The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-25
FOOD R|OT|NG IS
 TROUBLING FRANCE Trouble in Frnace Assuming Revolutionary Character THE WOMEN BEGIN TT From Behind the Shelter of Petit coats Emerge the Professional
 Agitator of Revolution
 ary Tendencies
THE WOMEN BEGIN IT

Paris September 24-The revolutionary | cboracter of the so called flood riots" in northern France is no longer nnes- toned To all outward appearances me trouble began spontaneously, as 1t seemed, when hundreds and in some cases, thou- sands of housewives in various towns and villages started boycott of the local markets In most cases the women did not hesitate to resort to direct acton | by laying violent hands upon all the farm and dairy produce offered for sale But the movement was not 24 hours old before 1t was taken out of the hands oi the women and, in the language of a I French observer, from behind the shelter of the petticoats emerged the prores- sional agitators of the revolutionary gen. eral confederation of labor"
 In the case of France the organized propaganda against the produce brokers, who have been made responsible by the socialists and their revolutionary allies, dates back to last year. M. Briand, who was prime minister at the time. insti- tuted an inquiry into the methods of the dealers in meat and other commodities.
  was far more political and revolutionary in character than economic. The gen eral confederation of labor, which for several years past has more and more been. losing its hold upon the masses of the working classes, believed that by rais- ing a hue and cry against dear food and high rents it would be able to rehabiitate itself. These calculations were disap- pointed by the premature outbreak of the railway strike last autumn. While the difficulties to which the railway strike gave rise and it's ultimate failure tenn porarily paralyzed the activity Of the revolutionary headquarters the seeds sown bv the confederation of labor party in the rural districts were maturing. lis fruit was seen in the champagne riots this spring which to large extent sus- pended the economicl life of an entire region.
 But the ringleaders of the movement were taken by surprise by the sudden ness of the outbreak. A sharp upward movement in the price of various neces- sities of life, in consequence of the drouth this summer and of local epidemics or foot and mouth disease, sufficed to fan the smouldering embers into blaze.
  other firebrands arrived upon the scene in order to add fresh fuel to the flames. Tn the mining districts of Lens and Hant- mont and industrial centers like Lille, Roubaix. Tourcoing. Maubeuge, Valen- ciennes Arras and Douai their interver- ton has been successful in busting the genuine housewife from all part in the movement.
 After a fortnights examination of the expedients by which the French Premier M. Caillaux seeks to solve, partly at least, the problem raised throughout Eu- rope by the revolt of the working classes against the rising cost of provisions, a considerable improvement in feeling Is manifest among the housewives, artisans and farmers of France.
 Specially popular in towns is the pre- miers scheme to assure cheap housing to defeat the excessive rise of rents.
 Parliamentary sanction would be neces- sary if the project Is to be carried out on a scale as large as some of the en- thusaists advice; but this probably would be given, and, if it were withheld, the municipalities could act independently.
 To increase the meat supply by grant ing facilities for importation of colonial cattle and lifting in part the embargo as to cattle from the United States and South America was the boldest policy the government could have adopted, hay ing regard to the resentment of the pow erful meat kings" in France.
 The proletariat resented the subsequent effort to sustain prices through the med ium of cooperative meat stalls, notwith- standing a decline within the last month of over 90 per cent in the price of meat.