Le Petit Matin
- Mr Turrel’s outburst
- The Locarno agreements enter into force
- The Mining Association refuses all negotiation
The viticulture passage defends Tunisian growers by distinguishing land suitability from a simple switch between wine and wheat, while acknowledging exceptions. Geneva’s treaty ceremony marks a completed diplomatic act. The mining report instead weighs uncertain government choices, resistance within the governing party and the strikers’ prospective endurance as winter approaches.
Translation
Mr Turrel’s outburst
During the war, under the pretext of supplying factories engaged in national defence, colossal quantities of wine left Tunisia. It was the time when “plonk” flowed freely in the trenches and behind the lines. Prices rose. Local consumption increased, especially among indigenous people returning from France, who in some regions became eager wine drinkers. These factors encouraged many farmers to plant vines, but it is profoundly mistaken to believe that the planting took place on wheat land.
Admittedly, on many estates in northern Tunisia, thirty or forty hectares were taken from three hundred, four hundred or five hundred hectares of cereals and grazing to create vineyards that made a substantial addition to export earnings. In general, however, and especially for the very small winegrowers, vines were planted on rough, stony ground unsuitable for cereals.
Anyone travelling through Djebel-Amar, for example, will see that all these vineyards, now in full production, were planted using crowbars in very poor land. At Michaud, vineyards spread into areas much too wet for wheat. We could cite many other examples.
It can therefore be said that, apart from rare exceptions, the expansion of vine growing in Tunisia has never been at the expense of wheat growing.
The Locarno agreements enter into force
The Locarno agreements enter into force
Turkey and the League of Nations
Geneva, September 14. A great event took place at the League of Nations this morning: the Locarno agreements have definitively entered into force.
It will be remembered that two conditions remained to be fulfilled: Germany’s entry into the League and the deposit at the Secretariat of the ratifications of the agreements by the parliaments of the countries concerned.
That last formality has now been completed.
Mr Briand arrived first, smiling happily, and went straight to Sir Eric Drummond’s private office, where Mr Chamberlain and Messrs Stresemann, Scialoja, de Brouckère, Beneš and Zaleski soon joined him.
This small ceremony, originally intended to take place with some solemnity before the new Council, was held without any display and in the strictest privacy.
While many speeches have been delivered in Geneva as friendly and good-neighbourly relations between France and Germany are officially restored, this event deserved to be recorded.
The Mining Association refuses all negotiation
The situation is considered serious.
People are now wondering what the government will do.
The Cabinet will meet today to deliberate, but it is almost certain that nothing will be decided until Mr Baldwin’s return, expected tomorrow or Thursday, and a formal Cabinet Council has been held.
There is talk of repealing the recently passed eight-hour law, but that would be very difficult: the great majority of the Conservative Party would oppose it energetically, and the government would in all probability have to seek a majority on the left.
Other coercive measures might be considered, but there are fears that the mine owners, feeling their position strong, would pay them little heed.
The Miners’ Federation remains completely silent. Many here believe, however, that the strikers, promised substantial assistance by the Trades Union Congress and workers’ organizations in the United States, can hold out for several more weeks.
A few cool nights have already recalled the approach of winter, which comes early here.
Public opinion is beginning to grow anxious, and when it makes itself felt, the government, willing or not, will have to do something.
The Daily Herald points out in this connection that the emergency-powers law in force since May 1 gives the government the right to take possession of the mines and operate them on terms negotiated with the miners.
Context
Why vineyard expansion raised a question about wheat
The dispute puts export earnings beside the use of agricultural land. Wartime demand had made wine attractive to growers, but the accusation that vineyards displaced wheat challenged the social value of that expansion. The editorial’s defence depends on terrain: stony or wet ground could produce wine where cereals did poorly. Its examples therefore argue that export cultivation could add income without necessarily reducing the land suitable for a staple crop.
Why a quiet ceremony completed a major diplomatic change
The Locarno agreements needed both ratification and German League membership before they could operate. The UN treaty record dates their entry into force to September 14, 1926. This explains the importance attached to a private meeting in Drummond’s office: depositing documents completed conditions that public declarations of friendship alone could not fulfil. The contrast between elaborate speeches and a modest ceremony gives the report its point.
Why the government faced pressure from both its party and the coal shortage
The eight-hour proposal debated in Parliament in July sought to permit longer underground work, an intensely disputed response to the coal crisis. Reversing that policy would challenge the government’s own Conservative supporters, while the owners’ refusal to negotiate left the stoppage unresolved. Approaching winter made continued paralysis harder to tolerate. The article therefore presents an industrial dispute becoming a test of parliamentary support and the government’s willingness to intervene in private production.
