The " Cuts " in France M. Laval's policy of
drastic cuts in the salaries of French State employees and the pensions of ex-servicemen led to a riot in Paris organized by bodies representing those affected. But it was suppressed without serious difficulty ; and though in some quarters political capital is being made out of the grievances, on the whole public opinion seems to be in favour of the cuts. This tendency seems less due to any close analysis of their effect than to a general feeling that organized sectional interests have pushed their claims too far, and that the Federation of Ex-Servicemen, in particular, has become something like a public nuisance. For the present, therefore, M. Laval rides secure. Ile has still three months before he need summon Parliament again ; and since he will not be overthrown by rioting, there seems no reason why he should be overthrown at all.
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