COWED WORKERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 237, 7 October 1942, Page 3

COWED WORKERS

IN FRENCH FACTORY

Germans Break Strike By Threat Of Massed Shooting

Rec. 2 p.m

LONDON, Oct. P

It is disclosed that on Friday last a three-hours' strike occurred at the Renault works near Paris. The trouble arose when a list of workers designated to go to Germany was posted on the walls of the works. The Germans mounted machine guns at key points and threatened the workers that if they did not resume 50 hostages would be shot in the factory yards.

A great part of the Renault factory was destroyed by the Royal Air Force in a big raid some months ago. The news of the strike followed a* announcement by the Vichy authorities that 150.000 French workers must be found to go to Germany bv October 15.

Laval has gone to Paris to confer with the German authorities there. Before going he received a German delegate at Vichy.

A terrific bomb explosion yesterday destroyed the Lyons Bureau, a German organisation for recruiting French workers for the Reich.

Reporting this the British United Press Vichy correspondent adds that the explosion occurred three days after the Y ichy announcement that more workers were expected to volunteer for work in Germany. The independent Belgian agency reports that Marcel Rondoz, leader of the Rexists at Spa, in the Liege district, died a few hours afier an attack by Belgian patriots.

A Zurich message says four more Czechs, two of whom are army officers, were sentenced to death and executed at Prague on a charge of high treason.

Two Rumanian Iron Guards fharged with the attempt against the life of General Antonescu on September 30 have been executed in Bucharest.

The Vichy news agency says Antonescu is urging prefects and high civil servants to do their utmost to maintain supplies and improve living conditions in Rumania. He admitted that the 5 ear's harvest was one of the worst on record, and said: "Agriculture is not only disorganised by the war, but we are obliged to cope with earthquakes, floods and drought."'