STRIKE FEVER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 143, 18 June 1936, Page 7

STRIKE FEVER

EUROPEAN EPIDEMIC MORE AREAS AFFECTED ANXIETY IN BELGIUM DEFENCE SUPPLIES OF OIL [By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright] BRUSSELS, June-16. The Belgian strikers induced workers at Ardennes to stop work. The fact that the oil refinery is at a standstill is causing anxiety regarding the national defence supplies since the necessary daily quota of J 1,000 tons has been reduced to 4000. The Brussels correspondent of the Times reports that the public generally sympathise with the strikers, especially the miners, who have suffered severely from the depression -and the Increased cost of living, following the devaluation of the franc. Their aims are similar to those of the French , strikers, namely, a 40-hour week, and pay for annual holidays. The incident which precipitated the strike was an employer fining a miner one-fifth of a day’s wages for a trivial offence. Twenty-one strikers have been aiifcsted at Liege. AFFRAY AT LIEGE POLICE USE SABRES ATTEMPTS TO STOP TRAMS. BRUSSELS, June 16. The strike has become general in the the coal-mining and steel industries. Strikers, who are making efforts to pievent trams running in Liege, repeatedly clashed with the police, who charged twice with drawn sabres, three policemen being wounded by pistol shots. The affray occurred at Rocourt. a suburb of Liege. Three persons were seriously injured at Saint Walburge in resisting an attack on 200 miners. The municipality withdrew the trams after the strikers had threatened to sei fire to them. TROOPS TO RESCUE BRUSSELS ELECTRICITY MONS SHOEMAKERS OUT. LONDON, June 16. The Brussels correspondent of the Daily Telegraph reports that troops are working the electric supply services and will also be drafted to other public utilities. At Mons 3500 shoemakers struck, demanding a pension of £5O a year at the age of 60. The Ghent dockers are iyining the strikers. HOLD-UP AT NANTES SHIPS LYING IDLE DEPARTMENT STORES SHUT. PARIS, June 16. Sixteen vessels are held up in the harbour at Nantes, where 15,000 employees ceased work. Department stores closed, and the building industry is at a standstill, and petrol refineries have ceased operations. Department store and slaughterous* workers in Lyons are still idle. SPANISH TROUBLE PRINTERS STOP WORK BARCELONA. June 16. The printing trades, excluding th? newspapers, have struck. The authorities are endeavouring to avert a strik ■ among shop employees. IN MOROCCO MOVEMENT GROWING CASABLANCA, June 16. The strike movement is growing in Morocco. Building trade workers al Casablanca have occupied seventy yards, and the metallurgical industry ?s also affected. ARAB AGITATORS ACTIVITIES IN ALGERIA ALGIERS. June 16. Farmers are appealing fur protection against bands of Arabs which are roaming the countryside, forcing labourers to cease work, and damaging farms and livestock. Many of these igitators were arrested.