The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1937 THE FRENCH POLITICAL CRISIS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20768, 1 July 1937, Page 8

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1937 THE FRENCH POLITICAL CRISIS.

Because the average life of the French Ministry within recent years has been about twelve months, the Blum Government must have considered itself fortunate iu entering upon its second year in office. But once more the French Government has been dethroned not because a group of “outs” eagerly sought office, but because the rank and file of the Chamber of Deputies will not face up to the perils of the financial situation in France. Taken generally, the French nation does not pay much attention to the loan operations of the Government for the time being, but let Cabinet show signs of taking steps to restore the country’s financial equilibrium by suggesting the imposition of substantially increased taxation and financial restrictions, and the doom of the Ministry is sealed. But with M. Blum, the political situation was further complicated by growing resistance to the demands for a wider extension of the forty-hour week, and the relentless demands of both the extreme Left and extreme Right that France should take sides in the Spanish conflict: Following the successful issuance of a huge Defence loan M. Blum was able to assure the Right parties that there would be a “pause” in national expenditure, that there would be no new loan, and that the Treasury would be able to meet its engagements until the end of the year. This sounded like real optimism, but M. Blum was thrown into despair when his own followers made such demands upon him as, in his own words, “to render the burden of power insupportable.” He had promised them the 40 hours week, collective contracts, and paid holidays, and in some industries these were already in operation. The Socialists, acting like an imperium in imperlo, wanted them to be enforced everywhere and at once. On top of this they demanded a loan equal 111 amount to the Defence loan to be expended in public works. But M. Blum was not the type of political leader who would run away from difficulties. Having placated the Right by offering a “pause” in national expenditure, M. Blum made the same offer to the Socialists respecting industrial reform, and the prospects for some security of tenure for the Blum Ministry seemed within reach. But diplomatic, financial, economic and industrial difficulties increased so rapidly that M. Blum was overwhelmed, and another leader has been entrusted by the President with the control of the destinies of the Republic. Faced with a budget deficit of £70,000,000 (which he insists must be covered by new taxation), currency chaos, and deepening crises in internal and international affairs, to say nothing of the menace of the growing discontent of the people because of the increasing cost of living, the new French Ministry has been forced into a position where it finds the further devaluation of the franc inevitable—a course of action which will not only upset the currency agreement with Britain and the United States, but will arouse fresh hostility from interests that will have to pay the piper for this fresh manipulation of the currency at a moment when the internal situation is veritably trying the patience—-to say nothing of the financial resources—of the most patriotic French men and women. Hostile political interests are moreover likely to make themselves rather obnoxious, particularly in view of the support for the plan for non-intervention in Spain that has been given by France, in spite of the wide sympathy cherished by Frenchmen for their distracted neighbours.