In the French Chamber M. Briand has done the best
he could with a bad financial mess, but the worst of the mess remains. After sitting all Monday night the Chamber agreed to a mutilated Financial Bill at 6.80 on Tuesday morning. The Bill was then sent to the Senate. In its original form, M. Doumer's Bill provided for a revenue of 8,800,000,000 francs. This sum was to be used to balance the Budget, to repay loans from the Bank of France and to establish a Sinking Fund. The result of the partisan conflicts in the Finance Committee and in the Chamber itself was that the 8,800,000,000 francs was whittled down to 1,600,000,000. M. , Briand, con- vinced That lie could do no more with the Chamber, accepted that comparatively paltry sum in the hope that the Senate would come to his rescue. Theoretically the Senate, like the House of Lords, is prohibited from making financial proposals. If it saves M. Briand by reinserting proposals which originated in the Chamber, the Chamber may add to the confusion by raising a constitutional question. .M. Briand, however, hopes for the best.
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