Cheron of Lisieux

Not many men alive today have walked and talked with an authentic saint. Such a man is rare old Henri Cheron, sturdy, twinkling-eyed Finance Minister of France.

Long years ago he strummed a reverent guitar while hymns were sweetly sung by "The Little Flower" of Lisieux. famed Therese Martin who died in 1897. Later M. Cheron was six times Mayor of Lisieux in Normandy, zealously promoted the I. S. L. F. (International Society of the Little Flower). In 1925 the Society and M. Cheron knew boundless joy when Therese of Lisieux was officially canonized in Rome as St. Therese of the Infant Jesus.

Meanwhile Mayor Cheron had made his plodding, Norman way in Paris to the unexciting post of Minister of Agriculture (1922-24). He made it exciting, became the idol of French farmers. No Minister of Agriculture before or since has shut out of France so much meat because of hoof & mouth disease, so many potatoes on account of scab, so much butter because of "taints." More important, during this period Minister of Agriculture Cheron won the firm friendship of his exalted chief, Premier Raymond Poincare, "Savior of the Franc."

A day came when Premier & Finance Minister Poincare, having stabilized the franc for years to come, wished to turn his irksome Finance Ministry over to someone else, someone solid, shrewd, incorruptible. In open Cabinet the Premier turned to M. Cheron: "Dear friend, I think you should be charged with the finances of France."

Spluttered astonished Minister Cheron, "Bu-but!"

"I know what you are going to say!" the Premier cut him short. "You are afraid the job is too big for you. You are too modest. I know you better than you know yourself."

"I cannot decide, not like this--not all in a moment!" cried flustered Papa Cheron, "I must think." Characteristically he rose, paced the Cabinet room with big steps, tapping thoughtfully on his huge chest.

"Do not reflect too long. Cheron," chaffed a Cabinet colleague. "In the end you will accept!" Deliberately, ten minutes later, Papa Cheron accepted. French cartoonists rejoiced. Within a week M. Cheron was a national figure, a sort of Norman Coolidge, invincibly bourgeois. As Finance Minister he outlasted Premier Poincare, carried on under Premier Briand, then under Premier Tardieu. When the latter fell (TIME, Feb. 24, 1930) Papa Cheron was found to have left in Jean Frenchman's long, woolen sock a treasury surplus of 19 billion francs ($744,000,000).

Today, two short years afterward, France has squandered her surplus and faces a budgetary deficit of more than 10 1/2 billion francs. Last month, when Premier Joseph Paul-Boncour succeeded Edouard Herriot, he begged Papa Cheron to come out of retirement and roll up a surplus again. After solemn thought (and probably some chest thumping) Cheron of Lisieux is Finance Minister again. Last week at a painful Cabinet session he told Premier Paul-Boncour & Ministers exactly what bitter pills must be swallowed if France is to have a sound, balanced budget again.

P:Pills: 1) slash war veterans' pensions by 1,300,000,000 francs;* 2) cut the salaries of the President of France, the Cabinet and the Chamber of Deputies 1,000,000,000 francs; 3) put the screws on tax dodgers, notoriously slippery in France, thus squeezing out another 1,000,000,000 francs; 4) extend the income tax to lower incomes than have ever been touched before; 5) cut 500,000,000 off civil service salaries; 6) up duties and taxes on coffee, gasoline and other "foreign products"; 7) raise the inheritance tax.

Summing up, Papa Cheron said that his proposals would effect economies equivalent to $208,000,000, increase revenues by $213,000,000 and permit next year's budget to balance with a surplus of $9,000,000. After hot debate within the Cabinet all Ministers knuckled down, gave unanimous support to the Cheron budget. It must next pass the Chamber Finance Committee, then the Chamber itself. Foes of Papa Cheron predicted that he was leading the Cabinet to a fall by too brusque demands. More friendly, famed Cartoonist Pem drew the Finance Minister as a mother kangaroo in whose pouch the whole French Cabinet nestles safe. Caption: "Le Kangourou Sauveur!"

*U. S. France

Total casualties 344,000 5,623,000

Pensions 1932 $700,000,000 $287,000,000

Pension per casualty $2,034 $51

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