FRANCE’S REMARKABLE WEALTH.

Evening Star, Issue 13162, 19 January 1909, Page 5

FRANCE’S REMARKABLE WEALTH.

Death duty statistics just communicated to Parliament give a remarkable idea of the wealth of this country. From these it appears that, more than half the population of France have property to bequeath. The total amount of money left by persons who died in 1207 amounts'to £218,440,000. 1 he number of those who left property was over 400,000. while the total deaths 'did .not reach twice that figure. The average estate_ possessed by a French man or woman is therefore nearly £550. But the most remarkable feature is the mimbe-r of small estates, as compared with England. I has £330.000 was left in sums not exceeding £4OO. (If estates between that tirnre and £2.000 there were nearly ■13.000. On the oilier hand, large fortunes ui'>' tew. Only 534 persons left over £10.000: onlv seven died worth from £IOO,OOO to £2,000,000, the. latter being the largest amount recorded. From the death duty figures statisticians deduce the tallowing conclusions :—Four million French persons own less than £lO apiece ; 4.000. Jess than £SO; and 4,000,000 more less; than £2OO. But 1.700,000 posses.: £B4O each, 270.000 £3,000, 175,000 £6.000, and 90,000 from £14,000 to £28.000. There are 13,000 possessors of 1.000. Unit is, £40,000. Very large, fortunes aro few. No one died 'in 1907 worth more than £BOO.OOO. Three estates of that amount paid duty in 1905, and three in 1904. The total wealth of France is estimated at about £900,000.000, and there is no country whose wealth is so equally divided among the inhabitants.