A. little belated, but none the less exciting, there reach us some statist issued by the French Ministry Labour, of the onunber of strikes which took place in France in the year 1906.
ures are as cause of sheer terror in minds, and seldom suggest exhilarating reading: but they may be pardoned on this occasion for their extraordinary values. In the one year there were no less than 1,309 strikes in France. These involved 380,435 men, 41,335 women and 16,710 jonnes gene, by which presumably are meant in this case girls and youths. These persons were occupied in 19,637 establishments, and their combined recalcitrance involved 9,438,594 days of idleness, in which, however, must be included 746,490 days enforced upon 29,305 work people who did not-wish to strike. Compare with this the relative peace and industry of the previous year when there were but 830 strikes in-posing 2,746, 684 days of idleness The increase in 1906 is traced to the universal decision on May 1 to dewand reduction in the hours of labour sre not mistaken there is riv general Eight Hours Law in France. Why did the statistics stop short then at days only? If the Ministry of Labour desired to impress it" conationals, as doubtless it did, why not extend the computation to hours and minutes verbal "precious momcats while it may be noted that the worst strikes were recorded in the mining country of the Nord and the Pes-de-Valois where 263,878 werkws went
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.