The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-01-01
Insist That Their Men Be Re-
called From the COlOrs.
MOST UNIQUE IN HISTORY
Neither Shorter Hours nor In
creased Pay Requested.
Declare They Cannot Hold Out
without Husbands.

Paris, Jan. 1.-The women bakers
OF France have just threatened the
government with a strike that would
be unique in the worlds history.
Neither shorter hours nor increased
pay is demanded. All they want is
their husbands, and they insist that
aunless those husbands are recalled
Elfrom the colors and restored to their
1hake ovens. they will quit and starve
the government into acquiescence.
The ultimatum of the women bakers
Of France has just been delivered to
the government by a committee head
led by Madame PreleuX, of Arcuefl-
cachan, president of the Ligue des
BDuglaneres. or women bakers union.
She supplemented the complaint with
1880 letters from women bakers who
declare they can no longer face their
present trials without the aid of their
-husbands.
No Home Made Bread There.
Ea Home made bread is unknown in
France. The business of baking is eX-
tensiVe and all-essential. Nine out of
ten small businesses are jointly con-
Quoted by husband and wife, and the
occupation of baker is one that lends
Itself peculiarly to this arrangement.
With the call to the colors of all
the men bakers, the wives and daugh-
.ters took up the businesses. Baking
was one of the industries unaffected
by the war. If anything it increased;
as IlluGn OF the pOpuldllOH mas DeeIl
reduced to the consumption of bread
as the principal article of diet
The women were obliged to bake
stlle bread and delivc~ it to an entire
community. After fifteen months of
such trials, they declare they can en-
dure 1t no longer.
Best Flour for Army.
The decision of the women was
made after they had outlined a plan
showing ( w it could be done in &C
cordance with patriotism and fore
thought for the army. Their resolu-
tons declared that the army above
all must have the best bread possible
Flour of the highest quality. they ad-
d NIT, is provided by the government
but a waste of this and a defective
bread, they say comes from the en-
ployment as army bakers of non-pro-
Z fessionals. They insist that the gov
/ eminent supplsnt the latter with pro
fessionals first by calling out of the
regiments professional bakers serving
in the line and secondly by calling &c
the colors bakers who for one reason
or another have escaped military ser
D vice, of whom there are sufficient they
E say. to provide the army with all the
P professional bakers necessary, while
their own husbands serving at the
front could come home and resume
S the work of supplying the civil popu-
! lation. The petition concludes:
For a long time we have concealed
& our anguish from our husbands in or
5 der not to cause them either worry oil
z encouragement at the front They
Z are loyal French men, determined tC
g sacrifice everything for the deliver
ance of the fatherland. And we arr
loyal French women determined t
make the same sacrifice.
Consider Themselves Modified.
"Our husbands are modified anC
we consider ourselves equally mobil
lied, like soldiers, to the fire Of oul
ovens. For fifteen months we have
given evidence of this by an exhaust
ing labor, a patience, a devotednes'
and a disinterestedness without limit
To-day there is not a one of us WHIT
can continue. We are at the head o
our forces. We have fought desper
ately but we can hold out no longer
Our situation from being lamentabl
Y has become critical. 1t is useless TO
us to discuss with ourselves or to aSl
ourselves If we can keep going still
a little longer. The fact that we can
not is only too apparent.
I'VE will close instead our shops on,
by one. II relief of some sort doe
not come to use we will be compelled
to close all our shops either through
lack of help, through our excessive ia
fietle or through lack of resources