MENACE TO FRANCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 46, 3 December 1938, Page 7

MENACE TO FRANCE

THREATS TO NATIONAL ECONOMY # EFFECT OF THE LOCK OUTS. DALADIER URGES CLEMENCY. (United Press Association—Copyright.) '»•' (Received This Day, 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 2. The “Daily Telegraph’s” correspondent says, that the employers’ attitude is creating anxiety in view of the tendency to humiliate the strikers. Blum’s group promises to champion them, and denounces the lock outs. M. Daladier urges clemency. Meanwhile the lock outs threaten the national economy. The Government’s reprisals will affect a few thousand. Half a million are still idle, but normality is expected in a week. 'The Bourse is already more confident.

LEADER CHASED AND ARRESTED. / FUGITIVE THROWS PAVING STONES. AFTER FRENCH STRIKE FIGHT. (Received This Day, 11 .25 a.m.) VALENCIENNES, Dec. 2. The police arrested Albert Thomas, trade unioit leader, after a chase at Denain, in which it/.is alleged Thomas threw paving stones. It was a sequel to a free fight when five thousand tried to prevent workers resuming work. It is alleged that Thomas was responsible for the metal workers’ strike.

FURTHER STOPPAGES OCCUR. ' SHIPYARD EMPLOYEES IDLE. - - PARIS, December 2. Further strike action against the Governme'ut’s reprisals for the labour disturbances has already started at St. Nazaire, where 10,000 naval and civil shipyard workers struck after an announcement by the management that those who participated in the general strike would only be employed again provisionally. The management also refused to receive delegations from the workers. ‘ Construction is held up on the 35,000ton liner Pasteur and the battleship Jean d’Arc. Dockers at Boulogne struck when told that they had broken their contracts. Shipping, except cross-Channel vessels, is' held up. The opinion is expressed in national defence quarters, that dismissals of Government workers will not exceed 18,000 to 21,000. They admit extensive lockouts in private: industries. M. Daladier, after a conference with the Minister for Justice and others, issued a communique which, after stating that the strike in the public ser'vices, though small, cannot go unpunished, cancels appointments held in the Bank of France, railways and other State organisations by State officials who disobeyed the requisition order. The communique also dismisses a few civil servants and assistants belonging to the general Administration and suspends the pay of others pending a final decision. It is understood that aftei* this order, M. Jouhaux, who is a director of the Bank of France, and M. Semard, secretary of the llailwaymen’s Union, who is a director of the national railways, are .dismissed from these posts. M. Jouhaux was appointed a. director, of the Bank of France by M. Blum when the latter was Prime Minister. M. Daladier has decided to summon Parliament on December 8, subject to the Finance Committee’s examination of the Budget being sufficiently advanced.