SIGNS OF RECEDING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26635, 4 December 1947, Page 5

SIGNS OF RECEDING

Strike Wave in France

INTERPRETED AS COMMUNIST SET-BACK

Kec. 11 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 3. Clashes between strikers and the police occurred yesterday in various parts of France, particularly in Marseilles, the original seat of all the trouble, and in the northern mining areas, but all reports agree that there has been an appreciable slackening of the strike movement throughout the country. The Paris correspondent of The Times says that this is being widely interpreted as a marked Communist set-back. Certainly strikes have paralysed France for more than a week, but, the correspondent says, there has never been anything like a general strike and most people agree that the Communist section of the Confederation of Trade Unions, which has refused to treat on the Government’s terms, would now like to retire from their not very tenable position if only they could find a way of doing so without losing too much face. The Labour Minister, M. Daniel Mayer, in a statement to* the Daily Express Paris correspondent last night, claimed that 75 per cent, of the 2,000,000 workers who were out had returned to work. Under police protection, the bulk of the miners had gone back and iri other quarters it was claimed that the railway position was “ 80 per cent, normal.” Theatres, cinemas and night clubs reopened last night and letters were delivered in Paris yesterday for the first time for a week.

Reports from Paris say that the Ministry of Labour is unable to provide official figures of the number of workers still out but dt estimated that strikers now total “ well under ” 2,000,000. The Ministry of Industry announced that 80 per cent, of Lorraine miners returned to work as a result of the security measures which the Government imposed to protect non-strikers. The Metalworkers’ Union has called on its members to return to work. Disorders continue elsewhere, however, and dockers are still out. Twenty ships await unloading at Cherbourg and 12 at Le Havre. The Dockers’ Union to-day called all members to continue striking. The Union of Shop Assistants ordered a nation-wide strike to begin on December 5. . Strikers at many points continue to interfere with the railway services. Traffic through Bourges Railway Station in Central France was stopped when strikers from a nearby aircraft factory invaded the yards and forced non-striking train crews to extinguish locomotive fires. The strikers set pickets on all engines. Paris was almost without bread tonight as the result of full or partial strikes in 2000 French flour mills.

Increasing tension with more numerous and more violent clashes between strikers and police is reported from Marseilles. Groups several hundred strong to-day forced their way into factories and machine shops and made non-strikers leave their jobs. The police in the port area used tear gas against strikers attacking the police station. Seven persons were killed when the Paris-Arras mail train was derailed three miles outside Arras after saboteurs had interfered with the rails. This was announced in the Assembly this morning by the Finance Minister, M. Rene Mayer. i ' ; After the announcement, Communist deputies turned to the deputies on the Right side of the House and shouted: “ It is you who are the murderers.” One Rightest deputy shouted back: “Those who did this are on your side.” After M. Her riot had established order, the Assembly paid homage to the dead. .

Reuter’s Paris correspondent reports that the Upper House, after a 24-hour debate, adopted by 209 votes to 84 the Government’s Anti-strike Bill for calling up 80,000 reservists. Although the National Assembly adjourned the Communist deputy, Raoul Calas, and other Communists were still in the chamber at 9 a.m. They declared that they intended to remain until the next session. Republican guards entered the chamber at 4.30 a.m. with an order signed by M. Herriot to remove Calas “by force if necessary.” Calas and about 50 Communist deputies were quietly ejected. All left the chamber singing the Marseillaise. One said: “We shall be back in the Assembly this afternoon.”

The guards were told to eject Calas after 42 non-Communist deputies informed M. Auriol that the Communists’ refusal to leave the Assembly was a grave danger to its independence. They demanded an immediate end to what they termed the Communist “ coup de force ” and resumption of the Assembly’s work.