ECONOMIES IN FRANCE

Wairarapa Age, 10 August 1935, Page 5

ECONOMIES IN FRANCE

FINAL BATCH OF DECREES PUBLISHED. extensive programme OF RELIEF WORKS. LAVAL APPEALS FOR PUBLIC SUPPORT. (Received Friday, 7.25 p.m.) PARIS, August 9. The President, M. Lebrun has returned to Paris from a holiday in Lorraine specially to sign what is believed to be a final batch of decrees, which will be published in the Official Journal to-day. A last revision of these occupied the attention of Ministers all day yesterday. It is understood that discussion on measures to reduce food prices was particularly difficult. The meat question is especially complicated. The financial decrees, it is believed, include a reduction in interest rates to four per cent, for civil and five per cent, for commercial loans. The campaign against unemployment will take the form of local public works, financed by savings effected through the decrees of July 18 in the budgets of local authorities. The work will extend throughout France, but will begin where it is most needed. It will bo drastically confined to French workmen.

The new decrees also provide for fixing maximum retail meat prices. M. Laval emphasises that the Government’s main effort is directed to fighting unemployment by speeding up public works to the tune of thirteen millions sterling; also anti-flood defence work, for which unskilled unemployed could not be used. A Central AntiUnemployment Committee whose duties will include the suppression of overtime, will be created. Unemployment relief will be improved and farmers will benefit by a ten per cent, cut in farm rents. The Government is also annulling import quotas for a number of industrial products. M. Laval said: "To-day already the pressing financial peril is being averted. To-morrow a renewal of activity will follow if the nation responds to the Government’s new effort.”