ACUTE TENSION IN THE RUHR DISTRICT.

Six mine managers whom the occupation authorities have decided to court-martial were brought from Essen to Dusseldorf under arrest to-day. They include Herr Fritz Thyssen, son of the founder of the great firm, who employs 65,000 men, and is regarded as a model employer, Herren Tengelmann, Olpe, Kasten, Wustenhofer, and Ohrensand Radffaisen, the last two being directors of the fiscal mines at Recklinghausen. No information is available as to the time and place of the court-martial. It is understood that they will be defended by Herr Grimm, an Essen barrister. The announcement of the arrests caused a sensation in the town, and this was accentuated when it became known that besides rounding up the leaders of the mining industry the French were increasing their activities in the matter of holding up trains.

The train-controlling groups consist of an officer, a Commission official, and a number of soldiers. There are two groups dealing with Essen, Duisburg, Dortmund. Recklinghausen, and Bochum. Trains are held up for fifteen minutes, and papers examined and decisions reached as to whether they shall be allowed to continue their routes or be diverted to other destinations. The Germans complain that as a result of the control the number of coal wagons is now seriously depleted. In normal times the number is put at 60,000, but it is now said to have shrunk to 20,000. It is further asserted that a coal train containing at least 1,000 tons is proceeding to France every half-hour.

The French policy is to obtain Reparations coal without in any way interfering with the miners or presuming to give orders to them. Whether the control system will work satisfactorily it is yet too early to say, but the Control Commission has the idea that it is using an effective weapon without injuring the economic activity of the Ruhr. Whether it will work depends on the attitude of the miners. It has to be said that they resent the presence of the troops at the pitheads, and at Mollerschachte and Gelsenkirchen they refused to go down the mines until the soldiers were withdrawn.

Rumours were rife to-day that a general strike would be proclaimed in the Ruhr. What encouraged the report was the fact that the Labour leaders were meeting at Essen to determine their attitude. The meeting ultimately decided to descend the mines, but not to work them. This was agreed to unanimously.