The Paris Commune. Saturday, May 6, 1871. A decree of the Paris Commune authorizes the free return of items deposited at the Monte di Pietà that have a value of less than 20 francs. The Monte di Pietà is a private institution based on shareholders, with more than twenty branches in Paris, and generates substantial profits. The institution contributes to the financing of public assistance, but in reality it is a lucrative speculation at the expense of the poor themselves. Those in need of money bring an item, for example worth 10 francs, leave it as collateral and receive 1 or 2 francs. Then, within a certain period, they can redeem it by paying interest ranging from 12% to 15%. If they do not redeem it in time, their item will be sold. In the previous very cold winter, during the Prussian siege of Paris, eighty thousand blankets were held at the Monte di Pietà, along with another million items. The annual loans amount to one and a half million, of which one million, two-thirds, are loans between 3 and 10 francs.
