The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-13
Premier Briand Calls the Strike An Instruction
 Pure and Simple
RIVER SEINE MAY SAVE
 PEOPLE FROM FAMINE
Railroads on Nearly All Sides of Paris Are Tied Up and the Food Supply of the City Is Rapidly
 Decreasing

 railroad men which threatens to spread day by Premier Briand as "an Z ~ rection purely, built upon Q y founda dations." 'S The premier declared that tl Strike . was called while negotiations were go- . ing on through himself and the min ister of public works for an adjust ment of grievance and he promised that the instigators--1ould be criminal ly prosecuted.
 The river Seine, which, in January threatened to destroy Paris, now looms up in the role of savior. The govern ment has made arrangements to rush food supplies to Paris from the sea requisitioning all tugs, boats and barges to meet the crisis brought about |g by the stoppage of the railway service and ease the food market which Is al ready hard hit
 The employees of the Eeastern and the Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean railroads have not yet, to any appre- ciable extent, responded to the lead CTS call to strike and the govern ment's weapon of mobilization has in- duced some of those employed on tn C Northern railroad to return to their posts. Nevertheless, the Northern and Western railroads are prostrated The call to the colors has been ignored by the large majority and at mass meet 1ngs held today the strikers reiterated their determination not to respond to the call.
 Much Property Destroyed Much destruction has been wrought on the Western system, where the strikers and their supporters have hel up and derailed trains, blocked tracks destroyed signals, ripped up rails and bcut telephone and telegraph wires The government has ordered the arrest ol a score of the strike leaders and in- structions have been issued to the troops to use severe measures wherever occasion requires.
 Thousands of persons living in the suburbs but who are employed in Paris massed this evening around the depots. These they found closed and silent with soldiers camps In front Then, with true Parisian gayety, tn ey laughingly set out to walk home. per haps distance of from five to ten miles CT crowded the trarilways, cabs automobiles and other conyeyances.
 The losses to commerce already are tremendous. Scores of trains have been stalled along the roads, many of them carrying food supplies, which even now have become unfit for use. The passen- gers on the steamship Oceanic, who took the train at Cherbourg for Paris, are blocked at Nantes -Sur-Seine, about 3e miles from Paris.
 Many Americans have been compelled to remain in this city or to pay fabulous sums to reach the coast so they might embark for England Seven hundred sacks of American mail are now being cd CIa fn orfa a Seine, and the French steamship line will employ tug to convey the passen- gers for the steamer La Touraine, sail ing Saturday.
 k, M. Jaures, leader of the socialists In the chamber of deputies, today answered Pre- mier Briand, charging that the railroads of the government were responsible for the present crisis He declared that the scheme of the mlitarization was danger ous as it was certain to weaken military discipline and increase anti-militarism.
 Gigantic Move Planned
 Encouraged by the effectiveness of the strike, the leaders of the French work 1ngmen generally threaten a gigantic move to paralyze the activities of the whole country.
 These electricians and the employees of the omnibus, Metropolitan and subway transportation lines of this city consid- cred today the advisability of seizing this opportunity to launch strike for redress of long-standing grievances
 The situation throughout the republic is regarded as grave.
 The railway companies are making a desperate struggle to maintain some sort of service with the aid of military en- gineers and men from the navy, but are meeting with little success.
 The extension of the strike to the east And south has practically isolated Paris which is threatened with famine.
 The strike leaders declare that not 8 wheel will be turning on any railway In the republic tomorrow morning.
 Up to this afternoon the acts of violence have been confined to the cutting of tele- graph wires and the tearing up of tracks at several points.
 The Paris end of the Western road strike is complete. Not a single train 1f came or went out on that line after early morning. The highways leading to Paris are blocked with humanity. Thousands of workmen trudging toward the city con- verged as they reached the city gates where the congestion was frightful. The demand for cabs and automobiles could not be met and prices scared accordingly
 Food Supply short
 The government is seriously concerned over the matter of food supplies Pres ident Fallieries hurredly returned from : his estate in the south today and con ferred with the ministers Already the market is pinched Enormous quantities of milk and fish en route from Norway and Belgium are stalled at points along the Northern road. The blocked North ern line is the great artery for agri cultural products.
 The president of the grain syndicate said that the stock of flour on the Paris market today did not exceed 75,000 quin tals, which is less than eight days supply for Paris
 The national railroad union comprises only 100000 of the total of 300,000 men em- ployed in the railway service, but large majority of the non-union men are par ticipatng the strike.
 The government Is adopting measures similar to those practiced in time oi war.
 The strikers held up the express trair for Havre at Bos Colombes and, cover ing the engineer and fireman with re, vovers, compelled them to abandon the locomotive, which was then uncoupleo from the train and tipped across the