Evening star., 1934-04-10
FRENCH WORKERS /
PROTEST PAY CUT.
Issue Call for "Folded- Arm"
Strikes and Other Dem.
0nStrati0nS.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
PARIS. April 10-Government en-
ployes today issued a call for two
days Of nation wide demonstrations
April IS and 16-against Premier
CASTOR Doumergue's pay-cutting .de-
cree laws.
Folded arm" strikes and other
manifestations at places of work are
scheduled Monday. the 18th, which
has been designated as a national
day Of protest" by the Public serv-
ice Union.
They will be preceded by mass
meetings and street demonstrations
Sunday throughout France. Post
men. public service employees of all
kinds and other civil servants have
enlisted in the movement
Doumergue slashed salaries 10 per
cent and cut on 10 per cent of the
governments 100000 employees under
his decree powers as q major stroke
In his fight to avoid devaluation Of
the franc and to balance the budget.
Disturbance Of public services over
most OF France over the week end
Is threatened. The first interruption
OF work is to begin Friday with a
one-hour strike by the Communist
wing Of the Postal Union.
Colonial Plan Revived.
Meanwhile, Frances year-old plans
for a colonial economic conference
hastily were revived to help put over
Premier Doumergue's anti-depression
drive.
An attack on the high cost Of Hv-
ing In France also was begun by the
Doumergue cabinet in an effort to ap-
pease government functionaries dis
gruntled by the recent pay cuts.
The search for ways and means to
strengthen trade in the vast French
empire was resurrected by Pierre
Laval, minister of colonies.
The colonial conference was pro-
posed early in the administration of
former Premier Edouard Daladier. but
Daladier's government passed out dur
ing the bloody Paris riots and the
project never materialized.
Feeling herself more or less isolated
economically. France hopes to become
more seif-reliant with the aid of her
100 ,000, 900 Inhabitants in both hem
tspheres and her 100000 square
miles Of territory.
How to sell more French products
to the black. yellow and brown men
who populate her vast African and
ANatic possessions is her principal
problem. for hard times seem to have
penetrated the jungles, deserts and
Oriental rice swamps.
No indication was given in M. La
vals discussion of the revived plans
as to when the conference may be
held.
Frances oversee dominions exported
merchandise worth $365 1928, $40 in
1881, the last year for which COM
plete statistics are available.
Plan to Lower Living Costs.
OF this amount France proper alb
sorbed goods worth $248, ,5s7. .l60, or
is per cent Of her total imports. In
1882. The year following the figure
jumped to 19 per cent of the ma
tional importation.
In return for this, French mer-
chandise sent out to the colonies in
1882 came to nearly S248 loo, ,0cO, or
80 per cent of the nations total ex-
ports.
Now. with the gradual progress of
civilization and the consequent In
crease In demand for manufactured
goods, French economists foresee a
sure and steady increase In their
country's overseas trade
Amid revived discussions of the
proposed conference it was announced
that the cabinets plan of lowering
living costs Is to start with foodstuffs
beginning with meat and bread.
The project will be discussed further
at the next session.