The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-20
STRUCK WITHOUT CAUSE.
THE INvEsrIG ATINa COMMITTEES
REPORT ON THE LOCKOUT.


The Longshoremen Hot Interested II
Custody Commissions aud the Strike
without Justification A Plan to
Settle Future Differences b. Arbi-
tration-A Lack of Effort to Adjust
Matters Between the Proper Parties
the Cause of the Trouble.
The river and harbo- committee Of the
cotton exchange, after lengthy investigs-
tion Of the causes which led to the lockout
II the Iongshoremsn last week, submitted
its report to the directors yesterday. The
report was signed by sll the members Of the
committee.
The committee found no justification Of
tbs strike, and it recommends that q CON
mittee be appointed 70 confer with the
lcngshoremen's association, and that, If
possible, in the future, all differences that
may arise be repor ed - al arbitration
committee for settlement.
Without passing on the justice or Legality
Of Wilder &, Co.'S claim for custody COM
mission, the committee says th 1t so ne effort
toward an amicabls adjustment should
have been made BIZ the proper parties, and
IL is of the opinion that if proper effort
had been made by the captain of the vessel,
the agent Of the underwriters, or Mr.. KiT-
lin, the question of custody commission
could have been amicably adjusted. The
following Is the full text of the report:
SAVANNAH. Ga, Dec. 49, 1889.
TO the President and Board Of Directors Of the
SdUdnnGh Cotton EcchdHgs. SdUrRHdt. Ga:
GENTLEhEN-The standing committee on river
and harbOr, having been instructed by you 70 IN
vsstigate the recent strike OF tue longshoremen
in this city, beg to report tnat, upon as full an
investigation OF the matter as we have been
able to make. we find that the evening OF the
18th ultimo fire occurred in the cotton cargo
of the steams zip TGalia which had been char
tered by MesSrs. Wilder & Co., and who were
also acting es her agents. By order of board
of survey, that portion of the vessels cargo con-
tanned ia the hold where the fire occurred was
discharged, Mes RS. Wilder a. Co, acting as
agents for the vessel, contracting for the dis
charge and storage on tn wharf or the dis
charged cotton, which contracts were approved
Of by the captain. After the cotton was
discharged, aud before it was reloaded in the
ship. the captain withdrew his vessel from
Messrs. Wilder & Co.'S agency and lntracsed
with Messrs Powers, Magee & Co.. the steve
dores who had originally slowed the vessel, TO
reload il. When they learned, however. that
the vessel had been Withdrawn from Messrs.
Wilder & Co., they at once gave notice TO the
captain that they would not carry out their con-
tract The captain then tried to get another
steYedore to do the work, but failed. When all
the stevedores had declined 10 reload the cotton
into the vessel, the captain employed some non
union men aud began the work under the direc-
tion of Dir. Hutton, who took ous stevedores
license. Upon the employment Of these don-
union men the longshoremen quit work in all
the other foreign ships in the port that were
then loading. Aft the non-union men had
worked In the Thalla a part of two
days, they withdrew. The captain then tried TO
employ union labor to comple.e the WORK,
yielding to all the demands made by the long
yhoremen except to return his vessel to Wilder
& Co.. even offering to take out OF bis ship all
the cotton that had been slowed by the non
union men. Falling to get the Ion yshoremen
10 work In his vessel unless be returned her 70
Wilder & Co., the captain began work with his
Grew and finished loading on the evening Of the
14th inst The vessel cleared on the 10th, and
the lonRshoremen on the morning of that day
resumed work In ths other vessels, having been
out five days. The cause OF thu vessel having
been withdrawn from Messrs. Wilder & Co. was
10 avoid paying what is known as custody
commission on the value Of that porti N of the
ships car 20 discharged by order OF the board Of
survey after toe fire on the Goth ulimo. We
find that the captain acted under advice OF Mr..
J. 2. kirlin OF New York, who claimed that he
was acting as attorney for and under nstruc-
fions of the owners OF the ship, and Mr.. j. n.
Johnston, agent Of the national board of
marine underwr ters From a cablegram to
Messrs. Wilder & Co. from the owners, il ap-
pears that while Mr.. kirlin was noninally act
ing under instructions from the owners, the
orders really came from the underwriters.
From whatever source the orders came. it is
evident that the vessel was Withdrawn from
Wilder & Co. TO avoid paying a custo " com
mission, as before explained, which, we are in
formed, when collected Is FIRST paid by the
owner Of the ship, and he is Afterwards reinI-
burSed by the underwriters under general av-
erage. The question Of custody commission
was one entirely between Messrs Wilder s. Co.
and the owner OF the ship, or, perhaps, between
Messrs. Wilder Co., the owner. and the under
writer's, and had proper efforts been made, we
think could have been amicably adjusted. We
find, however. thai no effort was made in this
direction either by the captain, Mr.. KIrlin, or
Mr.. Johnston.
The matter Of custody commission being
one IN which the longsnoremen had no interest,
we fail to find in it any justification OF the
strike, and from full and candid conference
with the presidents of the two associations we
think they were Inadvertently drawn into IL
The fact, however, of their becoming involved
and that the strike has seriously aft .cted bust
ness, reaching in its results far into the
state. and entailing heavy losses upon innoc Mt
parties here, and also upon the longshoremen
themselves, it occurs to your committee that
there can and should be some means adop. ed
satisfactory TO all to avoid ar currence of such
a disaster. With a view to this, we recommend
that the exchange, through q proper commit
tee, confer with the organizations OF iongshore-
men 70 have all matters of difference that may
hereafter arise referred to an arbitration com.
e mittee with power to MAKE prompt settle
ments
We refrain from expressing any opinion upon
IN sne Justice % or legality Of the claim made
commission OF 2H per cent. upon the
value OF the C ton discharged, but
wedo think, after they had rendered the service
in contracting for the discharge and storage
of the cotton. and occupying, as they did
at the time, the position of a gents of the ship
that some effort should have been made by the
proper parties to effect an amicable adiustme 1t
of any matter of difference between them
And we recommend that in any future IN after
of the kind such effort should be made IT, in
the meanwhile, some satisfactory solution of
such difficulties is not arrived at, which we
earnestly urge upon all parties likely to become
interested TO endeavor TO bring about
]. F. MINIS, Chairman.
H. NJ. CONFER
JAS. u. BARNARD Jr,
EDWARD KAROw,
Attest: w. H. DANIEL,
J. P. MERRIHEw, Superintendent