Saturday Two-hour Trade Concession to Jews May Wreck Polish Coalition Government

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

The Polish coalition government, formed by Count Alexander Skrzynski to cope with the economic crisis in the country, may be wrecked because of the projected concession, allowing Jewish storekeepers to keep open for two hours on Saturday evening, as a concession for the compulsory Sunday rest.

This concession, which was one of the points of the Polish Jewish agreement, was granted by the former Grabski government, with the participation of Count Skrzynski, then Foreign Minister, on the condition that the P. P. S., the Polish Socialist party, which was responsible for the enactment of the stringent Sunday rest law, would offer no objection to the concession.

The concession was planned, not through legislation which might cause conflict in the Sejm, but through an administrative measure. Mr. Ziemiencki, the Labor Minister in the coalition cabinet, representing the Polish socialist party, objected to the ordinance.

The “Robotnik,” the official organ of the Polish socialist party, attacked the projected ordinance. It was declared that in connection with this opposition a closed meeting of leading members of the Polish socialist party group in the Sejm considered this question and it was decided, according to a report, to definitely oppose this ordinance. Should this ordinance be issued despite their opposition, the P. P. S. will withdraw from the coalition government, it was declared.

“We are definitely opposed to all projects which jeopardize the eight hour working day achieved by the Polish laboring class,” the “Robotnik” declared in an editorial several days ago. “We will strongly oppose all attempts to carry out the Polish Jewish agreement at the price of the eight hour working day and the Sunday rest,” the editorial declared.