France seems to have given up the attempt, for the time being, to keep up 'a navy in proportion te her importance. The estimates, originally fixed by the department at 1,205 million francs, were cut down to 905 millions and were still further reduced, at the urgent request; of the Minister of Finance, to 851 millions. They have thus been diminished to the extent of 88 per cent., while the Army estimates have had only 4 per cent. taken off.
No one expects France to take wart in the nova] supremacy race, which either England or the United States is expected to win in 1925, bug with her long coastline on two seas and the immense _interests she has at stake she ought surely to protect her maritime interests better. No doubt the Government thinks that, as the German Navy has ceased to exist, is better t use the money for strengthening land defences.
In any case, the fact remains that, as regards the navy, apbearances are not even being kept up. The department is trying to sell the arsenals at Lorient, and Rochefort but has not, yee found make a bid for either of them. As any engineering firm: disposed to compared with 1914, the amount spent in pay has increased twice as much as the item for material. No shipbuilding is being done, ang the money for coal and ai] has been brought down to such a small figure that ships cannot be sent out long enough to give officers and men The Government, however, has intimated that this state of things in only temporary and that next year's Budget will contain a shipbuilding programme and a scheme of reorganization which will once More make the French Navy an effective force.
Tue Overtures to Austria.
Further details of the peace negotiations in 1917 between Austria and France are published by "L'Opinion."" Vt appears from a report sent by Comte Armand, the French officer who went to Switzorland early in August of that year, that quite a good price was -Offered to Austria, and the Emperor Charles must be bitterly re gre in his Swiss retreat that did not seize the opportunity.
The suggestion from the French side was that Austria should with-raw from the war and observe strict neutrality, that she should cede the Trentino and Trieste districts to Italy, or at least agree to Trieste being made a free port. It she did this, she was to have part of Poland.' Silesia would be recognized as One of the Austrian hereditary States and Poland and Bavaria would be allowed to join
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.