The Washington herald., 1910-10-30
FRENCH STRIKE OYER
Railroad Tie-up Costs COun-
try Nearly 100000
BUSINESS HOUSES SUFFER
Arising over Differences Regard
Ing Salaries. strike Holds Up Im-
ports from Many Countries and
Cuts on "A Great Portion of Food
Supplies for Whole Nation.

london. Oct 29-The French railroad
strike is over. and the weeks display OF
socialism run riot has cost the country
between $55,0OO.OO0 and s6O.OOO.OO0
high official Of the Ministry of FL
nance estimates that about S25.000. coo
worth of imports from England. Ger
many, and Belgium was held up. con-
sisting of foodstuhs, Industrial materials
and manufactured goods About $245O0.-
Go worth of eXportable French foodstufTs.
textiles, wines. spirits, and paper was
detained at the same time.
The railroads have lost 81. 600 In pas
seuger fares and S3.50O0o0 in freights.
fhe loss to the Western State Railroad
done is $500 eos The strikers. railway
men. and others lost $25Oo.OO0 in pay
The effect of the interruption of the
International trains hit manufacturing and
retail business men severely. Paris houses
where stocks were low were unable to
I'LL orders All industries have lost. The
losses have Uttered down until the small
est dealer has suffered.
As an instance of how the strike affect
ed every class of the community, the
women Of the flower kiosks on the bouIe-
wards whose takings average s. a day.
only sold about 81 worth. as good flow
ers We're not 10 be got The loss 10 the
small farmers and small tradesmen all
over France is serious.
Food supply Cut on.
The market reports in the Bulletin des
Halles SHOW that the foodsmffs received
IN the Paris markets alone were reduced
one-half during the strike The fishing
villages have lost $125e,O05 day. Douar-
neneZ, in Brittany. one of the centers
Oh the sardine fishery. lost Sl5.000 in one
day.
sGermans see in the French strike
Justification for state ownership of rail-
roads. When Prussia and the other fed
eral states acquired possession Of the
railroads they passed laws making il a
misdemean0r tor railway servants to
belong to trade union Organizations Of
any kind or TO bind themselves together
for any cooperative purpose. Every
man VINO becomes an employe OF the
state lines thoroughly understands that
he may not invoke the right Of coalition
open 10 men Of other occupations.
Social Democracy has long planned an
attack on this law, and has never hesi-
tated 10 conduct secret propaganda among
state railway men, but without success.
German railroad. postal, or tele-
glaph strike is what the Teuton idiom
describes as an "unding AN utterly
mthukahle thing.
Strike over Wages.
The strike arose from a question of
wages, either directly from the dissatis-
faction OF the railway employees or indi-
rectly from the action Of certain leaders
Who took advantage Of that dissatisfac-
tion. The popular idea was that the men
Were demanding a minimum wage OF 81
a day. but this was only broad gener-
lization
1he administration OF the state railway
system gives the following details as TO
average wages paid I'm 1863;
. Engine drivers of the first class. Fixed
wages. 5000 a year, with 11itons max
ing Il TOTAL OF Ss-9lg
Engine drivers of the seventh class Cthe
hesinnersi; Fixed wages $500; toal, SG0 70.
tiremen of the nrst class: Fixed wages.
$is0. total S6oGGo
Fremeu of the seventh class; Fixed
wages. $50; total, S3S3.20.
Thus the daily wage for the 3l3 DAYS
which constitute a years maximum work
hds averaged for drivers from S2g7 TO
I.6. and Tor fremen from N.9i 10
Sl
The addition 10 the fixed wage is made
up Of grants for economical working and
for being moved from place 10 place. and
Of bonus at the end OF each year. But
those figures do not Include the grants
made through The institutions patronales.
d i.
sum of from 10 10 T. per cent of the
amount or wages is paid by the company
toward pension fund and through
which the railway worker gets transpor-
tation free or at greatly reduced rates for
himself and his family, free medical ad-
vice and medicine. the opportunity of
Buying food and other things at cooper
ative prices, &c.
Pay During Illness.
Other advantages over ordinary labor
ers are fun pay during four months III
ness or half pay for the following three
months and the opportunity of placing
his children i'm employment
The state railway gives the following
rate Of pay for Paris and the suburbs.
these figures referring 10 the period from
May 10 September. 1910
Engine drivers, $3.m a day. dremen. SI74
a day. The best men have earned s4.1e
dag Tor driving S210 for firing. The
poorest have received $2l5 and sl6g re-
Spectivey
An engine driver can look forward on
entering The service 10 the certainty of
reaching an annual wage OF $50 an in
dcmnity for living in Paris of 500
premium az the years end Of $S5, premi-
INNS for economical working, $500, other
grants s., and $252 Total. Si.22I. OF seq
q day. a fireman can count upon the
certainty Of reaching a total of SS08.6O
year or S2.57 a day A minimum pension
is given % drivers at fifty years of age
after twenty-five years service. Of s5l7,
and o., FrADraD sgT4