THE FRENCH STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 947, 14 October 1910, Page 5

THE FRENCH STRIKE.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC BLOCKED. PARIS RUNNING SHORT OF FOOD SUPPLIES. SEVERE MEASURES EXPECTED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. London, October 12. British passenger traffic to the Conr tinent is demoralised by' the railway, strike,, visitors now travelling by way of Ostend. . There, was notf a passenger by the Calais to Dover boat. The high food prices agitation , accen» tuates the strikers' determination to enforce an, increase, of wages. It is reported from Paris that the provisioning of the capital is already a serious question. Only half the normal supplies were received to-day: -.. The strike delays the European .mails; and "the cutting, of the wires, has disorganised the Paris northern telephone service.: A/train .which twas- approaching.Paris' at- high; -speed' dashed into the AristerV litz station, the Wes'tinghouse brake having -been tampered,with;. Fortunately the line, was clear,'and an accident was averted. -; ",: ;-.', -.'.'■.-.■'..-'. ■•-..'■.'•:.• ■"<■'■■ - . The; newspaper "Matin" states that the lines.in.the vicinity of the Belgian frontier.have been, torn/up. ..;•'... .". . 'THE TROUBLE: EXTENDING. ; / WIDESPREAD STOPPAGE PROB^i ,'.. ■';■■/:■*'■■■>':■;■[ ABLE. ■•., ;:■;.. -'-. <{; ; ; ,:... .;- : ,,;; Paris, October. 12. -:' In consequence. of .the; strike of., the Northern .Railway men,. troops guard, the; chief; brigades and stations on the .line! , The .men,on tho Eastern.. and; Western Railways .and on : the • Paris-Lyons-Medi-terranean line, have decided to strike tp? -dajr..-.';.-.i" ; --..'':- •'-.- ),'-,.' : ■]■*'■: ■■;•-.: ''■■- .'.v: : ;,lf. allithe v men onrthe'Western Railway; strike an additional forty-two thousand men will be affected. One hundred and twentyi' thousand .'dwellers .in the -'Paris suburbs use the. line daily. ,;V:' :' : . ■. Seven : thousand jhands 'in'- the'railway. shops at; Lille and Hellemes, a short distance away, have joined' the strike. ■ ■"-At aVlarge-meeting of railwaymen held in':the; Labour Exchange', at Paris, ;it was ■resolved to:■' disobey •'.'. the: : mobilisation- or-, derdirebtirig' them.tp.work.the trains,'.'_; - ■;< ' ; BLOCKED.'-.; • ; 'M(Reb, October 13, 10. 25 p.m.) ; -;/ ;.-.'^;Vv ; ;: .':■..;."'." . /^'■.'■■, *' •■":■, Paris- October-13. -.;_ ■:■' The,- mobilisation for military training of all' railway .employees except, oh: the Midi 'system has-been..''ordered'.: ,The mo'n have, been summoned for twenty-one, days' service, beginning from to-morrow. ':-,' ,-■ . Fdur-vhundied railway ;; men 'at; Lille have\resolyed to disobey the mobilisation; order. /■■;.'";' ,' ' -; : -.'"- ; '.';';'■?'': vThere; are .partial strikes, at Versailles,: Rouen,: Rennes, : - and Havre,; and : troops, Have, occupied'these stations. ■■;• - ; ■ have, blocked the,lines irijfdif•ferentTarisian suburbs,: and trains have been:; "held up." .' At, Boiscoldmes 'the strikers threatened to, shoot the /drivers, and - destroyed. the signals. ■/■/: \ : /. ;; _. :•-. Cattie;:trains-were.■;stopped near.'Ashieres, and; the trucks opened : and the'.caitle' allowed to escape. "'-V;' ''_, \, ■;/ '_ ; :~'-.'| : ';.;■;'•.'; •':'The..boat4rain. to witjh : for. England, swhpj were unable' to.: got •. beyond :Aoheres,-j; and - ]&■ .turned;tci -Parisy;;y>.' ; ;>,.'■'■';;;; •;^..;.;i- i ;.vi- ; . ..Traffic' at the.western- stations-.at ; Saint , Lazare,'. Invalides,■ and Paris; fs at'.a; standrV s'tiii;- ; : 'C : i. .;;. /.. v": ':■;;.'•./. > :; S]'-<:V> : %;". ■[■■'.i:i driver; -.side-,; Pontbise, ; ..was;.,sentenced; to :;-;two. moiitlis' iniprisohmept. .';■. }>y/'-;P ■■'■'' ';■■; •. The~ ; Publip Prosecutor:' is '.prosecutirjS the.Tingleaders.in^the•:strike.';.:v■.-■.: , ■- .. :; Heavy goods:from Pariß to Brjtaiii ;aie peihg'forwardeil/by barges'.oh' the. Seine. :•: Parcel, traffic is .suspended at "■ several' sta-. ):iohs.; : ; : ; -■■;'■■';/■ ;';.::'/;;;-,...K--' ■'■i,-[.-- '«'■"'•-:.';' ■-'v_-Tbe.'Btaff/or'80J)p;-'wpr^re'/at''.."tho;Hdie»; railway; shpps;.haye : struck.;.;'-, Three hurt; dred,'."'out"of ,730;' at .'Boulogne,,,have also' struck; including 'many drivers and ,stok;. ers. Those still driving-are escorted bj gendarmes.. ;. ; ; : ;':;'-; ; ',i; ; :'■'.'..:'. .'.V;':■•.•'-' -. The Paris Metropolitan Railway'.-leled-' tricians:have proclaimed.a general -strike. •The"city : may possibly be ; plunged .into, semi-darkness;'. '. • ; . ; ; ■'■; -' , : ■'. ■/''.■'■' '.:'■ ; TheDpyer mails tbrrranctfgoto" .Ostend, and the passengers; trom; Calais,', are: tew; •' .':.'i'here are '.no. French ,:flowers 'and . no ; yegetables'at Coyent Qardfln 'rnarkets.. ' x - Tickets to.London and Paris, :via Calais aid Boulogne,- are issued, only at/passengers': risk, r Very few have crpssed .in. eitlier direction..: : TheVe are; no bopkings via - Newhaven '; beyond , Dieppe/. except "at passengers' risk.';/The service, from ;Berlin to Paris, via. Boulogne, is completely in-'-terrupted..;,::;;;;.;.,; ;'-.;.: '. ; :',. StriKers; attacked;, a man in ah' ajitopiobile, who was bringing' passepgers.from Jeiimont. '■'' ;'.■';,.-'.' Freight; is accumulating- on. the, .frontiers;;.:;. .'■ ■• -".- ;••■:;;;''-.-■;',- '■':•.; ■ ,-'■;■■■•.;■ •The.-Eastern France' - Railway, has' conceded some of the men's: demands. : ; M. ■ Millerand, ;;Minister.; for. Post and Telegraphs, has announced that the mail service, to England"is.assured. -.He adds that , 128 trains- entered- and-left; the northern .terminus in Paris yesterday.'A' noticeable: improvement.' is : also, reported at. Li11e.,.-'. All the. usual trains left the eastern terminus at Paris,- and. this, ser-r vice isnow .normal. 0f.200 strikers, 110 have;.resumed.;',;;: ;;. ;.' ; \ - Seyen hundred .sacks' of letters from.the last United States. mail were stranded. at Havre,'.- and ' have been brought up tbe Seine to -Paris b'y.'a-'tug. . ;. ; ..-' ' .'■''■ ■. A number, of the. strikers oh the Northern Railway, have, resumed: /■ "TRIAL.-BY. SENATE SUGGESTED. .PRICES RISE TWENTY, PER CENT. ' . CRec. October 1, 0.80 a.m.) : ;.' '"' London, October 13. "The Times"., : Parjs correspondent says it. is suggested in some gnarters that.' tie agitators, should be tried: by, the-'Senate, sitting as a High Court : of Justice,- on a charge of conspiracy: against the safety of the State. . ■■;'■ ,-. Paris is -dependent on the 'Northern 'Railway for coal and'flour,; on the Western for meat/ fish, and milk,.and on the Lyons and' Mediterranean for fruit and vegetables. ''".';. ; . i The prices" of perishables have risen twenty per cent. .'.'.. : The Bourse is firm, as it is believed that' the situation is untenable and cannot last. :: FIRST TRAIN TO CALAIS. ' MEN LIABLE TO BE COHRTMARTLALLED. : ' ... SEVERE PENALTIES, (Rec. Octobor 14, 0.30 a.m.) '■'. '-. Paris,--October 13. The'passengers by the first train riming the gauntlet from Paris to Calais subscribed a purse for M. Cliarlety driver. He has been twenty-eight years in the company's. service. " The strikers at Amiens stoned Charlet's eDgine.

