RIOT IN FLINT FACTORY

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21989, 13 January 1937, Page 9

RIOT IN FLINT FACTORY

Strikers Fight With Police NATIONAL GUARDS; MOBILISED MACHINE-GUNS HELD IN READINESS ■ (UNITED I'KESS ASSOCIATION—COPIKIGHT.), (Received January 13, 12.30 a.m.) j FLINT, (Michigan), January -12. Eight hundred strikers rioted and seized the entire Fisher body plant, the second floor of which they have occupied since December 30. They fought at close quarters with the police for five hours and kept possession of the plant. At least 24 persons were injured, by ston.es, clubs, knives, metal frag-1 ments, and tear gas bombs. Twenty were taken to hospital, including five policemen. Only one striker was seriously injured, with a wound in the abdomen. The strikers, 'following directions shouted from a sound truck, which was guarded by 200 strikers, pulled the cobblestones from the street and turned a hose inside the plant on the police, who exhausted the supply of tear gas ' They were ordered not ,to use machine guns, which were in readiness, unless the strikers used guns, which were reported to have been smuggled into the plant. The Governor, Mr Frank Murphy, rushed to the scene in a car and opened a conference m a hotel on means to stop the fighting. A national guard company is being mobilised for riot duty at an armoury nearby. Forty state police are on the way. . Three newspaper photographers were among those injured. MOKE FACTORIES CLOSED GENERAL MOTORS PLANTS LACK MATERIALS 113,000 EXPECTED TO BE | IDLE BY TO-DAY (Received January 12, 11.40 p.m.) DETROIT, January 12. The General Motors Corporation has announced the complete or par-: tial closing of five additional factories, throwing into idleness 19,500 more employees, because of a shortage of glass and other consequences of the widespread' strikes in the motor-car and kindred industries. By Wednesday 34 of 69 General Motors plants are expected to be closed, and nearly 113,000 of the company's 175,000 hourly ,< workers lin motor trades will be idle. _ i Further closures of factories during the week are indicated.