NEWS OF THE WEEK

THE prolonged French crisis is a proof of the extreme difficulties which France has brought upon herself by persistently refusing to perform the commonplace but necessary duty of facing the facts. Ever since the War she has failed to tax herself adequately; she has only nominally balanced her Budgets ; she has put into circulation far more than the legal maximum of notes, though for many months this fact has been disguised and even denied ; she has ignored her foreign debts. All this time she has enjoyed a fictitious appearance of prosperity. It is probably true that there are very few, if any, unemployed in France. But her credit has been broken into atoms and now in the presence of a franc which stands at a value almost four times less than its pre-War value she hardly knows which way to turn. It is clear that nobody likes the job of becoming Prime Minister and shouldering this ghastly financial burden.

Since we wrote last week the fantastic policy of a voluntary Capital Levy which would bear the low rate of 3 per cent. interest has collapsed. M. Herriot framed this scheme of a Levy which was not a Levy in conjunction with his new Minister of Finance, M. de Monzie, but only a few hours of discussion were necessary for the Senate to laugh it out of court on Friday, April 10th, and to bring about the fall of M. Herriot's Government. By 156 votes to 132 the Senate carried a resolution to the effect that as the whole financial problem was closely bound up with general policy they were unable to give their confidence to a Government which did not restore national tranquillity by uniting Republicans. In face of this declaration M. Ilerriot could do nothing but resign. After his fall the President, M. Doumergue, invited M. Painleve to form an Administration.

M. Painlev6 at once refused on the ground that he would inherit all M. Herriot's difficulties without any better prospect of overcoming them. In a public statement he expressed his opinion that the best way to bring the Chamber and Senate into agreement was to choose as Prime Minister some politician who very distinctly belonged to the Left, but who had not become personally immersed in recent political controversies. After M. Painlev6 had refused the President invited M. 13riand to form a Government. M. Briand accepted the invitation, but after nearly three days of negotiations he had to confess that he had failed. his opinion from the beginning was that a new Government must be based on the Cartel des Gauches and that it was essential that all the four groups of the Cartel should be represented in the Ministries. On Tuesday the National Council of Socialists rejected M. Briand's advances with a prompt and contemptuous unanirAity which marked their opinion of him as an undesirable opportunist.

The President's next step was to send .again for M. Painleve, and when we go to press on Thursday it seems likely that M. Painleve, who undertook to form a Ministry, will succeed. Paris is particularly excited by the possibility of M. Caillaux being included in the Government. This would indeed be a striking example of Time's revenges, but it may be that the restored exile alone can straighten out French finances. The widespread belief in his financial wizardry would greatly help him. In this country such a crisis would probably have been solved by a dissolution, but under the French Constitution there can be no dissolution before the legal period of a Parliament has expired unless the Senate gives its consent. The Senate, however, has not been quite so adamantine in its treatment of the grave financial laxities as some people expected. On Wednesday night it passed without comment the Bill which had been rushed through the Chamber increasing the authorized note currency by four milliards, thus relieving the Banque de France of its anomalous responsibility. It was, of course, the Government's control of the Bank which did the mischief.

Belgium, like France, is in the throes of forming a new Ministry. M. Vandervelde, leader of the Socialist Party, is trying to get together a Coalition Cabinet. The General Council of the Socialist Party, as we learn from the Brussels correspondent of the Times, considers that assistance must be sought from both the Right and the Left.

Proportional representation at the General Election has in fact, as so often happens, made a coalition inevitable. Much depends upon the line taken by the Catholics. So far they have merely decided to form a bloc to preserve the unity of the Catholic Right. If they maintain this policy M. Vandervelde may find it quite impossible to get a• working. majority. In that event King Albert would call upon a Catholic to form an Administration. No. party has got a clear mandate from the country. The more we see of the results of Proportional Representation, the less we like them. In theory the representation of minorities is admirable, but in practice we find several groups sterilizing one another and the nebulous policy which comes from carrying compromise to excess. The way is thus opened to that curse of all politics, log-rolling.

The German Presidential campaign is in full swing again after a lull at Easter. When we wrote last week Field-Marshal von Hindenburg had refused nomination. His consent, however, was gained later, some say when august approval was signified from Doom ; others attribute the change to the machinations of Grand Admiral von Tirpitz. Herr Jarres retires and the parties of the Right are nominally united for Hindenburg, but many blocks of voters are likely to be offended at the change and others may fear the effect abroad of the success of a candidate whose manifesto, though dignified, had little in it beyond a demand that he should not be expected to surrender his convictions. Herr Marx is making use of this difficulty by speaking at length upon the importance of Germany's foreign relations.

