Under new Premier Etienne Flandin's energetic drive for a freer French economy, the Chamber before adjourning for the holidays last week passed bills empowering the Government to unpeg the price of wheat in France. Zump!—the price dropped from a fictitious pegged price of $2.01 per bu. to $1.44. In stern orders to prefects all over France, Premier Flandin demanded and largely achieved last week a nationwide cut of about 12% in the price of baker's bread.
Meanwhile rising French unemployment crossed the 400,000 mark for the first time. Admittedly M. Flandin—younger than Roosevelt, Mussolini...