NEW FRENCH CABINET.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1105, 19 April 1911, Page 5

NEW FRENCH CABINET.

d POLICY APPLAUDED BY SOCIALISTS. THE RAILWAY DIFFICULTY. By Telesranh—Press Associatlon-Oopyrtent (Ecc. April 18, 11.16 p.m.) . ■ '' . ;1 Paris, April 18. A congress of Collectivist Socialists ■under M.Jaures, the well-known Socialist leader, applauded the policy of M. Mbnis, the French Primei Minister, as compared with M. Briand's. He said the submission 'of the railway companies to tho Government demands regarding reinstatement .would mean ~a great victory to the workers. . . A LIST OF 'REFORMS. The new Government met the Chamber for the first time oh March 6, and obtained on its first vote of confidence the majority, of 209 to 111. Searching questions were put as to the exact political position of tho Cabinet, its relations to the Bight and to tho Socialists, and in detail its • intentions towards the dismissed railwaymon and tho question of proportional representation. M. Mom's made a dramatic reply. Pointing, to the Eight benches, he said the Republican majority began there, "where hostility .to Eepublican institutions ended," and with a gesture towards the Extreme Left, ended there violence began." : . ' ' iTho list of reforms is as follows:— 1. The Ciovernmeiit will hurry forward 'Sn the Senate the Income Tat Bill. .2. A system of loans for petty commerce and industry as well ns for workmen. ' , 3. Eeform of primary education in the direction of technical instruction. i. Electoral Tefonn with the Proportional Eepresentation Bill framed by the Parliamentary Commission as the basis. The Ministerial. Declaration next proceeded to name the measures to be dealt with in order .of.urgency, namely: , J The Budget'first,' ; and" thoh • 'measures , dealing With' the railwaymen; including the suppression of sabotage and all acts calculated to •' compromise the safety" and interests of the Republic/ and the Bill for making the men's.pensions retrospective.' On this point the Declaration proceeds to make- an appeal for toimanity as well as strict justice, pointing ■. out that the State railways have spontaneously reinstated the greater part of the railwaymen dismissed during the recent strike, and announces that a prudent reconsideration of such cases will be continued, of course, to the exclusion of men who have been sentenced for violence or crime, or whoso Anarchist practices have endangered public security.

; "If rumours that, are current have any foundation/' says the "Daily News," "the policy of the new Government in regard to the reinstatement of ihe railwaymen dismissed in consequence of their participation in the.general strike is likely to meet with opposition from the railway companies. On the West-State line, of 'course, the Government can do as it pleases; it will be less easy to imposo ■ujion the companies a line of. conduct of which the directors do not approve, particularly, .as there is certain to bo iii Parliament a ' strong party to support them. According to the 'i'aris Journal,'should the Government insist, the directors, of the companies will resign rather than yield."