M. Tardieu Takes Over
The Tardieu administration, formed after M. Painleve had failed to constitute a Government to succeed M. Laval's, is, in fact, very like M. Laval's old Government over again. Its main business will be to pass the Budget and take the necessary formal steps for the holding of the General Election on a date still to be decided. The stop-gap nature of the Ministry is shown by the reduction of its numbers to thirteen, made possible by the attribution of two or more portfolios to one Minister. Part of that expedient, the amalgamation of the Ministries of War, Marine and Air in a single Ministry of Defence, is a singularly bold innovation for a Prime Minister whose Cabinet must disappear in less than three months. The change may result in certain econo- mies, and it is calculated to impress the Disarmament Conference favourably. M. Tardieu's appeal, in his opening statement of policy, for closer Anglo-French relations will be cordially welcomed here, provided always that it involves no suggestion of a united front against Germany—or anyone else. The Premier claimed that the adoption of the French disarmament proposals would save the world 110,000,000,000 francs a year. It
is not clear how.
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