The New York herald., 1922-05-07

Special Correspondence Of THE New York
HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Paris. April 2S.
"HE passing of Lent and the
rapid rush Of tourists has made
= such a complete change in
Paris, in the matter of bringing back
her gay life with renewed force and in
her nationality. that one can scarcely
recognize the French capital as being
the same place and In the same coun-
try as it was a month ago.
Americans are thronglng the restau-
rants and midnight dancing houses,
while Parisians, who are just now re-
turning from their country places,
where they have been spending the
Easter holidays, are digging them
selves in for the spring to get away
from the tourists and the high prices.
The influx Of Americans at this time Of
the year usually means that prices
will be increased. especially in the res
taurants, dancing houses and all places
of amusement, from 25 to so per cent,
and Parisians are less prepared to meet
the high prices than they were a year
ago, so the city doubtless will be given
over to the foreigners and the French
will not emerge from behind their pri-
vate walls until all is calm and serene
In the autumn.
Storms of protest about the prices of
food are constantly heard from Ameri-
cans in the restaurants and hotels. They
seem to have the impression that prices
have gone up simply because they have
arrived, and they are too often heard
to say that France needs money. and
she thinks she can get 1t out of the
tourists. 1t is true that the taxi driver
takes advantage Of the opportunity and
takes ten francs from his innocent tour
ist client when he should take one. and
the price Of articles de luxe is too often
increased. but 1t SO happens that the
restaurants and hotels are justified this
season In making a stiff increase In
their charges. and they are apparently
desperate because they are unable to
clients understand the situation.
New Taxes on Restaurants.
Unfortunately a new system of taxa
ton on restaurants and hotels has been
imposed at the moment that the first
rush of tourists has invaded Paris. The
Restaurant Keepers Association has
made protest after protest against the
increasing burden, but they have fallen
on deaf ears of the authorities. The
new law requires all restaurants having
music to pay tax of 13 per cent in
addition to the Is per cent which they
already have been paying. Paris threat
ened to dine without music. which would
mean that thousands Of musicians
would be thrown out of employment. so
after many meetings and much discus
sion the restaurant keepers could only
accept the tax and suffer the con-
sequences.
Then the question Of another tax on
dancing arose which meant that all
houses having exhibition dancing should
again be taxed another rs per cent. on
the receipts from the charge for ad-
mission" which does not exist, and
which would mean that such restaurants
as Ciro's. Cafe de Paris and Claridges
would be taxed altogether for music.
dancing and the luxury tax. &C. almost
rs per cent. Of their receipts The con-
sequence has been that all restaurants
have discharged their professional dane
ers. but they have had to increase their
prices to meet the tax on their music.
restaurants to explain the situation, but
the clients fail to read them, SO they
continue to complain. Louis" the man.
ager of the Cafe de Paris, told me the
other day that his French clients could
be made to believe nothing except that
prices were high because the American
tourists had arrived and that the Ameri-
cans would believe nothing but that the
French thought that the Americans
should pay dearly for everything.
Midnight Dancing Houses Popular.
On the other hand such taxes have
not prevented new midnight dancing
houses from opening and they are all
filled every night to overfiowing. The
"So-Different," the "Parroquet' and the
"Abbaye dc Theleme" have been the
most popular places for supper dances.
The So-Different, which was formerly
the Grand Teddy. has drawn the smart
est OF the smart during the winter and
tonight Maurice and Leonora Hughes
open a new place In the same street. tho
rue Caumartin. which will probably have
its same success Of last season and will
relieve the strain on the So-Different,
which Is turning away hundreds nightly.
The hotel proprietors In France are
even more up In arms about the new
taxes than the restaurant keepers. as
they. too. are having complaints about
prices. The manager of one of the
largest hotels In Paris remarked re-
Gently, apropos the new luxury taxes.
that before the war his establishment
paid taxes at the rate of about i franc
so centimes person. or 100000 francs
n year, on the basis OF 100000 clients
day. But at the present time he
notes that his taxes are more than two
million francs, or at the rate of 90
francs person a day. II is evident
that such tax makes prices extremely
high for the hotel client. and there is a
strong movement of protest in France
against this kind OF taxation, which
tends TO discourage the tourist from
coming here.
ling block with hotels as we'll as restau-
rants. as practically all of the big hotels
make n feature of their orchestrae for
tea and dances and for dinners. The
teas at Claridges, for instance. are tre-
mendously popular, and Paris would not
be Paris to the Americans without the
Sunday night dances at tho Ritz.
Almost every system of taxation Is full
OF absurdities and injustices, and the
present law In France Is. unfortunately,
no exception to the general rule. The
manner of classifying hotels as ordinary.
more or less luxurious, or of extreme
luxury. forces the management, accord
ing to the category In which his estab-
lishment is placed. to pay taxes respec-
lively of /, Q and 10 per cent. Hotel
proprietors do not want to install