FRENCH STATESMAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21932, 16 October 1934, Page 9

FRENCH STATESMAN

M. POINCARE DEAD DETAILS OF HIS CAREER (Received October 16, 1.5 a.m.) PARIS. Oct. 15 The death has occurred ,of M. Poincare, a former President and Prime Minister of France. M. Raymond Poipcare was born in August, 1869, at Bar-le-Duc, studied law and settled in Paris as an advocate. The Society of Dramatic Authors appointed him its man of law arid this brought him into the public eye. The cases he conducted for it lie recorded in his book. ''Literary and Artistic Gases." During five years as a journalist M. Poincare took an increasing interest in politics. In 1887 he was elected a deputy and soon made his name in the Chamber. In April, 1893, when he was

only 33, he entered the Dupuy Government as Minister of Education. In another Dupuy Cabinet in 1894 he "was Finance Minister. In 1903 he entered the Senate and in 1906 again took the portfolio of Finance, this time in the Sarrien Ministry. When in October, 1912, M. Caillaux s Government resigned, M. Poincare formed its successor, retaining for himself the Fofeign Ministry and entrusting the navy to M. Delcasse. Shortly afterwards he became President and he held that position when the war broke* out. v , When during the Cannes Conference in January, 1922, the tension between Britain and France increased and M. Briand had to resign, M. Poincare formed a Cabinet and as Prime Minister delivered every Sunday a philippic against Germany. In January, 1923, he carried through the occupation of the Ruhr and steadily resisted the efforts of the Cabinets of Messrs. Bonar Law and Mac Donald to induce him to modify his attitude. The German passive resistance broke down in the autumn of 1923. M. Poincare's position in France was actually strengthened when, in March, 1924, he had to resign as the result of a snap division and he was at once asked to form a new Government. But the general election in May, which augmented the power of the Left, led to hi ta when J ta Mv 92 W26, the Hen-lot Cab£2 ffcSKSJ'fi continned'faU of the franc made a Cabinet o Ji.t.on.l Union essential and on July -3 M. Poincare formed the new Government, which included five other ex-Prime Ministers. notably Messrs. Hemot and Briand, and obtained a vote of confidence bv 358 to 131. . In November 1928, M. Poincare resigned in consequence of the action of the Socialist-Radical Congress in withdrawing four Ministers from the Government'. He formed a new Cabinet a week later and held office until July 28, 1929, when he resigned on account, of ill-liealth. His career had then culminated in the ratification of the war d< M works include a book on "The Origins of the and his memoirs, entitled "In the Service of the State." The fullness with which he dealt with • European politics was due to his penchant for keeping records of everything with which he had been concerned.