GREAT PARIS SCANDAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 532, 8 December 1928, Page 9

GREAT PARIS SCANDAL

CABINET NOW INVOLVED ARTICLES BY MEMBERS (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) PARIS, Friday. The scandal in connection with, the arrest of Madame Marth© Hanau and her divorced husband, Lazare Bloch, is growing daily. Th© woman is known throughout France as “Madame la President©, financial wizard.” She has been operating one of the most gigantic get-rich-quick schemes ever devised. Seven members of the Government, including the Premier, M. Poincare, the Foreign Minister, M. Briand, the Minister of Labour, M. Loucheur, and the Minister of Marine, M. Leygues, are now involved, through articles they are alleged to have contributed to Madame Hanau’s paper, the “Gazette du Franc,” or the affiliated “Gazette des Nations.” “L’Humanite” publishes a facsimile letter taken from a page of the “Gazette du Franc.” written by M. Poincare. It also charges the leading newspapers with having sold space to Madame Hanau of the value of nearly £2,500 a month. * This filled their financial columns, .which were supplied from the “Gazette du Franc.” No doubt, says the paper, Madame Hanau cleverly exploited them. Articles on general topics were written by distinguished persons, but no one except the Communists believes that these distinguished persons knew they were being exploited. The magistrate hearing the charges has so far received 700 complaints from all classes —humble folk, Government officials, a*;d persons of social importance. The police are contin«**ng to search the palatial offices from which Madame Hanau conducted her operations.