THE FRENCH STRIKE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 167, 24 October 1910, Page 5

THE FRENCH STRIKE

LOYALTY REWARDED. MORE BOMB-THROWING. By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright. Received 23, 5. sp.m. Paris, October 22. The Lyons-Mediterranean railway haTs allocated £IOO,OOO as a regard for faithful employees during the strike. A bomb explosion occurred on the balcony of the Quai d'Orsay, and windows were broken. A bomb was discovered on the railway near Charleville, THE ORIGIN OF THE DISPUTE.

Writing on June 7 the Paris correspondent of the Times said:—"The General Confederation of Labor, which I has succeeded in organising a more of less successful strike on the southern" railway lines, is now seeking to make trouble for the Northern Railway Company. The engineers and stokers of that company demand an increase of 25 francs (£1) a month. The board of directors, of which M. Edouard de Rothschild is the chairman, had received a deputation of the men during the laternoon and had refused to grant -them this increase on the ground that it would cost the company annually an additional 0,000,000 francs (£240,000); that it would be but the beginning oi a similar movement for higher wages throughout the ' entire staff; and that it would inevitably result in a deficit, for the company." The average wagp at present is stated to be £165. On July 8 the Times stated: "The agitation among the French railwaymen in favor of a general strike is assuming a somewhat threatening aspect. The National Union of Railwaymen appears to count upon the obedience of at least 50,000 railway employees to the orders of the executive committee, but there are more than 200,000 others, who are believed to be opposed to the plan of a strike, and to be aware of the fact that the entire population would regard tin* strikers as traitors to the national interests.

" The Government have already taken measures to thwart the plans of the strike leaders, who count on paralysing traffic. There is reason to believe that, in case of a railway strike, they would order a military mobilisation of the railwaymen in their capacity of reservists, as was formerly done in Italy, and apply strictly the military law. They would likewise hold the strike leader* criminally responsible for any act of sabotage on the railway lines."