Evening star., 1948-10-23
Disorders Bring
FranceCIoser
ToMartia| Law
Red Union Orders
Industrial WuIkout;
Troops Summoned
BY the Associated Press

PARIS, Oct. 23.-Communist
union leaders called for a gen.
eral strike Monday throughout
the highly industrial st. Etienne
area as France moved closer to
martial law in the struck coal
fields.
The union order was given after
the government called up an esti-
mated $4,000 troops and state police
to reinforce units trying to main
tain order in the strife-torn coal
fields. At least two miners were
killed and scores of police and
strikers wounded yesterday. Cas-
ualties in three days of fighting
neared 200.
More violence was possible today
at Montceau Les Mines, where
pickets at the Les Alouettes mine
released 120 police they took pris-
oner in clashes yesterday. The seven
largest mines in the area SIS miles
southwest 6f Dion still are in the
hands of the strikers.
Coal Strike Unabated.
In the Gard Department of South
Central France 24-hour general
strike was due to end today The
coal strike there continued un-
abated, however. Police quit mines
in that area Thursday after clashes
The Interior Ministry said pickets
at Ales placed explosives In shafts
and threatened to touch them off If
the police reappeared.
The call up of more troops and
police. including the 1948 class of
soldiers which already had been
discharged, was decided on at an
emergency cabinet session last night
The cabinet also ordered troops
to use their arms in defending
themselves against attacks and en-
powered district governors to ban
any meetings, If necessary.
Foreigners to Be Deported.
Immediate deportation of all for
eigners taking part in battles
against troops and police guarding
the mines also was ordered.
A cabinet spokesman said the
steps do not coincide exactly" with
complete martial law, known in
France as state of siege"
No curfew has been imposed, mill
tary courts have not replaced civil
ones and the army has not been
given the all powerful rights it
would have under a full state of
siege.
The Interior Ministry said the
two miners were killed at FirminY,
five miles southwest of St. Etienne,
where 1,500 strikers attacked troops
guarding the pits.
There also were reports of shoot
ings at three other mines, two in
the st. Etienne area and at Mont
ceau-les-M Mines, about 100 miles to
the north.
Attacked With Tools.
The cabinet said the attacks
against police were launched "by
masses of men armed with tools,
crowbars and other iron objects"
and have caused important losses"
among the troops.
AS a result the government de-
cided that troops henceforth first
will fire over the heads of attackers
and then. If necessary, to defend
themselves, they can fire on the
strikers. Previously troops had
been ordered not to shoot.
One of the most serious incidents
occurred at Montceau-Les-Mi
There strikers marched on troops
guarding pits and hurled bricks and
stones. For an hour troops held
them off with tear gas. Finally the
soldiers were overrun. A police
colonel and 60 of his men were held
by the strikers who seized arms
and took over the pits.
A bus load of police was dis
patched to the scene. The strikers
overwhelmed them and took con-
troll of the town.
An official cabinet statement said
the strike was political and aimed
at running national production"
The strike, which began october
4, has shut down almost all coal
mines in France and the country
has lost well over 100000 tons Of
coal.
1t has been estimated that none
tary losses from the strike just
about equal contributions under
the European Recovery Program.
The government has charged the
Cominform fomented the strike
with the avowed aim of wrecking
the ERP.