A proposal made to the Senate this week directly affected the interests of the great majority of British and other foreign ¥esidents in France. The various Rent Acts being now in process of amendment, the Chamber of Deputies voted a Bill continuing the present system until April 1 next, so as to allow time for new legislation, the main principle of which will be to grant five years' extension to tenants who have carried out their obligations. A long extension of this kind is necessary in consequence of the con. tinued shortage of houses, esp ly in Paris and other large cities. The temporary Bill was sent to the Senate, and, following the usual course, a report was presented to that body on behalf of the committee Eppointed to examine it.
The writer of this repast, Morand, recommended that to an extension of tenancy should be withheld from four el of tenants, one of which consists of foreigners who have never fought for France nor served in the French forces, and foreigners whose children have not so fought or served. If the Senate, and afterwards the Chamber, had' accepted the suggestion contained in the report, all ners renting premises would be liable to be tu and many who have built up wexsex would be deprived of the of long. years of effort.
proposition, which the Senate had the good sense to ignore, is the atest illustration sot the feelings entertained by the French towards foreigners in general. They live in fear of beings swamped by the flood of immigrants with whom they cannot dispense because of their own dwindling birth-rate. The French consider it unfair that an Englis! man or an American should come to France and take advantage of exchange to buy or rent. premises at prices which the waives, say they cannot afford, Remarkable Example of 1
Mme. Cognacq, who died the other day at her home in the Avenue clu. Bois de Boulogne, set a remarkable example of indus try of the oki-fashioned kind. She had the true merchant spirit devotion to the counting-house, which seems to belong more the period than to 1925. Beginning life as a xhop assistant in 1855 she made the acquaintance of her fature husband, who was employed at the same establishment, They married in 1872 and, some years later, started the Samaritaine, Which was destined to become one of the largest deportment stores in Paris. Mme. Cognacq was hor husband's helpmate in the fullest sense of the term. For halt a century they never took a holiday going to their place of business every morning at-nine o'clock and not leaving until seven o'clock the evening.
Up to the end of her life Mme, Cognacq was always to be found during business hours in the eloth= ug department of the store, not Because there way any need for her personal supervision but because she could not do without the mosphere of the place which she and her husband had built up from six, years ago it occurred to BL. very small beginnings. Five or
and Mme. Cognacq one winter afternoon that they had not been cut of Pang for something like 40 years. They accordingly de" cided to go to They bought their tickets and set off by a night train, without any enthusiasm. When the train stopped, for the first time, at Laroche, Mr. and Mme. Cognaca, with one "accord and without saying word got up, stepped out into the night, and took the first train back to Paris.
Their industry prospered, they: made large fortunes and gave largely to charity. They had no children.
An interesting collection of parts history of the motor is being assembled at the hsonian Institution Hall of Arts and Industries in Washington, USA.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.