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Last week Premier Robert Schuman had the narrowest squeak of his three-months career as France's first minister. Annoyed by criticism of one of his deflation measures, doughty M. Schuman had asked for a vote of confidence. He won--by 23 votes (out of 559).

Communists and Rightists voted against him. There were 39 abstentions among those who would have voted no but who feared to bring down the government at a time of fierce Communist aggression in Europe (see INTERNATIONAL). Yet M. Schuman was unmoved. While deputies crowded around the voting urns, he retired to an antechamber and drank coffee. When he heard the result, he said: "Majority of 23? It's going down. It will go up if prices go down."

At week's end prices were steady.

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