New-York tribune., 1909-03-19
PARIS POSTS TIED UP
PRICES OF FOOD BEGIN
TO SOAR.
Strikers Forces Gro1clng Banks
Won't Pay Conditions
Becoming Worse.

.rFkins employees, was there any prospect
:, an Improvement in the situation The strike.
,ouever will be considered in the Chamber Of
T,.nuties tomorrow, and a solution Of the prob
lsn, NAV then be furnished
-~bs climax Of the strike reached tonight
hen FIVE thousand repairers- lnemen and me
chsnics decided to Join the strikers These were
,b. last Of the postal administration employees
who remained at work.
Desuite the fact that the Cabinet at it's ses-
,lo7 tonight passed a decree authorizing the
st-,issal Of the strikers from the state service
r5 res affirmed its determination not TO yield, the
e,,i-oriciaI note giving the result Of the meet
ing also announces that many merchants have
orer.d 10 lend employees TO the government TO
insure the performance OF public services This
=. indicative Of the completeness OF the tie-up
and the extremity 70 which the government has
been forced.
The note does not mention the rumor that the
government intends to call the reservists TO the
oolors thus gathering in practically all the men
rostal employees, and forcing them TO work as
soldiers under penalty OF mutiny. This IS dis
r-edited as it is considered highly improbable
that the governn ent would go to such a length.
she -emedv being regarded worse than the
disease.
on the contrary. the general opinion is held
that Premier CIefnenceau seeks only to save the
rrincipIe for which he has contended. and that
- the chamber tomorrow indorses the attitude
r, the government the Premier viii be ready for
IN. resignation Of NJ. Simysn the Under Secre-
tsrv OF Posts and Telegrap phs, and thus open the
uav for negotiations 10 bring the strike 10 an
end The strikers have said that II was largely
due 70 the attitude of NJ Sinyan that the de-
cision 10 strike was taken, and they have refused
IN have any dealings with him on the questions
.t issue NJ Clenenceau's enemies. 1t IS said,
wish 10 seize this opportunity TO overthrow him,
brt indications are that he will again be VIC
torious.
Strangely enough. amid the intense anxiety IN
business and government circles the masses
celebrated Mi-Caren1e to-day, the usual pleasure
loving crowds assembling in the boulevards to
witness the grotesque procession and throw con-
fetti.
PNEUMATIC TUBE MEN QUIT.
Only the Royalists seemed to get grain OF
comfort out Of the situation. which their news
papers hail as a proof Of the bankruptcy of the
republic The strikers gained many adherents.
the men employed on the pneumatic tubes JOIN
ing the movement this afternoon, and the as
.ociation Of thirty thousand postal apprentices
indorsing by their vote the strike principle
The leaders already claiming victory, in
spite OF Premier Clemenceau. who continues to
intends 10 recourse TO soldiers first and then re
place the strikers with new appointees. Impair
:iaJ observers however realize the impossibihty
OF organizing an entirely postal service
Neither the military telegraphc nor the SOL
diers the latter having been placed in the post
Offices uitn the almost insurnountable task OF
sorting the mountains Of accumulated mail con-
fronting them. have yet made even a be
ginning and the belief is becoming stronger
that the government will be compelled ere long
TO make some advances looking TO compromise.
But it is also certain that the Premier does not
wish 10 make any concessions until the govern
n1ent has obtained a vote Of confidence in the
Chamber tomorrow.
To prove their patriotism the strikers have de-
tailed Two expert ooerators to transmit the
cipher dispatches which the government is ex-
changing with the powers In regard 10 the Bal
kan crisis.
The last two American mails have not been
delivered. and an evidence Of the completeness
~ the mail blockade is shown by the fact that
the Havas agency which receives thousands Of
letters daily, did not find any at the postofice
to-day With the failure OF the carriers TO de-
liver letters in Paris this morning. the chaos
,ulting from the extraordinary strike was com
plete- The entire public service is paralyzed
and business both public and private. is in a
condition Of inextricable confusion.
100000 DISPATCHES UNSENT
Throughout the day the situation in the capi-
tai and tEe provinces grew worse with every
hour. The undelivered letters number millions
and not fewer than three hundred thousand dis
patches we're stacked UP this afternoon awaiting
distribution Foreign incoming mails remain
imported. and only small proportion OF the out
going mails has been sent away.
he 70 ba
operations of the various branches Of its service
thus far have been unavailing The few hun
dred military telegraphers brought into Paris
are practically useless. they are not familiar
with the recently installed Baudot Instruments
and foreign dispatches being sent TO the
frontier for retransmission- Even the sale OF
postage stamps has been discontinued in the
branch pestofices that are still open The gov
eminent has managed TO keep several wires open
with London ard Berlin for conducting impor-
tant diplomatic negotiations now in progress
The telephone wires that were working last
night are to-day out Of commission. They had
been either unnamed cut.
Few days more OF these conditions and Paris
Will be reduced almost to a state Of siege, SO
FAR as food supplies are concerned. The funds
necessary for the smooth running OF the pro-
vinciel trade are hung up in the postofices. and
the supply Of eggs. milk butter meat and coun-
try produce threatens speedily to run out AL