Evening star., 1936-06-05

ton" with the advent Of the Socialist
government.
Premier Blum elaborated on this
theme, saying:
The government will do Its whole
duty; it will not fail to fulfill any
promises made.
But its strength lies, above all, in
the confidence the people of France
placed in it and it claims today a
demonstration of confidence from the
millions Of voters who lifted 1t to
power.
Public Safety Stressed.
The governments action, to be
eficacious, must exert itself within
public safety It would be paralyzed
by any breaking of order or any inter-
ruption in the vital services Of the
nation.
THE government, therefore, asks
the workers to keep within the law
for all their demands, which must
be regulated by law and calmness. and
to go after their demands with calm
dignity and discipline.
1T asks the employers to examine
the demands with a broad spirit OF
justice"
While he was speaking the large food
stores and meat packing establish
ments of Paris were closed by strikers.
Blum intimated that he considered
employers largely responsible for the
strike chaos.
The government deplores," he said,
that the stubborn tactics of the en-
ployers appeared to coincide with the
arrival in power of this government.
Asks Nation to Keep Calm.
"The government finally asks the
entire country to keep calm, to guard
against exaggerations and dastardly
rumors and to contemplate with full
control of itself a situation already
dramatized by observers who wish Ill
for France but which efforts of COM
mon will should be enough to solve"
Labor Minister LebaS likewise ap-
pealed to the good sense Of the work.
ers" to avoid committing any fault"
LebaS officially attributed Peoples
Front victory in the elections, the
moment had come for them to win
better working and living conditions"
New strikes among workers in previ-
ously unaffected industries heightened
labor problems of Frances new Social
ist government today.
Speedy settlement of disputes be-
tween employees and operators sent
some workers back to their jobs, but
they were reported outnumbered by
new strike recruits in other industries.
The strike spread to central slaughter
houses in Paris, where workers Joined
in demands for higher wages, col
lective bargaining contracts and .
40-hour week.
Adopt Folded Arms" Tactics.
The slaughter house employees, adopt
ing the folded arms" tactics, occupied
the scalding houses.
In minor disorders, police dispersed
picketS who attempted to prevent veg
etable trucks from entering the city.
The delivery force of the Galleries
Lafayette, large department store,
blocked the doors to prevent customers
from entering. The doors of another
large store were locked as the sales
force struck.
Union leaders reported they were re-
gaining control of the strikes which
recently became spontaneous on the
part of members without waiting for
orders from labor officials.
Alarmed Parisians fiocked to grocery
stores to lay in supplies of food despite
the Socialist assurance France would
not go hungry. The demand for can
dies, to assure illumination, became so
great many merchants were forced to
impose quotas.
Residents of the capital, deprived of
all but two of the Paris morning news
papers. thronged to the boulevards
seeking news of the strike situation.
Cafes were crowded, but even walters
threatened to join the walkout, depend
ing on vote Of their union tonight.
The strikers agreed to permit limited
distribution of one Socialist and one
Communist newspaper. No embargo
was placed on medical supplies or food
for children, old people and the sick.
The Socialist cabinet which meets in
its first official session today is expected
to review the situation after a detailed
of the existing difficulties
by Blum.
Royalists, through their newspaper
L'Action Francaise, charged the new
premier with responsibility for the
revolution" and advocated limitation
Of the civil rights Of Jews.
. TheL 64-year-old Socialist leader,