'The French Premier's speech at St. Nazaire on Sunday was 3 most galant one, for in it he had to express a riodifieation of policy which is not likely to. be enthusiastically—wel-cored by some of his supporters. He sunounced the government's intention to make a pause in social legislation in. order' to check the resent race between domestic prices and salaries, It was not to be inferred that the government was beating a retreat, or that it was giving up the slightest of its social achievements, for that the government was not so closely bound as it had been with the working classes. It was still remain ing a government of the Front Populaire, What the Government desired was that for the moment the execution of the policies, the prospect of "which brought it" into power, should be suspended, while it turned lls attention to other matters of equal Importance. In other words M. Blum is seeking a space in which to deal with the financial and other difficulties with which France is faced. That will come ax somewhat of a blow to those who anticipated that M." Blum's cole preoccupation, would be to endeavour to bring' about all those social reforms to which he and the parties supporting hima are pledged: but there comes occasions in the lives of practically all governments when activities for the moment to be diverted achieving the main objects Policy, to the solving of purely ciliary' problems. That "does not mean that M, Blum atid his. sup: Porters are losing sight of the main ends of their policy, but rather that they are proposing to deal with other matters which, "unless dealt may tend to delay the full execution of all that they have in mind,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.