FRENCH CRISIS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 42, 18 January 1938, Page 7

FRENCH CRISIS

formation of government.

FRUITLESS ATTEMPTS. M. CHAUTEMPS CALLED ON. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received January 18, 10.35 a.m. PARIS, Jam 17. After M. Blum abandoned bis task of trying to form a Government, the President (M. Lebrun) asked M. Chautcmps, the former Premier, to form a Cabinet. M. Chautcmps stated: “You see, we have looped the loop and come back to where we left oft.” Ho added that his Cabinet remained in the interim and, therefore, would not cause precipitate action, but would aim at submitting to Parliament a code of political peace. The banks have received permission to deal in francs for strictly commercial purposes. M. BLUM’S ATTEMPT FAILS. POSITION UNSOLVED. PARIS, Jan. 17. Seven months after the fall of his first Popular Front Government, M. Leon Blum (leader of the Socialist Party) agreed to attempt to form a Cabinet, trying to find a formula for restoring social peace and public confidence ; also to check the flight of capital and save the franc, with a Ministry of all talents, excluding only reactionaries. However, it was later announced he had had to abandon his task. An earlier message stated that the French Government has resigned as a result of the resignation of the Socialist Ministers from the Cabinet. M. Bonnet (Minister of Finance in the Ghautemps Cabinet and also a member of earlier Administrations), had eased the tension liy accepting in principle the President’s invitation to form a Government. However, it was generally agreed in poiitioal circles that he was faced with a herculean task and that there was every possibility that ho would not succeed. lie had to abandon the, task.