M. Caillaux, the Minister of Finance and the principal figure
in the new French Ministry, has arranged, says the Times correspondent, for the issue of two decrees withdrawing the Bills for a £52,000,000 loan and for a new succession duty. At present the Ministries of War and Finance are conducting investigations to ascertain the exact total of the extraordinary expenditure on defence. The solution of the financial problem must wait upon the result of this inquiry. M. Caillaux will in any case shortly introduce Bills for the taxation of acquired wealth. On Thursday there was a debate in the Chamber on electoral reform. Eleven out of the twelve Ministers forming the present Government have committed them- selves to the principle of Proportional Representation. But a large number of their supporters are ardent upholders of the existing system of scrutin d'arrondisseme-nt. The Premier,
Doumergue, announced that the Government would ask the Senate to agree to a compromise. This enabled the opponents of the .representation of minorities to vote for the Government. The principle of scrutin de liste and the representation of minorities was therefore approved by 330 votes to 161. But probably electoral reform will be postponed till after the electio-:s. The real crux is the Income Tax Bill, which M. Caillaux is intent on trying to pass in spite of the Senate. If the Ministry should fall, they will very likely fall on this measure.
Previous page
