It is no light task for a man of over seventy years of age to assume the office of Prime Minister 'In. the, resent state of public affairs. in Europe, Belgium has great confidence in M, 'Emile Vandervelde's experi-fence and patriotic judgment. On many grounds the resignation of M. van Zeeland will be regretted for' he had made a marked impression cly his public utterances during the recent forelm crisis and he had acquired much esteem for his stales-manlike" ability during, his brief tenure of office, M, Vandervelde, however, is able to command more support from the party which has now triumphed in the elections and hhis name carries considerable weight outside Belgium. Incidentally he is considered to be the most powerful socialist orator in the French language since the death of Jaures, He signed the Locarno Treaty for Belgium and hho had much to do with the negotia~ tions leading. up to the signature, He has been directly responsible for important reforms in the prison administration of his country and his interest in educational and housing matier: has been practical and assiduous, He has been professor of Political Economy" in the University of! Brussels, His selection to head. the now Belgian Cabinet is especially "Interesting in view of the change in France where for the first time a Socialist administration is in power. This is the first time that M. Vandervelde has been Prime Minister of Belgium, his previous offices being those of Minister of State (1910-18), Minister of Justice (1918-21) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1925-21).
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.