New-York tribune., 1922-02-04
Confer With Wirth and
Will Ask Men to Return
Pending Negotiations
for Wage Scale Increase
General Walk-Out
Believed Avcrted
Radicals Propaganda 10
BE Denounced by Labor;
Civic Employees Back
By Joseph Shaplen
Hy Wireless 10 The Tr,bu,,

BERLIN, Feb 3, The general strike
involving I 900 900 organized workers
III Germany that threatened to develop
from the strike of $50, 900 railway men
that began yesterday is believed to
have been avcrtcd tonight by CON
ference between Chancellor Wirth and
tho leaders OF the principal trade
unions.
The union heads agreed to call on the
rail- workers to go bacl TO their Jobs to
morrow on the assurance that the
negotiations for higher wages will be
carried on until a satisfactory settle
mcnt is reached. The proc lamatior
which the unions VIII issue dcnounccs
the general strike propaganda in vigor-
Gus terms
If the railroad mon respond by going
back to their jobs the possibility of a
general strike will be very small. as
the ISSUE upon which it had beer
planned in protest against the gov
crnments order denying the right OF
civil service employees to strike evil
have disappeared
Recruits Join Strikers
The situation grew worse o-day
when the railroad shopmen in Berli,
joined the walk out, and the postal ane
telegraph employees and mem bers O.
the German Railway Union anothc1
group Of workers. al voted TO strike
unless the government withdrew its
anti strike order imm ediately How
ever. the strike OF Berin's street car
electric light and subway employee:
has been called of.
The workers feel that the government
injected new issue besides wages
into the controversy by the anti-strikt
edlct. and although many of the unions
oppose the present walk-out Of railway
men to enforce a demand for highcl
il the right to strike is hallengcd BY
the government.
Unless the railway men 20 back K
their places, catastrophe in Ger
many's economic life seems almost in
evitable. With only part Of the raj
workers out now, the northern half O.
the country is paralyzed, food supple!
are running short and in another forty
eight hours will be scarce. long dis
tance passenger traffic is at stand
still, postal service is dead. and tht
whole country is seriously crippled l.
all the workers quit. the situation will
become many times worse than it i:
now.
Rail Men Ask Is Per Cent Raise
The strike problem is expected tt
prove difficult Of solution because o.
the fundamental nature of the issues
at stake. The average pay OF the mel
on strike is 500 marks month (abou
So. They want a is per cent increase
over this admittedly inadequate scale
But the government, fighting horoicall.
TO meet it's financial obliga tions, canno
possibly grant the wage increase
asked, for it would punch a great hole
in the national budget that could no
be taken care Of at present.
The government has taken measures
that naturally arouse the bitterest re
sentiment of the workers, as a sort O.
retaliation for the declaration of .
strike at this critical juncture in Ger
many's economic development. The
both sides must drop the chips on thei'
shoulders and face the greater dangel
Of n nationwide strike II the presen
differences are not overcome inmedi
ately.
The governments attitude, which is
almost unanimously supported by the
public, is that the workers have choser
a highly unfortunate moment TO throw
the country into confusion. ORGANIZED
labor in general had sided with th(
government in this respect until tho
anti-strike order became an issue il
the contest, and on that the worker:
all swung to the side Of the railway
men.
The entire Communist press, led BY
"The Red Flag in violent words urges
a general strike. Both the Independent
and Majority Socialist newspapers de
mand that the government lift its in
junction against strikes. Some of the
Communist papers have been sup
nreSSed