The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 1926. FRENCH POULITCS.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 June 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 1926. FRENCH POULITCS.

Tire wav of French politics is very much like the value of'tlie franc for a long time—very uncertain. Although there have heeu many changes in the Ministry, M. Briaiul appears to hold a monopoly oi' the premiership. Yet it is a position he wishes to be clear of. In the remaking of his Ministry after another remit short life, he has had a difficulty in adjusting negotiations with the numerous parties which abound in French politics. Tit? task is not accomplished yet. hut. as a contemporary nays, if M. liriaud should succeed in his attempt to form a Cabinet, which wifi include M. Poincare, France will possess a Ministry of an unusual character. M. Briand is admitted to he the master strategist of French politics, and M. Poincare is the strongest man in the political arena. After serving the Republic for some years as President. M. Poincare refused to follow precedent and retire from public life. Within a short time lie was again a prominent figure in political circles, and became Premier at a critical period after the war. His policy of occupying the Ruhr strained the relations of the Allies almost to breaking point, but there was no sign of compromise on the part of the French leader. There has always been something dogged about M. Poincare, and if he returns to office in any capacity there should be something

definite in the financial plane of the Government. Recently a French eorrcspondiJiit, writing of the polite

leaders of the nation, said of the Nationalist chief: “Al. Poincare is not popular in France. Tie has a nature which .repels sympathy, llis colleagues in the Ministry, whom he treats as officials of the higher (lass, are afraid of him, hut do not love him. The | politicians in the Chamber dislike him and are afraid of bis strictly merciless logic. And yet this mail remains a power.” Fortunately, AT. Poincare has contributed to leading British newspapers during th? past few months a series of. articles on tho problems of French finance, so that his attitude in this respect is known. The danger, as lie sees it, is that theue are too many doctors anxious to attend to the patient, agreed that something should be done but differing widely as to the course of treatment. The great need is for action; and AT. Poincare says that tho Government should use energetically all the constitutional authority it posesses in order to compel Parliament to accept without further delay sound financial principles. The country, lie added, understood fbe need for this better than did Hie politicians, and all it asked was that the battle over taxes should chase. It may be that, in her need, France has secured the mail who will not seek to avoid the issues, a, man of proved strength. In his biographical study of the Fnsneh leader, Air Sisley Huddleston says: "Opportunists and compromisers have sought to bend or break him, hut, they have never moved him a hair’s breadth from the path he has mapped out. for France and along which, h.v indomitable determination and untiring energy, lie lias led her.” The presence of a man of this calibre may give a French Afinistrv the stability which lias been lacking during the past two or three years. !

Paim.iamknt had a full dress debate on Tuesday on unemployment. provoked by a un-eonfidcueo motion from the Labor party, Unfortunately uuemploymeut is a serious matter in the centres of the Dominion. It has come to he seasonal now, due in a gneat measure to the rush to the centres in the winter, when work is scarce in, the country districts. It- is not altogether a lack of Government •expenditure for where the Government expenditure is greatest-—in the Auckland province—the number of unemployed total, tins largest. But it is a. fact that the nature of the Government’s large expenditure is changing in its nature. The great outlay for hydro-electric works means more money for machinery and plant than for actual labor. With roads and railways, the proportion of the cost of labor to the material is greater, and more men are employed obi. a given total expenditure. In*regard to electric power works, the reverse is the case. At all events, unemployment is rampant in various places. The speeches by members were sympathetic, and should encourage the Goernment to go as far ns possible in affording relief to the position. The method of the Labor party in making the issue a political one before hearing what were the Government proposals was ill-advised, particularly as the motion in effect sought to hold- up Supply, and if carried would have made the position more acute than ever. It was apparent that the Labourites were out for advertising purposes, hut it would he only the dupes who would fail to realise the true intent of the political notion. The help offered the Government by the Liberals was in sharp contrast, for it indicated that the members would do their utmost to assist in providing mans whereby employment could lie afforded more men. The state of affairs seems to call for a definite policy on the part of any Government in power to arrange to meet a situation which is arising year after year. Until a general settlement policy can he enforced which will place more people on the land, and something done to further tin extension of secondary industries opening more avenues for general work of a permanent character, the position is going to lie acute each year. Cheap power to he derived from the hydroelectric developments will assist in tiie expansion of secondary industries, and the Government should help, also, to establish more industry by offering subsidies for a time, and revising the tariff to help in a measure of reasonable protection where such can he afforded with advantage. Chief of all however, there must lie a move towards closer settlement, and there is the incentive now more than ever for the Government to move in that direction. With the solid majority behind the Prime Minister there is no douht the ratification of sncli a policy, if brought down, and there is. therefore, the onus on the Govermpnt fo jnifhe

good. So far as the present position of unemployment is concerned it is a matter for temporary efforts to he made to meet tins situation as adequately as circumstances will permit, and look to the immediate future for a more permanent measure of relief from a policy creating definitely more avenues for work and more opportunities for settlement, which will afford a wider range for succour to all those in lined of work and permanent employment. It is essential that the task be attempted in a whole-hearted manner without delay.