FRENCH COSTS IN ALGERIA

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28528, 6 March 1958, Page 11

FRENCH COSTS IN ALGERIA

More Troops Now To Re Sent (Rec. 8 p.m.) PARIS, March 4. The French Prime Minister (Mr Felix Gaillard) today agreed in talks with key Ministers to the sending of reinforcements to Algeria where already 400,000 French troops are fighting insurgents. The Prime Minister is expected to ask the Cabinet tomorrow for authority to stake the life of his four-month-old coalition Government on the defence budget compromise. It was reliably reported that the compromise agreement would involve about 30,000 men who would replace troops demobilised after completing their military service in Algeria. The agreement is understood to add about 40.000 million francs (about £33.300,000) to the military budget. The Algerian insurrection is already costing France about 1000 million francs (about £8.300.000) a day. Cotton Import Ban Attacked (Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 5. Angry protests were made today against the Australian Government’s recent ban on import® of all printed cottons. Representatives of more than 300 firms discussed the proposal today. The chairman of the. National Association of Garment Industries. Mr Douglas Cox, of Melbourne, called the Government’s move a “dictatorial policy.” He said that the ban would seriously affect the employment situation as nearly 20.000 persons were directly in line for unemployment. The Department of Trade, he said, made the decision regarding import licences without any reference to the trade. “They are completely disorganised and maladministered,” he said.