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The Ohinemuri Gazette. MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1911. THE RIOTS IN FRANCE.

Those of our readers who are familiar with the history of the French Revolution, or the troubles which arose in France after the Prussian War, and known as the Communist Rising, will have watched with more than a passing anxiety the recent troubles in France. That the question is imperfectly understood at so far distant a place- as ;the dominion is natural, though it incidentally affects the matter of State control of industries, and of the viticultural interest in particular, which some people think may have a permanent position in our history; but the facts are sufficiently of interest to be worth explaining, and the interest which they may bear on French politics in the near future is of sufficient importance to be worth con-

sidering in view ot the present and prospective relations of France and England. It must then be remembered that though France has been universally pioductive of wine oi all sorts she has (almost alone among the nations), through her Government, carefully regulated the classifica- . tion and the grading of the products of her wine producing districts, until such have obtained almost the value ot a goodwill or a trade mark; and amongst all the gradmgs there has been none which has attained to the celebrity of the effervescing white wine which is known as champagne. Now, Champagne itseli is a small village, of no particular importance, situated in the Department of Marne, which originally was the home of the variety of Chasselas grape. The white wine produced from this grape came to be famous for its sparkling qualities, and it was sold the world over. Inasmuch as the whole countryside was devoted to viticulture, effervescing wines became common amongst all the growers within an approximately easy distance of Rheims, and the term "Champagne" was applied indiscriminately to all of^them. 1 Because of their fame, and perhaps largely on account of the fact that Europe and America consumed yearly a quantity of the supreme " tonic," which aggregated six times the quantity actually vinted, there came to be attached to the use of the name " Champagne " applied to wines, a value wholly fictitious, and one which really carried with it a certain amount of goodwill in the open markets of the world. Now, the country which immediately surrounds Champagne is included in the French Department of Marne (situated contiguously to, but north-east ot, Aube), ana for many years it alone gave birth to" champagne wines. Sometime since Aube was included in the districts delimited as being also " officially recognised " provinces of the wine, and (more recently still) it has been put outside the borders by a new and arbitrary delimitation. It will be patent to everybody that the value of the goodwill and the title is greater in the selling of champagne than any other factor, as it will be established that the wine produced in Aube will be neither more nor less hereafter than it has been hitherto.

Aube wine growers, or viticulturists, have, in revenge for their ousting from the markets of Europe, crossed the borders into Marne. They have sacked the cellars and wasted the wine of their rivals, and they have not hesitated to invoke the spectres of civil war by importing into the quarrel the protecting aid of their women and their children; but they must be singularly ignorant of the temper of the Freuch people if they imagine for a moment that their temporary successes will be able to successfully defy the rights of the commu-

nity at large, or of the Government which represents them. The Government of M. Briand dealt admirably with the railway strike difficulty; and the present Government no doubt may be depended upon, in doing justice to the men of Aube, to also recognise the claims of the rest of France to a peaceful de\elopment oi its wine industry, and to an avoidance of an internal trouble which might lead an emotional people towards a civil debacle.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OG19110424.2.6

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXII, Issue 2781, 24 April 1911, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
672

The Ohinemuri Gazette. MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1911. THE RIOTS IN FRANCE. Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXII, Issue 2781, 24 April 1911, Page 2

The Ohinemuri Gazette. MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1911. THE RIOTS IN FRANCE. Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXII, Issue 2781, 24 April 1911, Page 2

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