Evening star., 1923-05-31
STRIKES IN RUHR
HAVE RUN COURSE
Recurrence of Communist
Outbreak on Larger Scale
Is Predicted.
BIZ the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
DUSSELDORF, May 31.-The Ruhr
strikes, affecting a half million work
ers. have apparently all but run their
courses. The men are returning to
their labors by the thousands and
1t is predicted that by next week most
of them will have so far recovered
from the effects of the recent dis
turbances that they will go back to
the plants.
The need for an adequate police
force. called strikingly to the atten-
tion OF the authorities by the recent
serious demonstrations. is TO be met
by REORGANIZATION of local police.
These forces, however, will be sub
ject to the restrictions OF the French.
THREAT STILL EXISTS.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright. 1923.
COLOGNE, May 31.--With the sup
preston of the communist uprising
in Bochum the labor troubles In the
Ruhr are virtually ended. though the
conditions which created them con-
tinue.
The Bochum conflict never reached
the stage of a decisive struggle. II
was essentially naneuver for posi-
tion and the concentration OF arms.
tious sentry firing. and from all over
the Ruhr arms and reinforcements
were rushed to Bochum. The reds
saw that the whites had won the bet
ter position and gradually dissolved
with a little shooting and leaving
the whites in possession of the town.
1t is uncertain whether the red
police in Gelscnkirchen and Watten-
scheid will dissolve without strug-
gle. but IL is generally believed that
nobody wants any further fighting,
The Importance of the Ruhr incidents
last week may easily be exaggerated.
Funda mentally they were not com :
munist uprisings," but revolt or the
hunger driven population. in which
a minority of communists took the
most spectacular part. The real VII
! lain. according to the German view,
is the dollar" which persists In
rising" and raising prices with 1t
while wages lag behind.
This made conditions intolerable to
the majority of the working people,
who entered upon a general strike
without asking the advice OF their
unions. The communists. who are
shrewd politicians. sought to direct
the movement with two slogans, the
first lower food prices and the sec
ond workers police to enforce them.
The conflicts at Muelheim and Gel
senkirchen were spontaneous and
were conducted with "billies' and a
few firearms. but when the situation
began TO look serious both sides con-
centrated in Bochum, where the
! whites won in the race to gather
firearms. Hence the communists ad-
! mitted defeat and the whole move
ment collapsed.
The insurrection episode Is virtually
| ended for the moment. but, as pre-
viously noted. the conditions which
produced II continue. The mark will
continue to fall. entailing rising
prices; the employers, impoverished
by the French occupation. will be un-
able to meet the demands of the
workers and the reich will be unable
to give adequate financial support.
Hunger and desperation are certainly
coming. No one feels sure that the
next time there is a labor revolt IL
w i'll not be overwhelming.
Reparattons Plan Opr0sed.
| LONDON May 31.--A Central News
dispatch from Berlin says that high Off
cials of the German government regard
the reparations plan of the industriaiists
as impossible of acceptance because the
conditions attached TO IL are not to the
liking of the social democrats and the
parties of the left. These groups par
ticularly object to abolition of the eight
hour day.