Sarraut & Weygand

Still in no mood to balance France's scandalously unbalanced budget, the Chamber of Deputies warily received last week the new Cabinet of that sleek, nine-lived gourmet, Premier Albert Sarraut (TIME, Nov. 6). Impeccable in a frock-coat freshly pressed as usual, M. Sarraut serenely mounted the tribune, adjusted his gleaming pince-nez and read in a murmur a declaration of policy so carefully prolix and nebulous that it lulled and stupefied all opposition--as smart M. Sarraut intended. The Chamber will be left to face of itself the necessity of balancing the budget, Premier Sarraut indicated. When he asked a vote of confidence, more than 200 bored Deputies abstained, only a few Communists and Fascists voted against him, and his Cabinet won by the pleasant if meaningless figure 320 to 32. In the lull thus created French politicians dickered feverishly to create a new Government majority necessitated by the Socialists' recent split with Premier Sarraut's Radical Socialists (actually Liberals) and based on a promising alignment which loomed last week between the Radical Socialists and potent centre blocs dominated by towering, dynamic former Finance Minister Pierre Etienne Flandin. As a great colonial administrator Premier Sarraut, twice Governor of French Indo-China, spoke to journalists of restoring French prosperity by "putting our colonies to work" and of strengthening the garrisons of France with colonial troops. Two Moroccan regiments were ordered to Lyons, but not without causing the pale eyebrows of General Maxime Weygand to lift. Great General Max, the Army's executive Commander-in-Chief, holds that "in France colonial troops become easy victims of Communism and alcoholism." He announced last week that he will make an inspection tour of Morocco. Promptly the Paris Matin predicted that when General Max returns he will further deprecate the value of colonial troops, will ask for an increase in the period of military training served by all young Frenchmen from one year to two.

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