VICHY--Restoration to power of Pierre Laval "with even greater authority" than before his ousting as French Vice-Premier on Dec. 14, and perhaps a completely new Vichy cabinet pledged to closer collaboration with Adolf Hitler appeared imminent tonight.

Today's conference in Paris among Admiral Francois Darlan, special emissary of Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, the Pro-German Laval and Hitler's personal envoy, Otto Abetz, was said to have "practically ended" the 50-day old crisis in French-German relations.

Beaten and trouble-beset France appeared to be heading toward a government dominated by four men--Laval, Admiral Darlan, Paul Baudouin, and General Charles Hunziger--with the aged Petain retaining full authority as Chief of State.