The strike of the dockers at Marseilles, which seriously threatened
the prosperity of the port, draws, it is said, to a close. The quarrel was of the old kind, the men com- plaining that their hours are excessively long and their pay insufficient, while the employers, who, like the men, are bound together in a Union, declare that the strikers want to deprive them of all authority. The Government have apparently remained neutral, only filling the city with troops so as to maintain order, which, amidst so composite a population, might easily be disturbed. There has, however, been danger that, as no vessel could be loaded or unloaded except by her own crew, the trade of Marseilles might be transferred to Genoa, where conditions are more favourable ; and the French Government therefore have applied a certain amount of pressure to the employers, who, nevertheless, have, so far as we can see, conceded nothing beyond a reduction of the hours of labour. The quarrel is not quite over yet; but the men are obviously growing weaker, and are no doubt almost as alarmed for their trade as their masters are. It is believed that the net result, besides the reduction of the hours, will be the establishment of a Board of Arbitration, to which all future disputes will be referred. The employers at one time wanted to have striking declared desertion, which, as all the dockers are maritime Reservists, would have given victory to the masters ; but M. Pelletan peremptorily refused.
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