5 JANUARY 1929, Page 6

The dispute about M. Poincare's tolerant treatment of religious associations

is ready to break out again ; all the parties of the Left, including the Socialist-Radicals, think that the Budget was too much mixed up with politics, and they have not abated their anti-clerical bitterness. Then the grievances of Alsace-Lorraine will be heard of again. An easy pretext for an inter- pellation is provided by the recent attempt to assassinate the Public Prosecutor in the Colmar trials. Finally, there is an extraordinary crop of financial scandals, several of them connected with the review Gazette du Franc. One result of these scandals has been M. Poineare's successful Bill for prohibiting • members of Parliament from sitting on the Boards of a certain class of financial companies. On January 10th or 11th there will be a debate on the general policy of the Government, and it is by no means certain that M. Poincare will be saved by all his Parliamentary address, nor by the memory of his great services.