Original
L’explosion de M. Turrel
Pendant la guerre, sous couleur de
ravitaillement d’usines occupées à la dé
fense nationale, des quantités colossa
les de vin sortirent de Tunisie.» Ce fut
l’époque où le « pinard » coulait à flots
dans les tranchées et aussi à l’arrière.
Les prix montèrent. La consommation
locale s’accrût, surtout chez les indigè
nes retour de France, et dans certaines
régions, ceux-ci devinrent des consom
mateurs de vin acharnés. Ces causes in-
citèrent beaucoup de cultivateurs à
planter de la vigne, mais il est profon
dément erroné de croire que ces plan
tations furent faites sur les terres à blé.
Sans doute, dans beaucoup de propriétés
du Nord de la Tunisie, on dut distraire
des 300, 400 ou 500 hectares de céréa
les et de parcours, les 30 ou 40 hecta-
res de vigne qui formèrent un appoint’
sérieux dans les rentrées de l’exporta
tion. Mais d’une façon générale, et sur
tout en ce qui concerne les très petits
viticulteurs, ce furent les terrains acci-
dentés et pierreux, impropres à la cul
ture des céréales, qui furent complantés
en ceps.
Si l'on parcourt le Djebel-Amar, par
exemple, on verra que toutes ces vignes
aujourd’hui en plein rendement, ont été
plantées à la barre à mine, dans de très
mauvaises terres. A Michaud, les vignes
se sont étendues dans des régions beau
coup trop humides pour le blé. Nous
pourrions citer bien d’autres exemples.
On peut donc dire que la culture de la
vigne ne s’est jamais augmentée en Tu
nisie au détriment de la culture du blé,
sauf des exceptions rares.
ENTRÉE EN VIGUEUR des Accords de Locarno
ENTRÉE EN VIGUEUR
des Accords de Locarno
TURQUIE El S. D. I
GENEVE, 14 septembre. — Un grand
événement vient de se produire ce matin à
la Société des Nations; les accords de Lo-
carno sont définitivement centrés en vi
gueur.
On se souvient que deux conditions res
taient à remplir : l’entrée de l’Allemagne
dans la S. D. N. et le dépôt au Secrétariat
des ratifications de ce même accord par les
Parlements des pays intéressés.
Celle dernière formalité est aujourd’hui
effectuée.
M. Briand, avec un sourire heureux, est
arrivé le premier; il s’est, aussitôt rendu au
bureau particulier de- Sir Eric Drummond,
où venaient le rejoindre bientôt M. Cham
berlain et MM. Stresemann et Scialoja, de
Brouckère, Bénès et Zaleski.
Cette petite cérémonie, qui devait primiti
vement se dérouler avec une certaine so-
lennité devant le nouveau Conseil, a eu lieu
sans aucun apparât et dans la plus stricte
intimité.
Si beaucoup de discours ont été pronon
cés à Genève au moment où entre la France
et l’Allemagne se rétablissent officiellement
les relations d’amitié et de bon voisinage,
( gut* événement méritait d’être enregistré.
La "Mining Association” refuse t oute né gociation
La situation est considérée comme sé
rieuse.
On se demande maintenant, ce que fera le
Gouvernement.
Le Cabinet se réunira aujourd’hui pour
délibérer, mais il est à peu près certain que
rien ne sera décidé avant, le retour de M.
Baldwin, qui est attendu demain ou jeudi
après qu’un Conseil de Cabinet en bonn et
due forme aura été tenu.
On parle du retrait de la loi de 8 heures
récemment votée, mais ceci serait, fort dif
ficile, car la grosse majorité du parti con-
servateur s'opposerait, énergiquement à ce
la et le gouvernement devrait, en toute pro-
habilité, aller chercher la majorité de gau
che.
D’autres mesures coercitives pourraient
être envisagées, mais il est à craindre que
les propriétaires des mines qui sentent leur
situation forte n’en fassent grand cas.
La Fédération des mineurs garde le silen
ce le plus complet, mais beaucoup ici croient
que les grévistes, auxquels le Congrès des
Trade Unions, et les associations ouvrières
des Etals-Unis ont promis une aide substan
tielle, pourront tenir encore plusieurs se
maines.
Quelques nuits fraîches ont déjà rappelé
l’approche de l’hiver qui arrive ici de boni» 1
heure.
L’opinion publique commence à s'inquié
ter et le jour où il interviendra, le Gouver
nement, bon gré mal gré, devra faire quel
que chose.
Le « Daily Herald » rappelle à ce sujet
que la loi des pouvoirs extraordinaires en
vigueur depuis le 1er mai donne au gouver
nement le droit de prendre possession des
mines et de les exploiter aux conditions né-
gociées avec les mineurs.