FRENCH POLITICS

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18364, 23 April 1925, Page 9

FRENCH POLITICS

PARLIAMENT MEETSygW CABINET'S POLICY. FINANCE AND SECURITY. I <..«LE-rRE9S ASSOrIATIOK-COPTRIGHT.) (»T C " (jtBBTZJI's TELEGRAMS.) • (Bcccived April 22nd, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, April 21. parliament assembled in the expecta♦■an of a lively debate centring on the personality of M. Caillaux, on whom the Oppose"" is concentrating its attack S ivcn noticc o£ tWO inter " LllitioM in respect of the Minister {Finance. There is little chance of Jhe debate ending till late to-morrow. jf, Caillaux was received with uinglcd hisses and cheers when he cntcrea the Chamber. Tho declaration of Government policy its read by M. Painlevc in the Chamber and by M. Steel in the Senate. It says the Government is determined to preservo the security of France and safeguard France's equilibrium. The Government in future international negotiations will pursue the full development of the Dawca plan and the settlement of intcr-Allicd debts which weigh heavily upon our policy and our etedit. The reduced expenditure of the Budget of 1920 will be entirely covered • by 1 taxation. When tho Budget 13 unquestionably balanced" wo will devote oiirselvcß to relieving tho State from tha functions of a banker, which it has exercised too long already. Wo will theft ask considerable sacrifices on tho p B H ° f lho nation by appealing to the patriotism of all citizens in an atmosphere of national concord. The government continues faithful to the Geneva Pact as tho first step towards a general international pact of peace based on security, arbitration, and disarmament. Trance will ratify the International Labour Conventions of WMning ton and Geneva. The statement concludes: The soven

port-war years have beon a bitter disillusionment to France, but the present difficulties should not cause the inexhaustible resources of France to bo lost dgfrt of, nor cause anxiety regarding her future. The declaration was much interrupted by the Opposition, members of t)io Bight upbraiding M. Caillaux and coupling his'name with that of 8010. A vote of confidence in the Government was carried by 314 votes to 250.

rf'he Ministerial declaration alßo said #fa the maintenance of a representative at.the Vatican appeared to he expedient, and appealed to Parliament not to reopen the controversy. 1110 Senate did not debate the delation, but adjourned it till the 23rd -$. '• , ■•' ' : A Communist, M. Marcel Cochin, in

jhe Chamber, moved an interpellation on the Government's general policy. ' The Chamber first debated the inter-

| pellation lodged by M. Bertrand on beI half of the ex-Service Group, asking [, why M- Caillaur was inclnded in the I Cabinet. Cheers and lond protests [ were mingled while M. Caillatii himself L" eat op the Ministerial bench, contemp- ■ tokwsly indifferent. - M. Bertrand read the text of the High • i Court sentence against M. Caillaux for communicating with the enemy, and

' ' lfeatedly remarked that France had not yel arrived at the pass of having fi> chooso botneen M. Caillaax and bankruptcy. 1 M. Painleve replied quietly that he ,had chosen the best qualified men to comprise his Cabinet, and appointed M. CrilJaux to the Ministry of Finance, as ho appointed Marshal Foch and Martial Petain to the chief commands in ?ir*time. ■VjJ. Caillaux rose, and at first betrayed, some emotion, but quickly regained hj« old-timo incisive accents. He declined to enter into, personalities, but dwelt on the national finances. Confuaon, ho said, choked the State Treasury, the position of which, without exaggeration, could bo described as serious. Ho promised complete reform in the new Budget, showing the expenditure and. the corresponding taxation. '$ recount of- votes on the question] of confidence in the Government shows "$i for the Government and 218 tg|inst. '*'K DRAMATIC INCIDENT. fVAGUE FINANCIAL MEASURES. j | ; J(jUBIEAUAS AND N.iJ. C*BLJS AaSOI;JATION v , • > (Received April 22nd, 7.15 p.m.) " ' LONDON, April 22. »' Tho declaration of policy by M. Paint«ve is regarded in London as of the '- Jaguest character. Summed up in M. own words, it means: "Give '*•> time to net and then judge the rcv *ult." The financial situation remains undisclosed, apparently for the good Reason it lias not yet been discovered. - M. Caillaux gave only a bare idea of ki» policy wjipn he declared; "I . a . ro , to avoid the present inflation, , \«t my depiro is not to increase the H folks' advance to the State." He pro- : , that there was no question of #«y kind of consolidation of bonds as that would be veritable bankruptcy. finally ho made it quite clear that Werifices would be demanded. I > A dramatic incident occurred whan i *>• in a speech, asked what r, be a better guarantee of security ■;* 'f w France than a perfect understand. "{ £»g with the Allies. ,> A military deputy interrupted: "Arc »#«tJanre of England!" - %'*• Briatd.feelingly retorted: "We ■>' r™ a °t have England's signature in f . ?»^* r bnt Bhe was with us all through, '4 l!lM on #t o» all our battlefields." - aii *&', "We: don't want Telegraph" says, cdiPainleve. 's declaration

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gave only most shadowy indications of tho Ministry's intentions. His task is to restore the confidence of tho investor by sound management of the nation's finances and check the downward tendency of tho franc. It is a herculean task, involving new and severe taxation, with all the political perils attendant thereon.

M. CAILLAUX'S ENTRY.

A HOSTILE RECEPTION. (ADSTaALU* **» 8.8. CABLB ASSOCIATIOH.) (Received April 32nd, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, April 81. The Paris correspondent of the "Daily Express" says that jeers, catcalls and whistles greeted M. Caillaux's entry into the Chamber of Deputies. From an early hour a queue awaited admission to the public galleries. Women in striking, low-necked, sleeveless dresses, struggled for seats, then produced powder puffs and lip sticks and pationtly awaited the great moment." "When the Ministers entered tho Chamber tho storm broke loose. The parties of the Left cheered, and those of the Right created a great din. Owing to interruptions it took 31. Pr.inleve forty-five minutes to read the short Ministerial statement for, when the Right were not interrupting, the Left turned the Chamber into a boar garden. ■• M. Cnchin, leader of the Communist*, was hooted by tho Right, and tltcn 31. Bertrand, who is the champion of ex-Service men, made a furious onslaught on M. Caillaux, whom he accused of slipping in by the back door, takin" advantage pf a political amnesty? instead of seeking re-trial. M. Caillaux became livid with anger, put ho did not intervene in the de!>&te - n II