Shanghai, Oct. 4.
MIN. J. Favret, manager of the French "Tramway Company, stated yesterday that there was no change, the strike situation of his company despite reports that negotiations. had begun belwecen the company and the strikers and that an early settlement of the deadlock could be expected. M. Favret pointed out that it was impossible to predict the course the Strike would take.
The only major incident yesterday connected with the strike of the operatives of the French Tramway Company was the kidnapping of 2 tram conductor by five men, two of whom were armed with pistols. "The vielim was abducted from his home at 222 Avenue Joffre. It is not known whether the abduction has any direct bearing on the strike. Tt was learned that the' victim did not participate in the strike.
Chinese reports yesterday persisted that the strike was nearing a concluston and that negotiations had begun between the management and the strikers, but these were entirely aching in confirmation.
Transport Workers Still Out Shanghai, Oct. 5.
With a few workers ' returning daily, the situation in the French tramway strike is gradually returning to normal, although an official of the company stated yesterday that he could not say whether a settlement would be reached in the near future. 'At the same time, he expressed hope that a complete' service would be resumed soon.
The company, starting with a skeleton servies of some twelve trams a week and a half ago, now has 45 trams in operation, while the number of buses has. also increased and there are twenty vehicles on the roads. Less than half of the workers! still remain on strike, but their number is decreasing daily as more and more return to their jobs.
'The strike, which is now ten days old, started on September 25 when the' motormen and conductors, arriving at the depot to report for their! work, were intimidated by a crowd of outside Chinese who threatened immediate reprisals unless the workers obeyed their orders to quit work.
number of employees, however, traved the threats and returned the fame day, thus allowing the admin-{stration to put out a skeleton service of twelve" vehicles. These were heavily guarded by Chinese constables of the French Police, but several incidents, which resulted in arrest of some thirty strikers, took place in the first fow days. Several persons, Including one policeman, were injured when strikers attacked trams. One of the attackers was wounded in the course of an attack and succumbed Toter.
With incidents becoming every-day affairs, the French Police took stricter precautions and Chinese constables were detailed to every tram stop to search all suspicious-looking Chinese entering the vehicles. That ut an end to the incidents and per-. mitted the management, with the return of more workers, to run a skeleton service of buses' and to increase it gradually to twenty vehicles.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.