WHAT THE COMMUNE COST FRANCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 193, 16 August 1871, Page 4

WHAT THE COMMUNE COST FRANCE.

A correspondent of the Daily Telegraph writes to that journal : — "And now I shall trouble you with a little calculation which has just been sent to me, which is interesting and may be relied on. My correspondent writes : — "As your countrymen are fond of figures, I give the following, which are the calculations a statistical friend of mine and I have come to of the loss that the ■ little game ' called the Commune cost Paris. Suppose that only 150,000 Nationals are paid aye- Fr. racing 2f per diem 300,000 For their legitimate and illegitimate wives and children, averaging 50c each 75,000 Commurie war expenses, including stock of ammunition and guns (low estimate) 500,000 300,000 workmen out of employ at 6f per day 1,800,000 Less pay above ... 300,000 1,500,0C0 Loss to employers from want of above, at 2f per diem 600,000 Loss in the non-production of the articles de Paris, and deprivation of factories, &c*. 2.500,000 Loss to general trade 10,000,000 Ditto by emigration of 800,000 food, 3f 2.400,000 Ditto clothing and sundries for above, at 3f 2,400,000 Loss by 150,0.0 strangers and provincials not coming to Paris : for their expenses of food and purchases, at 60f per diem average 9,000,000 Loss of rental 2.000,000 Tersailles army, at least 3,000,000 Loss by bombardment per day 34,-275,000 The French newspapers, not calculating the general trade loss which we give above, gave roughly the loss to Paris as 25 millions. So you see our calculation — made a week before the French calculations appeared — was not far wrong. The loss by the effect of the bombardment I leave you to calculate. This ' little game ' has, therefore, cost for the 33 days elapsed, the euormous sum of 1, 826,575, 000 f; aud as we may not perhaps see the end for seven days more, it will amount for sixty days to 2,058,500,000 f, or about £82,000,000 sterling, which is just as if the money was pitched into the ocean, so far as any material benefit to the country is concerned. " Let our Communistical and Socialist governors calculate the amount of good this money would have dove tbeir dear proletaires if not so squandered."