LOSS TO FRANCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18529, 16 October 1934, Page 7

LOSS TO FRANCE

M. POINCARE DEAD DISTINGUISHED CAREER (Received Oct. 16, noon.) PARIS, Oct. 15. The death has occurred of M. Poincare, the noted statesman, a former President and Premier. M. Poincare had been in failing health since a serious operation in 1929, and lie collapsed on Saturday._ The British Ambassador in Paris, Sir George. Clerk, called on M. Laval, and the Ambassador requested him to convey' messages of sympathy from Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and Sir John Simon to Madame Poincare on the death of her husband.

M. Raymond Poincare was born in August, 1869, at Bar-lc-Duc. He studied law and settled in Paris as an advocate. The Dramatic Authors' Society appointed him its man of law and this brought him into the public eye. He also came forward as an author with his' “Idoes Contejnporainos,” which won him membership of the Academy. During five years as a journalist he took an increasing interest in politics. In 1887 ho was elected a deputy and soon made his name in the Chamber. In 1893 when only 33 he entered the Dupuy Cabinet as Minister of Education and next year he was Finance Minister. In 1903 he entered the Senate and in 1906 took the Finance portfolio in the Sarrien Ministry. When in October, 1912, Caillaux’s Cabinet resigned, Poincare formed its successor, retaining for himself the Foreign Ministry. In December, 1912, he indicated his readiness to stand for the Presidency. Clemer.ccau and Combes did their best to prevent his election, but the Nationalists supported him and he was chosen by 483 out of 870 votes. He resigned that post in 1919. He formed a Government in 1922, resigned in March, 1924, formed a new Cabinet, but was defeated at the elections in May. When in July, 1926, the Herriot Cabinet was defeated on the day it first met the -Chamber, the continued slump of the franc made a Cabinet; of National Union essential and on July 2:1 Poincare formed a new Government, which included five other exPrentiers, notably Briand and Herriot. The general election of April, 1928, resulted in a big majority for the Premier, who, on June 25, carried through the stabilisation of the franc at the ratio of 124.21 to the £. Later his popularity began to wane. The Radical-Socialists objected to his concessions to the Church and other planks in his platform. By a snap vote at their Congress they brought about the withdrawal from the Cabinet of their four Ministers arid Poincare resigned.