NORTHERN AREA

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 147, 6 June 1936, Page 5

NORTHERN AREA

Sixty Additional Factories Involved SHOPS BESIEGED (IK 'lelssrapb—Frees Aeeu. —Copyright.) (Received (!, 145 p.in.) PARIS, June 5. The northern areas of France continue to succumb to the strike contagion. Sixty additional factories and mills uro involved, making a total of sou The mil! owners refuse to negotiate while the strikers occupy the mills, and declare that they will hold the Government responsible for any accidents.

There are 25,000 strikers at Valenciennes and 5000 at Douai, making a total of 100,000 in the entire north, where shops are besieged by housewives feverishly accumulating supplies. A strike of mine and railway workers at Lens has not only stopped the output of coal and made idle 18,800 miners, but it threatens the supplies of coal to southern districts, thereby jeopardising power and lighting at Creil, Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoig.

Seven thousand miners ceased work at Leivin, others at Anzin, Somain, Denain and elsewhere. There are 3COO shipyards workers idle at Havre, and 2500 Dunlop employees struck at Montlucon, while the number of strikers is increasing at Bourges, Charters, Kheims. Maubeuge, Arras and Rouen.

The dock strike has tided up the port of Nice, Citroen workers at Toulouse, who resumed owing to the cessation of demands, began demonstrations outside the Benault factory, which still is idle pending the recognition of the union’s demands.

Three hundred platelayers stopped work on the railway line between Narbonne and Beziers.

STRIKE CONTINUES Government’s Proposed Measures — (Received 6, 11.45 a.m.) PARIS, June 5. Though the Government whole-heart edly associates itself with M. Blum’s conciliatory broadcast, the strike wave is still flowing at full tide, accentuated by the powerlessness of unions to control of the strikers, many of whom are independent of them. The Cabinet Council approved of the terms of M. Blum’s forthcoming declaration, which will be defined by a Ministerial Council to-morrow prior to its delivery in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, after which M. Blum will introduce a Bill providing for a forty-hour week, paid holidays and collective contracts. The Ministers uv Justice and Finance are asked speedily to study a project for suspending expulsion and confiscation orders imposed on tradesmen and farmers. It is estimated that the number of strikers throughout France aggregates over 500,000, including those involved in the extension of the strike to Lille, where 50,000 are idle. Marseilles, where there are many thousands, Valenciennes, where 3000 arms factory workers are staying in, and Lens, where the mine workers are affected. The “Daily Telegraph’s’’ correspondent says that the workers seem to be weary and depressed, but they are confident that their claims will be met. The Bed Flag flies at the top of mcs< factory chimneys. Nevertheless, some thousands of tons of fruit, vegetables and meat that piled up in the past 24 hours will be moved through 32 towns and villages westward of Paris, including St. Germain, which probably will have no gas to cook meals unless the Nauterro gas workers relent, fur gas-holders ar® empty. The fear of a worse food scarcity panicked housewives especially those in the poorer quarters. The petrol shortage has already caused many garage owners in Paris and environs to seal their pumps, and it is feared that bus and tax: services will stop to morrow. Some airliners from London were unable to return from Le Bourget owing to lack of petrol, but arrangements are being made for supplies by air from England. Newspaper kiosks will be closed to morrow and vendors are demanding higher percentage of sales. In any case the proprietors of the newspaper syndicate decided that no papers shall bo published to-morrow owing to the impossibility of distribution. Many social and other events are being cancelled, notably the important boxing fixture for tho French lightweight championship to-night, which was postponed because the workers, who are the backbone of the gate, still are in the factories. Tho Renault workers decided to resume the strike, and 25,000 again occupied the factory. Only women were permitted to leave this evening, the directors and principal engineers being locked in Strikes were resumed also at the i Citroen and Hotchkiss works.