
lar boulevard will be constructed,
while the zone outside that boulevard
will become, as before said, parks and
Fairgrounds.
New arrangements will have to be
made for the octroi, or collection OF
town taxes on all things brought in
for sale. An iron railing will line the
road to be made round the outside
edge of the zone, and entry for goods
will only be allowed at fixed points.
This road will be thoroughly lighted
by night and patrolled by octroi off,
cials.
The question of the price to be PAID
by the city will be a matter for de-
bate between the minister of finance
and the prefect, but the municipal
council will have to approve OF the
terms. 1t is believed that the state
will receive s2O,OOO,OOo, of which it
will devote ss,O00,0O0 to strengthen
ing the covering forts which will take
the place of the Notifications, or
rather have already done so, and so
the state will have handy balance for
which some future minister of finance
will no doubt be grateful.