DICTATORIAL POWERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 82, 7 April 1938, Page 9

DICTATORIAL POWERS

FINANCIAL STABILITY

AN URGENT NEED

(United Tress Association—By Electrlo Telegraph—Copyright.)

LONDON, April 6.

The financial proposals of ,the French Prime Minister, M. Blum, include a capital levy, increased taxes on big incomes, revaluation of the gold reserves of the Bank of France, centralisation of all foreign exchange dealings in the Bank of France, suspension of debt redemption for two years, and a super tax on armament profits. M. Blum also seeks dictatorial powers until July 1.

The Paris correspondent of "The Times" says that a deadlock in the negotiations to settle the Citroen and other strikes led to the workers occupying six other motor, aeroplane, and metallurgical factories, bringing the number of stay-in strikers' to more than 40,000.

Nine thousand Parisian taxi-drivers have called a six-hoyr strike for today as a protest against their. employers' demand for increased fares.

The extension of labour unrest has made worse the situation of the Government in the Chamber of Deputies, despite a speech of two and a half hours by M. Blum in which he emphasised the urgent need for financial stability.

M. Blum said that the Treasury would need £6,000,000 a week until the end of the year. "A great country cannot drag on like a petty trader on the rocks," he said, "but must live and arm itself, although determined. to avert war."