"Ah, Lucky Gaston!"

Sly citizens of Paris have chuckled for years, if not centuries, at the classic story of three Frenchmen which concludes, "Ah, lucky Gaston!"

Last week however smart Paris applied the stock expression, "Lucky Gaston!" in an entirely new and decorous sense to the President of the Republic, M. Gaston Doumergue.

Reason: Parliament had just tripled "Lucky Gaston's" salary, raising the President of France from 600,000 francs to 1,800,000 francs per year ($70,200). In addition the Presidential allowances for "household expenses" and "travel" were raised to $27,300 and $35,000. But M. le President must pay an income tax of $31,200. Thus his net stipend from the state is $101,400 per year.