FRENCH POLITICS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 June 1924, Page 5

FRENCH POLITICS

—♦—, THE NEW PRESIDENT. CABINET FORMED. SHORT LIFE PREDICTED. bt cable—press association—copyright PARIS, June 13. M. Doumergue, the new President, though a Radical Socialist, largely owes his election to the fact that the Centre and Right parties voted for him in order to defeat the official candidate of the Left parties (M. Painleve), whom the Moderates considered more of a party man than M. Doumergue. The new President began life as a lawyer. Elected to the Chamber in 1893, he held office, under many Ministries, and was Premier for the three months ending in June 1914. Soon after he became President of the Senate. He is described as a fine speaker, confident, polished, well-informed and much respected. He knows England well, as he was most friendly towards her. Long before the war lie advocated the closest Franco-British collaboration. The prospect, therefore, of M. Herriot and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald reaching a complete understanding on pending questions at the forthcoming meeting, appears most favourable. PARIS, June 14. M. Marsal lias tendered his Cabinet’s resignation and M. Herriot has. formed a Cabinet. It is announced that he hopes to go to London next week-end. The Cabinet is as follows : Premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs. —M. Herriot. Minister for Justice.—M. Renoult. Minister for War.—General Nollet. Minister for the Navy.—M Dumesnil. Minister for the Interior. —M. Chautemps. Minister for Finance. —M. Clemen tel. Minister for Education. —M. Francois Albert. Minister for Public Works. —M. Pey tral. Minister for Commerce. —M Raunaldo.y. Minister for Labour. —M. Justingodart. Minister for Agriculture.—M. Queullle. Minister for the Colonies.—M. Daladier. I Minister for Pensions. —M. Bovierla. pierre. Minister for Liberated Regions.—M. Dalbiez. The Cabinet is composed entirely of Republican Socialists and Radical Socialists as the Socialists refused to take office in the present circumstances. It is characterised by the dearth of striking personalities, though the exceptions besides M. Herriot are M. Clementpl, who. had already held the portfolios of Finance and Commerce with distinction, and M. Nollet, who was formerly president of the InterAllied military control mission in Germany. \ Political prophets predict that the Cabinet’s tenure of office will be short and stormy. It is noteworthy that M. Herriot is at the mercy of the Socialists, who constitute one-third of the Left majority of 300 or 320, with the Communists. M. Herriot is thus faped with a_ compact opposition of 260. Elite Parisian societv watched the voting from the galleries and the whole Assembly burst into loud, cheers when the result was announced, the Communists shouting: “Vive La Commune.’’ The demonstration lasted several minutes, the Centre parties singing the Marsellaisei and the-Socialists and Communists singing the Internatiohale. The Premier (M. Marsal) immediately afterwards formally invested M. Doumergne with office. Congratulations followed, M Painleve being among the first to felicitate M. Doumermi". MM. Painleve and Doumergue cordially kissed each other’s cheeks to the delight of the spectators. The military rendered the honours, and the crowd cheered ns M. Doumergue, accompanied bv M. MarsM. left for the Elysee, from which M. Mi Me rand had meanwhile onietly departed. M. Doumergue immediately summoned M. Herriot.

In a speech at the ceremony of in. vestiture M. Doumergue declared that he would respect the constitution and would stand above parties. He trusted +be President of Parliament would collaborate to solve the grave m-ohlems to enable France f,o enter upon an era of useful work and peaceful progress. AL Doumergue, who is sixty-one years of are. is a southerner and the'fret Protestant ny bachelor President. He at one time a member of the -oi.-u-Ul magistracy, holding posts in IndoCh’nn. and Algeria. His election m v / ’ t ■■ r j r(b■ 4as a severe 1 bny r to the Left Blop the entire onposPion in the C'heTrffim' the whole of the °enn+e. including the Radicals, voting for him.