Evening star., 1935-06-23
DEPARTURE OF GALES
SETS MEXICO TALKING
Country Is Specializing Whether Rule
of Strong Men Will Be supplanted
by Institutions.

pubic until their appointments. One
government official close to President
Cardenas said the outcome Of the
situation proved that Mexico had OUT
grown the days Of personalistic gov
ernment. The Presidents greatest
weapon was the legality Of the fact
that Gen. Gales, while he was re-
spected by many as the chief nj the
revolution, was actually only q pri-
vate citizen. Business men, especially
representatives of important foreign
interests who had no we'd Gen. Gales
statement would have rnded the strike
epidemic, were the most alarmed by
the developments.
Strikes in Foreign Plants.
Some say that If the present policies
continue they will be forced to leave
Mexico because, despite the Presi-
dents repeated statements to the con-
trary, capital has no guarantees today"
Since President Cardenas took ofice
the strikes have been increasing and
the foreign countries frequently have
been, as the officers of one Of them
described it, soaked" The principal
strikes have been against the local
subsidiaries Of the British-owned
Eagle Oil Co. and the Hausteca
Petroleum Co., a subsidiary Of the
Standard Oil Co. Of New Jersey, and
the Mexico City Trolley Co., the Mex
ican Telephone Co., San Rafael Paper
Co. and the Mexican Light & Power
Co., all of which are foreign-owned.
The Labor Board ruling that the
companies must pay full salaries for
the employees who were striking cost
the trolley car company 300, 900 pesos
! and the Standard Oil Co. nearly
100000 pesos. The Eagle Oil Co. lost
a court decision and Is now appealing.
The amount involved in this case is
100000 pesos. The company was
assessed total Of 100000 pesos as
a result Of the resembling by Presi-
dent Cardenas Of an old concession
freeing the company Of paying impor-
tant duties on certain essential con-
Struction articles.
The high point in the strike de-
mands was reached by the Eagle COM
pany's employees at Aqua Dulce, Vera
Cruz. They asked for polo and foot
ball fields, a swimming pool, a thou
sand acres Of land each and three
months vacation biannIally, but the
| company won that strike.
Cardenas' Prediction Fails.
President Cardenas recently pre-
dicted the strike wave would end
shortly in view of the fact that "just
adjustment of conditions had been
made in the majority CT industries"
But at the same time he did not
oppose strikes which we're legalized
by the Mexican law. His prediction
has failed to come true so far. For
instance, this city, at present with
$500 Rotarians here, has only one
telephone system in operation, which
is insufficient to meet its needs.
An interesting and significant de-
velopment during the Cardenas gov
labor leaders to the former chief,
among them Vicente Lombardo Tole-
dano, wealthy lawyer and champion
of labor as the head Of the Confed-
| crate Workers Peasants. Toledano,
who was named specifically and de-
rogatorily in Gen. Gales recent state
ment, replied: II am only an agftator,
| fighting for the rights of the prole-
tariat, and will continue to be until
I die"
The outcome Of the Cardenas-
Gales dispute would seem to indicate
| that the President did not intend to
change his attitude or even proposed
to continue along the same course,
but the new cabinet is regarded as
surprisingly moderate. Two Of the
most radical members of the former
group of ministers, Ignacio Garcia
Teller, former secretary of education,
and Tomas Garrido Canabal, former
secretary of agriculture, were left out
when the cabinet was reorganized,
although Garcia-Tellez has been
named secretary Of the National
Revolutionary party.
Conservative elements expressed re-
lief when the cabinet was made
known, and said although no strong
political personalities were included,
with the exception Of the new secre-
tary of agriculture, Gen. Santurnino
Cedillo, the cabinet and the general
tendency they represented was one Of
moderation, especially Fernando Con-
zaleS Roa, secretary of foreign affairs,
who Is an outstanding international
lawyer and a former Ambassador to
Washington.
(Copyright. 1935J