Evening star., 1937-12-29
100000 STRIKE,
PARIS CRIPPLED:
MOVE SPREADS
Police. Clear Eight
Utility Plants of
Workers.
WALkOUT FOUGHT
BY GOVERNMENT
Mobile Guards Sent to
Operate Electric and
Gas Plants.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
French politics in turmoil since
spring OF 1886. ,rhen Peoples Front
1uas formed by Socialists. Com
1nuniStS and Radical Socialists,
bringing into poper Leon Blum,
ioho remained in poner till June OF
this year, yiclding to Premier
Chautemps. Year 1886 marked by
udue OF Sit-down strikes in work-
ers' demands for universal 40-hour
Teek and other 1porking benefits.
Peoples Front jeopardised seueral
times by threat OF Communists and
Socialists to desert it.
b. the Associated Press.
PARIS, Dec. 29-Police evicted
striking workers from six electric
plants and two gas works in Paris
today in conformity with Premier
Camille Chautemps' assertion that the
government would combat the danger
Gus French strike situation with the
greatest vigor."
Mobile guards were sent into electric
plants in the industrial suburb of
Puteaux to assure their continued
operation.
The peoples Front" government
of Premier Chautemps was confronted
with a vital test of its strength as
100000 public service employees went
on strike in the capital and the
threatening wave of strikes began
spreading through the provinces.
Food Handlers Strike.
All food handlers in the town of
Grand-Combe, near Avignon, struck
They claimed employers had not ad-
hered to collective contracts.
ShipoWners at Rouen went into
court, demanding that striking crews
Of 80 ships be fined and imprisoned
for failing to accept arbitration.
This afternoon police took charge of
the 10 reservoirs around Paris
Union delegates renewed objections
Of truck drivers to the use of army
trucks for carrying newspapers. Dele
gates told Chautemps they would dis
claim all responsibility for conse-
quences which may result"
Premier Chautemps condemned the
strike and inferred that hidden rea-
sons lay behind it-especially signifi-
cant in the Light of recent Rightist
allegations Chat Communists plotted
to overthrow the government during
strikes in mid-November.
The walkout, with the Endorsement
OF the French Communist party,
halted bus and subway service for the
city's 100000 workers. Street clean
ers, sewer workers, water, gas and
electric employees, and garbage COL
lectors walked out.
Taxis Do Rushing Business.
Taxi drivers did a rushing business
and created a traffic tie-up in taking
Parisians to work. Others, without
normal transportation service, walked
to their jobs.
The water, gas and electric services
ran on reserves. but there was danger
that by nightfall Gripping shortage
would result.
Hospital maintenance employees de-
eided upon two-hour demonstrations
daily. Funeral workers on strike
limited activity to urgent" burials.
All struck in protest against wage
economy section of the 1888 French
budget. 1t would curtail automatic
wage increases, promised public en-
ployes to cope with the increasing
cost of living.
There was no disorder, but Premier
Chautemps ordered steel-hatted mo-
bile guardsmen to patrol the city,
bolstering the Partisan police force.
Troops Of the government of Paris
were ready for action If needed. II
necessary, M. Chautemps avowed, he
would use force to restore public serv-
ices.
There was, the premier said after a
conference with his ministers. mo
doubt about the intentions" of those
who provoked the strikes.
The Communists, one segment of M.
Chautemps' coalition government, in
dorsed the strike at their national
congress. But M. Chautemps own
Radical Socialist party has been dis
avowing strikes, which also troubled
- (SAe PARIS pooe A.10I