NARROW ESCAPE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 276, 21 November 1932, Page 7

NARROW ESCAPE.

FRENCH PREMIER.

ATTEMPT ON LIFE.

Bomb Explosion Wrecks Railway

Line.

TRAFFIC STOPPED IN TIME.

(United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright)

(Received 12.30 p.m.)

PARIS, November 20.

Prior to the passage of a heavilyladen slow train preceding that conveying the French Prime Minister, M. Herriot, to Nantes for the FrancoBreton unity commemoration service, a bomb explosion Avrecked both tracks at Ingrande-sur-Loire.

A plate-layer heard the explosion and stopped the traffic. Wreckers are believed to have been responsible for the outrage.

M. Herriot was warmly congratulated upon his escape.

M. Edouard ■ Herriot became Prime Minister of France for the third time when his Radical-Socialist party defeated M. Tardieu's National Cabinet last May. Herriot received his initial political advancement when he was elected Mayor of his home city, Lyons, in 1905, a position which he held for oyer 25 years. After the fall of Poincare, the War Premier, in 1924, he formed a Cabinet which remained in power until its defeat in 1925 on a financial measure. During that time lie was responsible for the resignation of President Millerand, and also for the London Conference with the British Government, when the Dawes Plan was. accepted. He was elected President of • the Chamber (Speaker), but when Briand's Ministry was defeated, he formed his famous "Cabinet of a day," which was beaten late the same evening. Since then he has held various Ministerial posts under Poincare and Briand, eventually coming into power once more in this year's elections.