Minister, has resigned because be thinks the bill to reduce the term of military service from three years to 18 months, in two years' time, pgerous. He considers that ake the French army too and will encourage the Ger-us to resist compliance with ance's claims and to cherish the project of a war of revenge.
Everyone admits, of course, that France must keep the upper hand. The only question is how to do it. The three marshals of France, all the leading generals, and the National Defence Council all agree that 18 months' service will suffice tu maintain a strong enough force, provided that the supply of aeroplanes, tanks and other modern engines of warfare is adequate France, with her low birth-rate equate supply of Jabour, cannot afford to keep oe many young men with the colors. She is like a man whofe Gnancial position makes it imperative for him to reduce his insure nee premiums without running the risk of a tire which would rum him completely. Tt ix evident that a French army of 800,000 men, holding the Rhine bridge-heads, can prevent the Germans from invade ing France and Belgium, but ther® wre other contingencies to be thought of.
What is tv be done, for instance, if Austria unites with Ge many. as she threatens to do. in defiance of the peace treaty, and Germany thus regains in the east what she hag lost in the west? It is only five mouthy since Germany was looking for a chance to invade Poland while the Bolsheviks were attacking her in front. All the political observatories in Europe w us that the coming spring ma fatal to Poland, and France cannot afford to let Poland be—crushed. She therefore feely bound to postpone the reduction of her army for two years, even at the risk of being still accused of imperialism.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.