MOUNTING TAXES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 109, 21 February 1950, Page 3

MOUNTING TAXES

MIDDLE CLASS STRIKE IX FRANCE (Rec. 12.30) LONDON, Feb. 20. The United Press Paris correspondent says the Economic Front Organisation announced that 10,000,000 of French middle classes—doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers and other professional men—would strike for four hours on Wednesday in protest against mounting taxes. The organisation, which comprises professional and business bodies, sa'id that doctors would attend only urgent cases. Chemists’ shops would stay open, but other small shops would close all afternoon. This threat from ,the most stable section of the French population comes hard on the heels of Communist Trade Union orders for a 24hour walk-out on Feb. 27 by Marseilles dockers.

It also follows a strike threat by workers in nationalised electricity plants and the announcement of a strike ballot to-morrow that may bring out 200,000 car and metal industry employees’. Meanwhile, in La Pallicc, troops under strong police protection loaded a ship with equipment for Indo-China after wharf labourers refqsed. Reuter’s Paris correspondent says the French Government has ordered all its public prosecutors to demand maximum penalties against people trying to sabotage shipments of arms to Indo-China or prevent the unloading of Atlantic Pact military equipment from the United States.