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Show DESTITUTE OF PARIS IE WITHOUT DOMES Hundred Thousand Poor Have No Shelter; Cochon Prophet of Crisis. Special Cablo to Tho Tribune. PARIS, May 4. Tho difficulty of housing the working classes in Paris is now becoming an acute problem, and quarter day has brought ou tho fact in a glaring light that workpeople can no longer find accommodation in Paris. The statement waB made last night by Profect of Police Lcpine that there are something like 100,000 destitute persons per-sons in the city who earn lesB, than H a week, and who can hardly find lodgings. lodg-ings. Tho price of workmen's rooms has been constantly rising, like rents in general, and whereas it was still possible for a workman fifteen yoars ago to find a room with a kitchen for himself and his family at $30 a year, the price has now risen to $60 or moro. Old five aud six story houses built fifty or 1Q0 3'ears ago, which had been inhabited mostly by workpeople, are now being pulled down In every quarter, and brand now modern apart-mont apart-mont houses are built in their placo. with flats Tanging from $1500 to $3000 Tent a year. Workpeople are being driven farther and farther toward the fortifications and boyond, but even along the fortifications great modern buildings aro rising, in which tho flats aro let for $500 or $1000, and workmen can only look at them from tho streot. ' As every great popular crisis produces pro-duces its own -prophet, the workmen s rent problem has brought forth a great l.nrlr ?n tho nerson of M. Cochon. the secretary of tho Poor Tenants' league, who goes through Paris dragging handcarts hand-carts full of furniture, and gathering crowds around him, to which he preuches. Now and thon he moves poor peoplo's furniture into public or state buildings. One morning he landed a ncody family, with' bed, tables and chairs, in tho midst of the courtyard of tho Hotol de Villo, and smco then ho has alternately moved or attempted to move largo families, with their furniture, fur-niture, into the 'prefecture of police, and only a few dnya ago he had unloaded un-loaded half tho contents of a cartful of furniture into tho chamber of deputies depu-ties boforo the attendants took alarm and expelled him. M- Cochon next unexpectedly; appeared ap-peared at the ministry of war with a family of five persons and several handcarts full of furniture. The father fath-er of tho fnmily had been decorated with tho military medal, had been a volunteer in 1870, wbh wounded by a shell, and taken prisoner at Sedan. The sentry nt tho door and the guards inside looked on in wonder when the handcajtB entered the courtyard. "What la it you wnntf" aBked a nontenant. .... A "A lodging for !"his poor man and hiB familv." answered M, Cochon; "he has fought for his country, has. been wounded in battle, has boon a prisoner of tho enemy, aud now ho is old and infirm and can no longor find a roof. I leavo him iu your chnrge." |