not often that a Government fon assuming office is so. swiftly Prompted by the course of events to put its programme to the test as has een the experience of M, Leon Blum's Cabinet. The outbreak of labour unrest has precipitated action which, possibly, might have been deferred until the new administra-ion had found its feet, M. Blum seems to have tackled the problem with much courage and force. His deft acceptance of the comparison with Mr. Roosevelt's New Deal and his frank frontal assault on the apprehensiois of his Radical critics betokened no mean parliamentary skill, The Socialist Prime Minister of [France is in a curious position in that he has to depend on the sup-ort of two different sets of allies—Radicals and Communists, 'The former will not abandon their' support of private enterprise; the latter will not permit their approval of nationalization to weaken their belief in the dictatorship of the masses. So M. Blum will have to pick his way carefully over these contradictory. stepping stones if he is to cross safely to the. industrial and economic reform which he considers necessary to his political salvation, "He seems to have made a good beginning in wielding his precarious ascendancy. He has displayed a brilliant gift of exposition and his speech shows how largely economic issues occupy the mind of France at this juncture, It is signi-leant however that the Senate Finance Committee, in intimating its decision to refrain from opposing M. Blum's bills for tactical reasons, has sounded a warning as to the possl-Ble effect of the new Government's spending proclivities on the national] defence programme,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.