Lord Balfour's tour in Palestine after the inauguration of the University at Jerusalem was successful until he proceeded into Syria where the French received him well, but the Arabs of Damascus, students and others, made a fierce demonstration against his presence. Several people were wounded and one rioter *as killed. Lord Balfour left quickly and quietly for Beirut whence he sailed for Alexandria. The affair is not easily explained. Though Lord Balfour has a cool personal courage which disconcerted those who were reponsible for his safety in Ireland long ago, yet he would obviously have avoided causing embarrassment to General Sarrail and his officers if he had had any idea of what would happen. Damascus is not affected by the Balfour Declaration. Was the rioting instigated by Palestinians who found no opportunity of demonstrating actively in territory administered by Great Britain ? Or was the visit used by discontented elements in Syria as an excuse—as good as another—for a demonstration of feeling not really connected with Zionism ? We trust that no lasting harm will arise to French administration or to Franco-British relations in the East.

The Russian patriarch, Tikhon, died at Moscow on April 8th at the age of sixty. Though he died in peace as, so far as is known, he had lived for the last few months, he will certainly be regarded as a martyr to his faith, whose heart was broken by his own sufferings and those of the Church in Russia. He was a man of wide knowledge of the world for he was at one time Bishop of the Orthodox Church in the United States. When the Tsarist regime fell, the Procuratorship of the Holy Synod fell too and the Church ceased to be a political institution. The Patriarchate was revived and Tikhon was chosen by lot the first holder of the office since Peter the Great suspended it. Though many thought that the hope for Russia lay in her Church, the Bolshevists persecuted the priests with more savage hatred than they showed to other educated classes. Tikhon was arrested in 1922 for his outspokenness .particularly over the sacrilege of Church property for other purposes than the relief of famine. The probability of his being killed aroused a wave of feeling through Christendom that seemed to put even the Bolshevists to shame, end he was released, a broken man, in 1923.

On April 8th Mr. Havenga made his Budget speech in the House of Assembly at Cape Town and announced as his guiding principles the protection of South African industries, the encouragement of imports of raw materials and the "adjustment on a quid pro quo basis" of Imperial preferences. The rebate on British imports will be withdrawn from articles in which Great Britain has "a predominant market," but retained on others. The Union has its first surplus since the War and Mr. Havenga estimates an additional revenue from tariffs of £600,000, and puts at the same figure the estimated reduction of the Imperial rebate (£350,000 instead of £950,000). In our opinion the old preference was so small that British exporters who are affected by the changes will be able to face the new conditions without slam.

The Calcutta correspondent of the Times says that among the extreme Indian politicians there is some disappointment at the suspension of the long-range conversations between Lord Birkenhead and Mr. C. R. Das, and at Lord Winterton's statement in the House of Commons, ruling out any .idea . of inviting Mr. Das to come to London. The correspondent adds that he has the best authority for stating that if such an invitation were to be sent it would be accepted. He suggests, and we agree with him, that it is a pity not to make use of the better atmosphere which has recently drifted across Indian politics. Regular negotiations in the immediate future might be premature as Lord Reading who is returning home has not yet had an opportunity of talking things over with the Government, but informal conversations conducted on the understanding that they were only " feelers " could do no harm and might do a great deal of good. To take advantage of the melting mood of your opponent is just as sound a rule as to keep your enemy on the run when once he has started.

In view of • the intention of the Greeks to restore the Parthenon we are attracted by the proposal of Mr. Courtenay Pollock that the Elgin marbles should be restored to Greece. The best setting for archaeological treasures is their place of origin, and further than that we believe that no act of international generosity or even of restitution is wasted. Nevertheless, certain reservations have to be made. To begin with, it cannot be said that we are in possession of looted property, At the time when Lord Elgin brought the marbles to England he actually saved them, for the Greeks had shown themselves indifferent to their treasures and the Turks had habitually destroyed. them. As Mr. Edward Bell has said, in a letter to the Times criticizing Mr. Pollock's proposal, if the marbles were actually replaced on the Parthenon they would suffer from exposure and also perhaps from earthquakes or public disturbances. In the best sense the Elgin Marbles are the property of the world, and not of ourselves or even of Greece. No doubt it is true that more persons study them in the British Museum than would-ever study them in Athens. On the whole, however, we should like the idea of presenting the marbles to Greece to be very seriously considered provided that guarantees of their proper treatment could be obtained. In Athens -for instance, they ought to be kept under cover and not replaced on the Parthenon. We could content ourselves with replicas here.

The Independent Labour Party has been holding its Easter Conference at Gloucester and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald came in for some uncivil treatment from speeches that raked up the Zinovieff letter to no effect. A few signs of emotional idealism do not go far to relieve the feeling, given by the long reports in the Times, that many of the speakers were clouded with economic ignor ance or stimulated by towards more prosperous neighbours rather than by love of humanity. On Monday a resolution calling for a universal minimum wage was passed, but none of the speeches made it clear how it was to be obtained. Tuesday was spent in discussing the control of banking and credit and the nationalization of property, on which no resolution was passed. The extremists did not succeed in carrying conviction that trade union funds and co-operative capital should be confiscated without compensation (except by each other after the confiscation) as well as real property and other capital belonging to small owners. Mr. William Graham spoke as usual like a financial expert in manner, but did not refer to the unhappy results that we are seeing from political influence wielded over the Banque de France. Mr. Mosley preached enthusiastically on the text of "the banks for the people." He argued in favour of great expansions of credit, but was followed by a speaker who called his theories "mere inflation."

