Scandal

It was recently charged in the Chamber of Deputies by Deputy Inghels that out of 85,000,000,000 francs paid in claims for War damages, only 15,000,000,000 went into the pockets of genuine victims.

L'Humanite, Paris Communist journal, pointed out as an example that the Longwy Steel Works, near the Franco-Belgo-Luxembourg border, claimed 447,000,000 francs indemnity and received 369,000,000 francs, or nine times the capital of the company in 1914/- Originally, continued the journal, the indemnity had been fixed at 250,000,000 francs.

The Government recently promised to institute prosecution against the major cases of graft.

/-Since 1914 the purchasing power of the franc has sunk to about one-fourth.