Evening star., 1918-01-30

Drought about serious strikes IN Berlin
and other parts of the empire. The
German government has begun repres-
rest of the six leaders of the independ.
ent socialist party, while at Kiel the
leaders of the obdurate workmen have
been sent into the army.
10000 Out in Berlin.
In Berlin and its suburbs 10000 work.
ers were not at their tasks Monday. Sc
rfcusly hampering the electric works
and airplane factories about the capi-
tai. Strikes in the great manufacture
ing district along the Rhine and in
Westphalia also are reported. The
affected. and at Kiel workers in tor
pedo factories and in dockyards have
been out since Friday.
Meetings in the industrial centers
have been prohibited The strike agi-
tation has been fostered by the inde-
pendent socialists and not by trade
unions. In addition to ordering the
arrest of the Independent socialist
leaders. the authorities are said to have
imprisoned Adolph Hoffman, editor OF
Vorwaerts, the socialist organ, and in.
dependent socialist leader in the Prus.
SIAN diet.
rected against the delay in passing the
Prussian reform bill and the annexa-
zionist propaganda conducted by the
fatherland party, which has assailed
bitterly the conduct of the German
emissaries at Brest-Litovsk. Generally
the strike broke out Monday, the day.
after the emperor's birthday.
Warns Against Exaggeration.
BY the Associated Press.
LONDON. January 30.-While some
morning newspapers print with much
prominence dispatches from Hoiiand
and Switzerland representing the
strikes in Germany as being on great
SCALE mad sefSsaefleHssythe Rotterdam
correspondent of tire Daily News warns
against an exaggerated idea of the size
and Importance of the industrial up
heaval Other newspapers report that
the workmen in forty war-ma terial fac
tories in Berlin alone have struck. ana
that many strikes elsewhere have been
accompanied by grave disturbances.
The Daily News correspondent says
that the cessation of work in Berlin
apparently was not general in char
acter. The central committee of the
trades unions intended a general strike,
but, according to the latest information
reaching the correspondent in Rotter-
dam. this was revoked after the speech
made by DR. Won kuehlmann. the for
eign secretary. with which the labor
leaders professed to be satisfied tempo-
rarily. The strikes which occurred.
consequently, Were sporadic, the CORE.
spondent says.
Trades Unions Demands.
In any ease. he adds the trades
unions committee made demands very,
very mild in character. The demands
We're:
First, an answer by the German gov
ernment to the speech made by Premier
prffi icI, IL
Second. a statement on German war
aims in the west.
Third, direct representa- tion of the
working class interests in the peace
negotiations in proportion to the fep-
resentation of capitalistic interests.
Fourth. no further postponement Of
Prussian franchise reforms
Strike at Several Works.
According to Central News advices
from Amsterdam, nearly all of the
workmen of the Daimler. Boersig,
Ludwig and General Electric works are
on strike.
The independent socialists have
carried on an active propa ganda dur
ing the last few days, the dispatch
says, and the movement appears to be
very serious. and in industrial centers
meetings are prohibited. It is par
grave in the suburbs OF
Lichterfelde. Heringslorf and Johan-
isthal, where electric works and air
plane factories are situated Strikes
also have broken out in Rhineland and
Westphalia.
The Erankfurter Zeitung says the
movement is directed against the delay
in passing the PruSSian reform bill and
the agitation conducted by the father
land party. The same paper adds that
the strike has spread to the Bochum
mining district, nine miles from Essen.
Eorwaerts. under the heading. Ger.
many, Take Heed" says: The moye-
ment going through the masses rests
on deep moral grounds: it is born OF
the fear that they have been misied"
The Norwaerts adds that they will not
let themselves he persuaded that their
happiness is 10 be sought by defeat and
civil war. but, il continues: They
want food and peace and Germany free
and inwardly. And any at.
empt to hold them by force is dan
serous. All thoughts of an attempt to
force the people aims which pro-
ong the war, aims for which they
never fought, or TO keep from the peo-
,Ie their promised rights, can only
work as disinte@rating factors. That
today is our greatest danger
Torpedo Factory Walk-out.
a ulSpdlEH 10 iile IsStfaHEe 1eleRraDh
Company under date of January 28 SAYS
hat thoroughly trustworthy report
rom Kiel declares the workers in fba
orpedo factory at Friedrichsort struck
work on Friday afternoon. In conse
,uence of this a number of the mems
eaders are being called to Join the
lrmy
The employees at the Germania Dock
ards struck Friday, the dispatch adds
Socialists Arrested.
.,,crEpnsM Iauuar,- IN IT..