FRENCH CABINET CHOSEN

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22305, 20 January 1938, Page 11

FRENCH CABINET CHOSEN

M. Chautcmps Retains

Leadership

LARGE RADICAL

MAJORITY

New Finance Minister

Appointed

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.)

(Received January 19, 8.30 p.m.)

PARIS, January 18,

M. Camille Chautemps has formed a new Cabinet composed of 18 Radicals and two Republican Socialists.

The Cabinet includes the following:—

Prime Minister — M. Camille Chautemps. Minister for War —M. Edouard Dalad ier. Minister for the Navy —M. William Bertrand. Minister for Air —M. Guy Lachambre. Minister for the Interior— M. Albert Sarraut. Minister for Justice —M. Cesar Campinchi. Minister for Finance —M. Paul Marchandeau. Minister for Foreign Affairs—M. Yvon Delbos. Minister for Commerce —M. Pierre Cot. Minister without Portfolio—M. Georges Bonnet, who will be charged with the co-ordination of financial and economic policy. All the above are Radicals.

A Republican Socialist member of the Cabinet is M. Louis Frossard, who will deal with social conflicts. With the under-secretaryships the Radicals have 28 posts out of a total of 33 in the complete Cabinet.

Although M. Blum’s Socialist Party is not represented in the Cabinet, it decided to support M. Chautemps provided he retains the Popular Front programme. The decision was carried by 88 votes to 25, on the motion of M. Max Dormoy, Minister for the Interior in the previous Cabinet.

M. Blum made an appeal for support of M. Chautemps. He emphasised the dangers of the international and domestic situations, and the tremendous responsibility which would devolve upon the Socialists if France continued without a Cabinet. The Communists passed a motion opposing M. Chautemps. M. Chautemps issued the following statement: “We are facing a heavy task and we must ensure that universal suffrage shall prevail. We must maintain the soundness of our finances and prepare social laws guaranteeing the collaboration of capital and labour.” The Cabinet immediately began a study of M„ Chautemps’ draft Ministerial programme, which will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies on Friday. [M. Marchandeau, the new Minister for Finance, is the Mayor of Rheims. His first Cabinet post was that of Minister for the Budget in the Chautemps Cabinet of November, 1933. When the Government fell as a result of the Stavisky scandal, M. Marchandeau was invited to join M. Doumergue’s Cabinet as Minister for the Interior. He held the post of Minister for Commerce in the Plandin Cabinet from November, 1934, to June, 1935.1