NEW FRENCH CABINET NOT YET IN SIGHT

Grey River Argus, 11 October 1949, Page 5

NEW FRENCH CABINET NOT YET IN SIGHT

PARIS, Oct 9.

M. Jules Moch, Leader of the Socialist Party, is expetced to-day to tell President Vincent Auriol whether or not he can form a stable Government. He has been lobbying the other parties over the week-end before accepting nomination as Prem-ier-designate. He called a show-down meeting of the leaders of the middle-of-the-road parties in an attempt to end the crisis. He spent the weekend trying to get accord among leaders of the Government parties on a policy of ‘improving low wages without unfreezing the general wage level.”

He saw a delegation from the M.R.P. (Popular Republican Movement) and M. Francois Deleos, chai man of the Assembly’s Radical Parliamentary group.

After M. Moch had seen the Socialist delegate, M. Guy Mollet, general secretary of the French Socialist Party said: “Everything that was considered a possible basis of agreement last week has now been left behind. It is necessary to go further.”

Trade union leaders became more restive over the week-end and warning strikes wer staged in places.

If M. Moch tells M. Auriol he cannot fom a Cabinet, it is presumed that another Radical politician, possibly the former Finance Minister. M. Rene Mayer, will then be asked to try.

The wages and economic policy which led to the downfall of the outgoing Dr. Queuille is still the stumbling block to agreement.