The London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian says that the Government are considering very seriously the proposal to subsidize wages in certain depressed industries by diverting the. dole. Sir Arthur SteelMaitland, the Minister of Labour, is to discuss the matter with Sir Alfred Mond and other industrial leaders. It is good news that the proposal is to be examined very carefully. In the Spectator of April 4th we described the unfortunate results of rate-aided wages a hundred years ago. But we must repeat what we said then, that modern organization may be proof against such terrible demoralization as resulted after the French wars. Demoralization is rampant now, and we are quite prepared to have it proved to us that Sir Alfred Mond's scheme could not make demoralization worse but might; on the contrary, help shipbuilding and other depressed industries over the dead point which they have reached.

It has been left to a Unionist Government to stir the Post Office into a readiness to extend its activities by adopting the Cash-on-delivery system. Recently, Lord Wollner, representing the Postmaster-General, pointed to the success of the scheme elsewhere, which in a sense expands two functions of the Post Office, one as a carrier and the other as a conduit for the transmission of money without any cash passing between two places, just as a Postal Order passes. The Morning Post published an article lately with which we fully agree, even so far as believing that the scheme could be made to work in with the much desired extension of parcel post for agricultural produce in small bulk. The Association of Chambers, however, rejected a motion in favour, apparently through apprehension of fraud. We suspect that a stronger reason was a fear that the big advertising stores would gain more trade from the small shops. If that was so, we believe that they took a short-sighted view.

The settlement of the strike and retaliatory lock-out in the Co-operative Societies in the north-west of England is satisfactory, as a long and bitter strike would have done great harm to voluntary co-operative effort. The work of the Co-operative Societies is the best of all economic bridges between Capital and Labour, since every member is a capitalist in the best sense. Neither co-operation nor nationalization eradicates the will to strike, and only rigid, even militarized, nationalization could eliminate the rightto strike—an essential right of a free man though he may use it unreasonably. The societies arc more businesslike than the nationalized enterprises such as the Post Office, whose armies of employees do not point the way to the Socialist millennium by offering, say, more work for less money in order that the public may benefit by penny postage. The able men who control the Co-operative movement issued circulars to their members during the dispute pointing out, as any business firm would, that their employees were paid as good wages as the business could bear, and that any increase would come out of the pockets of purchasing members.

We greatly regret to record the death of Mr. John Sargent, the famous painter. An American by birth, he was English in his choice of country and his habits of life. It seems certain that, however intimately he may be related in a historical sense to a particular period, he will always be recognized as one of the world's great artists. The searching grasp and sincerity with which he selected the "extreme characteristic impression" in any subject of his portraiture was extraordinary. He saw it and "went straight for it." The Wertheimer portraits in the National Gallery—the only work by a living artist ever hung there—are alone enough to conquer the prejudice that Sargent was in intention a satirist. Besides, some of his paintings, particularly perhaps his casual water-colours, show that he could be in love with beauty. All his audacity and self-confidence seemed to flow through his brush. As a man he was exceptionally shy, and at moments when personal publicity was forced on him he could be seized with a panic of nervousness.

Sir Frederick Kenyon, the Director of the British Museum, has issued an account of a very important discovery at Ur of the Chaldees. In a statement to the Daily News. Sir Frederick describes the discovery as "the most important early monument at Babylonia that has been found." Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, was the city where King Ur-Engur set up the great tower of the temple of the Moon God 2,300 years before Christ. The chief discovery by the joint expedition of the British Museum and the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania is a beautiful carved limestone slab which when complete was fifteen feet high and five feet wide. It bears a portrait of King Ur-Engur and a record of his building and other activities as a canal-maker, and so on. In one scene the King receives from his god the order to build the tower. The god holds out to him the appliances of the architect. In another scene the King is seen carrying the tools of a mason. In yet another scene the construction of the tower is in progress ; ladders are set against the unfinished walls and the builders are carrying up mortar. It is all a graphic representation of the place much as Abraham must have seen it.

Bank Rate, 5 per cent., changed from 4 per cent. on March 5th, 1925. War Loan (5 per cent.) was on Thursday 102i; on Wednesday week 10211, ; a year ago 1021. Funding Loan (4 per cent.) was on Thursday 881; on Wednesday week 881; a year ago 871. Conversion Loan (31 per cent.) was on Thursday 77; on Wednesday week 7011; a year ago 774.