Evening star., 1939-03-21
M-Hour Work Week
Extended 10 French
Railways and Mines
DoIodier Moves Rapidly
In Effort to Match
German Production
BY the Associated Press.


PARIS, March 21.-The author
lied 6O-hour work week-the first
product OF Premier Daladier's new
pictorial powers-was extended to-
DAY to railways, mines and numer-
Gus other industries.
Moving rapidly to whip French
productive capacity into shape to
match Germany's, the Daladier
government announced also that a
work week longer than go hours
may be authorized If found neces-
sary.
A communique said that any
person on relief who refused to ac-
cept work on national defense would
be dropped from relief rolls for a
year.
Ihe announcement was part of a
quick national defense reorpaniza-
ton. for which decree laws were
issued.
Ihe l6 DEGREES. signed yesterday
by President Albert Lebrun. not onlv
slgnaled intensified production of
war materials and revamped mill
tary command system along the
German frontier, but authorized the
government to call reservists to the
colors.
Three OF the 16 DEGREES. ordered
published IN this mornings official
journal, were considered military
measures: nine were for increased
production, while the other four were
miscellaneous"
French political observers con-
Sidered them but the first of a series
designed to put France on an equal
footing with totalitarian states in
rapid military action.
Diplomatic Activity Speeded.
At the same time France, acting
with Britain. redoubled diplomatic
activities designed to check German
expansion.
The possible fate of Rumania at
the hands Of Germany was con-
sidered one of the most important
immediate problems.
The newspaper LIE Journal said
this morning that Bonnet saw the
Rumanian Ambassador George Ia
tarescu, very discreetly" yesterday.
The French ministry communique,
although listing Bonnets confer
ences with Soviet Russian and
United States Ambassadors and the
British Charge dAffaires, did not
mention Tatarescu.
The military DEGREES increased the
number of officers and nom commits
| stoned officers, making possible a
more rapid expansion of the army
and gave Premier Daladier power
to call the last two classes of re-
servists, each numbering approxi-
mately 100000 men. as we'll as some
reservists from older classes.
A decree relating to military in
formation and another attaching
central information service te the
premier's Office were commented on
by some observers as possible FORE
runners of press censorship.
New Ministries Predicted.
The newspapers lie Jour and
l. Echo de Paris said the cabinet,
meeting Saturday. would create two
new ministries. one for propaganda
and the other for ornaments.
Reports current in Chamber of
Deputies circles said former Premier
Pierre Laval might go to Italy on a
seml-omcial mission designed to
bring about better understanding
between France and Italy.
Laval, who negotiated the 1885
F'rench-1talian treaty, now de-
nounced by Italy, was said to have
offered his services to Daladier.
(The 1885 treaty contained
minor concessions to Italy of
French territory in Africa, gave
Italy $500 of the $4,000 shares in
the Adds Albania -Djibouti Rail-
way and granted Italian nation
ality status and special privileges
for Italians in Tunisia.
1taly denounced the treaty
last December %, and on Febru-
ary 18 French troops reoccupied a
portion of the Somaliland coast
line and hinterland zone on the
ground that Italy had failed to
take them over under the Laval
Mussolini accord)
One concerned the organization Of
central information service at
tached to the Premier's office. The
other concerned a collective agree
ment IN the aviation industry.