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Show 1 DECREASE OF FRENCH BIRTHS. Tho statisticians of Franco are creating quite a stir among tho people peo-ple by bringing into prominence some startling figures in regard to the tendency ten-dency of population in that country. It appears that the number of births in all Franco for the year 1S74 was 953, 652, only 7.2SS more Ihan in 1573, and 12,000 less than in 1S72. During Ihe entire period of the empire tiie number was never eo small. In 1S72 the excess of the births over the deaths was 172,930, and in 1S73 the excess was only 101,770, thus showing show-ing a very considerable diminution. In 1S74, however, this excess has risen again to 171,913, which is very nearly-equal nearly-equal to the figures of 1SS2, but this laitr oxce.s is accounted for by the great decrease of the death rate for 1574, Ihe number of deaths being less than for a grf:jl many previous years. The Paris correspondent of Ihe New York 'Ji-ne.1 says of this states oJ affairs: We arc now suffering from the effects of the war, and also from the unfortunate financial policy of M. Thiers. Instead of spreading the war debt over a long series of years he insisted upon doing too much, and, turougu national as well as personal vanity, imposed burdens upon tho present generation that are too great lo be borne without disaster. Life is hard in France just now, and the necessaries of life are held at exorbitant exorbi-tant rates. There is many a poor family of hard workers who cannot get their put au feu of horse meat more than once a week, and beef is beyond their reach. Fecundity is hardly to bo expected under such circumstances. cir-cumstances. When found at all it is among the country people, but owing to the hard times they are less given Lo marriage than usual. |