Concern In Paris— Violence Feared In French Mine Strike

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1948, Page 5

Concern In Paris— Violence Feared In French Mine Strike

(Recd. 11.5 a.m.) PARIS, October 17. There are increasing fears that violence may break out tomorrow in the northern coalfields, where 350,000 miners have been on strike for a fortnight, says the British United Press correspondent. The Communist unions announced that they will withdraw maintenance men from the pits for 24 hours starting tomorrow. The Minister of the Interior, M. Moch, immediately conferred with the Minister of Commerce and Industry, M. Lacoste. It was announced later that the Government would act if the maintenance men walked out. s The Government has not yet announced what it will do, but it thought likely that it may send army maintenance men down.

M. Moch explained that the withdrawal of-the maintenance staffs—they have been at their posts since the start of the strike—might cause major damage to the pits and cause unemployment at the end of the strike. It is assumed that the talks between the Government and nonCommunist leaders last night failed. More Trouble May Come

More trouble may come within a few days as a result of a resolution passed by the General Confederation of Labour, condemning the Government and asking for a minimum monthly wage of £l5. The Government, is intensifying the campaign,to reduce food prices and threatening to send out squads to requisition cattle from the farmers who will not sell at the Government price. The new exchange rates are expected to cancel out the small progress the Government has made in reducing the cost of living. The strikes have already cost France 2,000,000 tons of coal. The Polish miners on Friday decided to send £5OO worth of food to assist the striking French miners. Minister’s Warning

The French Minister of Commerce gave a warning that the mines might not be workable for some time, even after* the strikes ended, because the Miners’ Union would withdraw the safety teams from some collieries on Monday. The condition of some pits had already deteriorated through lack of maintenance. The strike had already cost France as much fuel as

would run the country’s railways for two months.

Miners are resuming work on Monday in the iron mines of Lorraine. They will receive a 5 per cent, output bonus and other concessions, which the union leaders say represent a wage increase of 26 per cent. _