There, are five hundred strikers at Calais, most of them being handlers of coal;and carriage cleaners,

The mobilisation will be stringently enforcod. The men are liable to bo courtinartialled as in war time for insubordination, incitement to desertion, or wanton desertion, and also for proceedings calculated to endanger the public services and safety. The penalties are extremely heavy. A shotwas fired at Driver Bale, of the boat train, near Amiens. STRIKES ON TWO MORE SYSTEMS. FURTHER DISLOCATION. (Rec. October 14,:1.5 a.m.) Paris, October 13. The National Union of Railwayrhen's executive committee on the Paris/Lyons, and Mediterranean system has- resolved to calla strike throughout the system at midnight. , The.employees on the Orleans Railway have also struck. ...■.' THE S|X FRENCH SYSTEMS. The French- railway system, although not quite so old as the English,' or quite, as large as the Russian or German, was the .first to be constructed on a really 'scientific basis,.and.was thus.the first to attain relative completeness and . perfection. The railways were surveyed and traced by Government engineers, and waste and duplication were avoided as far as possible. Parallel lines were forbidden, and /competition' was not conceived as among the possibilities of the situation. By 1852 the number of independent systems had been reduced from thirty-three to eleven, in 1859 the eleven were reduced'to six, of which five radiated from' Paris. These six companies still exist, and-are as follow;—. ■'..'•-.'■:' :The Company of the East. '■•■.-. ■■-.The Company of the North. "The Paris and Orleans Company. ■ : The Company of the West. ■ '■•■ The : Pans, Lyons, and Mediterranean Company, and ■ -.. The Company of the South. .- ••' Each of the companies . has. been left: a'.monopoly in its own territory.; •There-are also lines of secondary importance and purely local railways.. The Western Railway gave an unsatisfactory service, and was taken over by the State from January I,' 1909. This system has 4938 miles of track, and as a previously existing; State system .of : - unimportantroads in the south-west consisted of 3407 miles of .road, there are now 8435 miles of a total.of 30,000 miles of railway owned by the State -in France; ' '