A Famous Pawn Shop.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 22, 1 December 1909, Page 61

A Famous Pawn Shop.

The Paris Monte de Piete, where the jewels of the ex-Sultan of Morocco are now reposing, is flanked bn -one side by a church and on the other by the venerable building which .stprcs the national archives, and there is nothing in the appearance of the largest pawnshop ’in the world to shame its respectable neighbours. In fact, were it not for the flag it displays and the sentinel at the gate; the vagrant tourist might easily assume the somewhat g’oomy edifice to be a college or a hospital. The Monte de Piete may well claim to he a philanthropic institution, for, as a general rule, the management loses money on all loans under twenty francs, the seven per cent interest which is charged not being sufficient to cover the registration an| storage expenses. And no interest whatever is claimed on loans up to five fran-w when the articles are withdrawn within sixty days.