. Any Violation of Decree French Colonies Divided Vichy, Aug. 14.
Following the decree adopted by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, secret societies of every description will be dissolved throughout France.
the activities of which are hidden The will affect associations from public knowledge.
Property owned by such associations will be sequestrated and then sold. Proceeds from such sales will be turned over to public charity stitutions.
Fines and prison terms will be meted out for violation of this decree and, in the case of foreign societies, members will be sent out of the country.
All public officials and state employees will have to swear upon their honour that they never belonged to a secret society ox that they had severed connection with it. They will also have to promise that they will never return to a secret society should one be formed in contravention of the law. Violators will be dismissed from their post and will receive double the punishment usually meted out.
Before passing the decree, the Council of Ministers heard a report Sent in by the Ministers of Justice and of. the Interior' in which they stressed that "it would be inadmissible to see any attempt at national members: from the ranks of Government officials, and the actions of whith tend too often to paralyze the action of the Government."—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.