The New York herald., 1921-01-11

Copyright, 1921 bD TIE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Paris. Jan. TO-
The steady increase in unemploy-
ment In the industrial suburbs OF
Paris, as we'll as in other industrial
centres, apparently is causing the
Government Some apprehension, the
problem being an entirely new one to
France, which, prior to the war, always
was able to find work for her popula-
ton No serious disturbances have yet
occurred in these suburbs, chief among
which are st. Denis and st. Etienne,
but the Governments concern at see
ing the ranks of the unemployed aug
nented was shown by a plea made to
q capitalist interested in the Delau-
nay Belleville automobile works to
take back some of the men who had
been let out there, although the auto
mobile industry here is still stagnant
and is responsible alone for $4,000 un-
employed.
The unemployed in st. Denis. now
number 5000, while there are 10000 idle
tential trouble spot is probably the
worst around Paris, both these places
being hotbeds OF Communism.
The estimate that there We're I5O,Wo
unemployed throughout all France,
made last week, is believed to be too
small To-day some of the estimates
place the number Of unemployed as
high as 100000.
The Paris City Council has just been
mi a n
ming a big demonstration in which the
suburbs will combine. Every uneni-
ployed person is supposed to receive 21s
francs daily from their municipality,
which the Government has promised 10
reimburse. but some cities have refused
to pay.
Men In the Paris suburbs who are
earning between ten and fifteen francs
n day refuse to leave Paris for the de-
yastated regions, even when promised
work at thirty francs a day. This con-
stitutes one Of the strange features OF
the situation with which the Government
Is graphing. 1t is doubtful even II
many of the mechanics and Industrial
workers now out OF work Ia these sub
urbs will accept the Government otter
to go to work razing the old fortifica-
tions surrounding Paris. as they virtu-
ally demand state support until they get
their jobs back
Numerous remedies are being pro-
posed one IS the completion OF the
razing OF the old fortihcations of Paris,
thus giving employment to thousands
another that the State erect homes Tor
workers where the fortifications already
have been torn down; another that the
great amount OF army cloth lett over
from the war be made into civlian
clothing. while road and waterway I'M
rrovements and new public works are
advocated by others as q means or SOW
ing the problem.
Manufa cturers look on these sugges-
tions as OF little real worth. They
characterize this as a period of liquida-
tion after four and a half years OF war
and declare that none of the measures
suggested will put France back on
normal basis They blame n good deal
of the present state of affairs on labor,
whose demand for high wages ana
short hours naturally is reflected In
high prices They declare that this
wage scale cannot be maintained II
prices are reduced. as the public de-
mands. Reduce wages, they say, and
the cost OF living will come down.
Meanwhile labor leaders advocate the
creation Of a Board OF National Econ
omy to try to solve the prblem or rer
establishing normal conditions in manu-
facture.
Radicals are not idle as unemploy-
ment grows, but are taking advantage
of the situation to place responsibility
for the situation on the bourgeois Gov
ernment"
Every manufacturer with whom TIE
NEW YORK HERALD correspondent dis
cussed the situation said that the price
OF coal entered largely into the problem.
Steel makers said that with coal at its
present price and the steel market de-
cllning It was impossible to continue
their plants in operation. At the same
time they asserted that Germany. with
her cheap labor and cheap coal. was
able to keep her steel works going on
full time. operating day and night,
competition which the French cannot