The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-23
FRENCH SUSPICION
IS MUCH AROUSED
Provisions of New United
States Tariff Bill Do Not
Suit Officers or Importers.
RECORDS IN QUESTION
Demand That Foreign Agents
Be Allowed to See Books
Held Insult.
RECORDS IN QUESTION

PARlS, NOV. va storm OF fnd1g-
nation has been raised by the demand,
under paragraph q Of the new tariff
bill, that treasury agents Of the United
States be allowed to examine the books
of French importers. Thus far the, for
eign office has refused to the United
States this privilege. Other objections
to the new American tariff seem
susceptible of adjustment, but it is
said that on this point the French gov
ernment will not yield.
The French trade journals declare
that the demand Is an insult. It as
porters are committing frauds. That
foreign government should ask for its
representatives the right to enter
French business houses and demand to
see the books, assuming that the firm
has committed perjury in declaring in
voices before an American consular Of
hcer is abhorrent to French ideas.
Recalls History.
In this connection the French press
recalls the Limoges affair Of 1911. At
that time the United States treasury
department sent three agents to inquire
into tho cost Of producing porcelains.
Tho American commission was properly
introduced to the French minister of
commerce, at whose request the
Limoges manufacturers opened their
books to the Investigators. Afterward
the foreign Office complained to the
United States government that the
treasury agents had violated the agree
ment that the information thus OBJ
tanned was to be held in strict conf
dence
Should tariff war result from this
situation, it is pointed out that the
French people would be the losers.
Three-fourths of the imports from
America are raw materials, cotton, cop
per, petroleum, tobacco and hides
which France must have, while the eI-
ports to America are almost altogether
articles of taste and luxury, which the
Americans may do without or for
which they can obtain substitutes from
other European countries.
Plans Greater Paris.
NJ. Delaney, project of the Seine.
has submitted to the Paris municipal
"Greater Paris'' The magnitude of
NJ, Delanney's proposal may be judged
from the fact that Paris rs he has
planned it will be more than six times
as large as the present city, The scheme
includes a number of novelties, notably
that no house should be higher than
the breadth OF the street In front, or
tho courtyard behind 1t. The plan pro-
vides for the widening Of 225 miles Of
miles OF new ones. The new Paris will
extend some four miles In all directions
beyond Its present boundaries. The
present ring Of Notifications, which en-
circles tho city, is TO be demolished and
the greater part of the land thus va
Gated turned into public gardens. In
addition TO these 1t is proposed to
create two immense new parks on the
north and south sides of Paris, totaling
land in the center Of Paris belonging
to tho state also would be cleared OF
buildings and turned into public gar
dens. Paris Is ut present the worst pro
vided Of all great cities In respect to
parks and open places, and Is the most
Of modern capitals. It is
Inhabited by I4s persons to the acre,
compared with only 81 in London.
Effect In Birth Rate.
Socialism, syndicalism and strikes d.
rectly affect the national birth rate se'
fore the Academy Of Moral and Politi-
,nl Sciences, M. Bertillon held that the
state of the birth rate In numerous dis
.ricts of France is almost the inverse
ratio of the prevalence Of socialist be"
iefs in these districts.
One OF the most striking instances
which NJ. Bertillon cited was the case
II tho mining town of Montceau-les-
Mines in the north of France. Up to
he year 1900 the birth rate at Moncean
+noS OF thir+v.five births Der 1000 in
labitsnts. Within three years after
Yards, during which strong Socialist
movement made Its appearance in the
community. the number Of births had
allen to twenty.one per 1000. 1t has
ontinued to fall steadily ever since
nd now stands at only fourteen.
M. Bertillon notes, however, In con"
lusion that socialism has not had the
ame effect In certain other countries
nd ascribes its peculiar effect IN
france to the manner In which II has
akan root In French soil