Paris, Dec. 30.
Although French currency risen considerably in value, Parisians Christmas rather freely than that of 1925. An illustration is supplied by the dig department stores, which report that, although plenty of toys were ought, only the really cheap kinds were in demand, 'This means that French parents are saving up for a rainy day. In spite of some small reductions in coffee, petroleum, sat and other imported necessaries, the cost of living still is very high, prices having fulfilled the economic experts' prediction that they would rise to the level of those prevail ing outside the country.
In the coming year, too, the full weight of the new taxation will make itself felty and there will be Tess money in circulation, the the franc having deprived French manufacturers their advantage and produced unemployment ina great many trades.
Al {famous "Memoirs," just presented to the library by the firm of Hachette & Cie. on the occasion of their centenary. The MSS. consists Jof 172 sections of eight pages each, written on both sides of the paper, Jand enclosed in 12 large leather portfolios with metal clasps and the fouther's arms and initials stamped Jon the leather. The gift comprises 111 of the portfolios. The 12th, containing the index, is in the archives lof the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jwhich shows no disposition to part with it.
rections and may have been a The MSS. containe very few cor lelear copy from an original draft. Tt is noticeable that, where the Jauthor thought fit to modify the ]wording of one of his characteristic loomments on people he did not rko, he generally made the final form even more caustic than the original, The writing is very small Jand clear, with numerous abbrevintions. The paper has yellowed only slightly, and the ink still is a good black. employment of foreigners in' being reduced, and Africans and Asiati ies who have acquired a certain amount! of training in French factories are being sent back to their own coun: tries to act as foremen and help forward a scheme of colonial de lopment with the help of which Poincaré hopes to continue the si Process of restoring th the franc. Trade is ind people are buying nothing that they can do without. France thus enters, upon the New Your under far from cheerful conditions.
The Famous Fire Brigade Some members of the Municipal Council having expressed the opin-jon that the fire brigade, which in reality is a regiment under costs too much and could be advantageously placed by civilians, the Prefect of Police asked Colonel Pouderoux, the commander of the force, to give "Living One's Life"
A young woman calling herself, Mile, Marilly de Saint-Yves, who now in custody at Versailles on charge of wounding her lover, /Sub-Lieut. Casenave, seems to have practised the modern system known.
it. father having died when "Living one's life" with great
was a baby, and her mother having married again, she was left! to the care of her grandmother. At ithe age of 154, she persuaded' the Jold Indy to give her an allowance of Fr. 160 a month, and with this income she started off to Paris. At! first she studied Spanish. Later she was attracted by philosophy jand made an attempt to follow a Jcourse of lectures at the Sorbonne, but was not admitted, her general, Jeducation being insufficient. ' She frequented cafes, went to Ostend and had quite a good time considering the smallness of her in-She was introduced to young' his views on the question. Colonel|Casenave when he was still a stu: Povderoux has presented a report indent at the Ecole Polytechnique, and which he shows that, from [threw in her lot with his after an financial point of view alone, acquaintance of eight months, His, out going into other considerations, father, a notary, living at Orthez, the change is out of the question. in the Pyrenees, idid not approve of He observes that a corps of civilian the affair at all, and when the firemen naturally would on-young man paid visits to the fami titled to the same advant; home, she followed him and had a the police, including the el jour distinctly stormy interview with day. Tt would therefore be nec her prospective father-in-law. sary to employ over 8,000 eivilia Finally, young Casenave had in the place of 1,700 military fire-enough of it and announced his The latter cost the city about intention of breaking off the liaison.
,000 a year ich, but the 3,000 Th civilians and their pensions would van to something like Fr, 72,000,000 A year, whereas at present the of pays only Fr. 19,000,000.
Colonel Pouderoux's report al contains a story which, hud it been known at the time, might ye caused considerable anxiety. Duri ing his visits last year's Decorative Aris Exhibition, he we impressed by the dangerous nature of the large staircase in the Grand Palai it being made of wood, decorated with inflammable materials anc traversed by hundreds of electric wires, Being convinced that this stairenes wes the worst danger in the ly, he arranged wi the exhibition authorities to give free admission to all firemen in uniter feeling sure that if there were an clarin, every fireman who happened to be in the grounds or buildings would rush to the rescue, and that he would thus have enough mon the spot to deal with any sudden Colonel Pouderoux also! reveals that, on some gala nights, when the Buildings and—groun: ds were brilliantly " illuminated, he took the precaution of having th he hose unrolled round the sides and fon the top of the Grand Pal and keeping jets in readiness 0 play on the interior of the building. with a powerful pump stationed the bank of the Seine close by.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.